Maniac 2: Mr. Robbie

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.