Maniac 2: Mr. Robbie

Maniac 2: Mr. Robbie (1989)

**** (out of 4)

This five-minute short was produced by director Giovinazzo (Combat Shock) and star Joe Spinell and it was meant to be used to get financing for a sequel to William Lustig's hit Maniac but sadly Spinell died before the entire movie could be filmed. The story was to center on a television clown named Mr. Robbie (Spinell) who was abused by his father as a child so now, as an adult, he goes out and kills men who abuse their children. This clip features a basic set up followed by one of the murders and it's just as graphic as what was seen in the original film. The death scene is extremely graphic but it looks incredibly good for a promo film like this. It's a real shame that Spinell died because this could have been another wonderful treasure but at least we've got this short.

Less a sequel to "Maniac" than a remake of the obscure 1975 thriller "The Psychopath" (which starred Tom Basham as Mr. Rabbey, a children's TV host who kills abusive parents), this film shows how much Buddy Giovinazzo loves the grit and grime of '70s horror, as if the brilliant "Combat Shock" didn't make that obvious enough. Joe Spinell is in fine form here, and -- although it is marvelous that they got to work together before Spinell's untimely passing -- it's work like this that makes me annoyed that Giovinazzo has been toiling in German television the last few years. At a time when glossy, inferior remakes of horror classics are glutting the multiplexes, a truly edgy filmmaker like Giovinazzo, who knows how to preserve the spirit of the originals, could be box-office gold.

Joe Spinell is again terrific. Shame he died before they got to make the full-length feature. The idea that 'a children's television host plots murderous revenge against child abusers' is nice (although I understand not original). I assume 'Maniac 2' is in the title just as a cash-grab - I don't see how 'Mr Robbie' could actually be 'Frank Zito' from the first movie. Unless... maybe it was going to be an alternate take, showing how childhood trauma could turn him into an 'avenging angel' who *protects* innocents, instead of the serial killer who *preyed* on innocents from the first film. Ah, what might have been... RIP Joe.

6.5/10.