Maniac 2: Mr. Robbie (1986) User Reviews

Sick short

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 23 August 2016]

Joe Spinell planned to make a sequel to his infamous video nasty of 1980, MANIAC, entitled MANIAC II: MR ROBBIE. Production began six years later, but died before completion. Left is approximately nine minutes of film which portray the short-haired actor as Mr Robbie, a children's entertainer haunted by child cruelty which comes to him in the form of letters. There's also an extremely graphic murder sequence, in which a coke-sniffing cook has his face submerged in boiling water before being stabbed in the eye; this really does take gore to new extremes. One can only wonder what the quality of the film would have been had it been finished.

Mister Robbie

[Fernando-Rodrigues · 6/10 · 18 February 2021]

A cool concept that would've been interesting as a movie.

Great

[Michael_Elliott · 16 June 2008]

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.

Not scary or entertaining, fun trash at best

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 14 October 2017]

"Maniac 2: Mr. Robbie" is an American live action short film from 1986, so this one is already over 30 years old. It was directed by Buddy Giovinazzo and one of the writers of these 8 minutes is Joe Spinell, the lead actor. I could say a lot about this film being a sequel (as you see from the title) or a remake or something else, but eventually it is really nothing but a little appetizer that won't manage to get you too hungry. You really need to be a big fan of horror trash films to appreciate this story about a man with clown make-up getting calls from children of parents who physically abuse them and this clown was supposed to take revenge on their behalf and kill these parents. Oh well, I am not sure if I would have checked out a full feature film if they had really made one back then, but Spinell's death got in the way sadly. Sadly for him being gone and not really for this film never being made. Or maybe you need to have appreciated the first Maniac to like this "sequel" we have here. Overall, I was not impressed and give it a thumbs-down. This one should better be skipped.

Remake of "The Psychopath" works.

[DJAkeeba · 9/10 · 11 August 2006]

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.

Dark, creative and rich

[fertilecelluloid · 8/10 · 30 November 2005]

The bleak world view that Buddy Giovinazzo brings to every one of his films is why this "sequel" to William Lustig's "Maniac" is so damn rich. It's only short, but Giovinazzo and star Joe Spinnell create real magic from a premise that would have easily sustained a full feature -- TV host Mr. Robbie receives cries of help from abused children in the form of letters he reads on air. In his spare time, his visits the abusers of these children and murders them.

The letters Robbie reads on air are voiced by talented vocal actors and are truly moving and painful to hear. Robbie's own history as a victim is economically conveyed and Spinnell, looking terribly ill (which he was at the time) is totally believable.

This is like a shortened feature, a half dozen scenes in search of a financier. "Maniac 2: Mr. Robbie" never did become a feature, and it's a great pity because the material is so potent and adroitly handled by Giovinazzo, New Jersey's Dark Prince of Human Decay.

The violence is gloriously revolting and the film's sound design is a real asset. Shot in grotty greens and blues and boasting garish, deliberately ugly surfaces, this unofficial follow-up to the 1981 original has a stronger premise than its predecessor ("Jaws on Land") and would have made a better film.

Consistently dark and creative.

A great short

[Rautus · 10/10 · 14 February 2008]

Maniac was a low budget slasher movie and is well know for it's graphic violence, once infamous scene is with horror make up maestro Tom Savini as a Disco dancer getting his head blown off. Joe Spinell wrote and starred in Maniac and in 1989 he decided to plan out a sequel named Maniac 2: Mr Robbie, to finance the project a short was filmed to show what the film would be like. I must say the short is a very great little taster and it's a shame Maniac 2: Mr Robbie never came to light as a feature film but sadly Joe Spinell died of a heart attack so the project of Maniac 2 was scrapped, the short is the only thing that remains of what cold of been Maniac 2: Mr Robbie. It can be seen on the special features on the Maniac elite DVD or on various websites on the internet like Youtube. Maniac 2: Mr Robbie has a real unnerving feel to it which is great, Joe Spinell does a creepy and great performance as Mr. Robbie.

The short is about a children's TV show host named Mr. Robbie, children send him letters about what's happened to them. Mostly being abused by they're parents so Mr. Robbie decided to teach the abusers a lesson by murdering them.

Maniac 2: Mr Robbie is a great short movie, you can check it out on the Maniac elite DVD or various different websites that show videos. Check this out. 10/10

Amazing promo reel short

[Woodyanders · 9/10 · 7 July 2009]

Filmed as a promo reel to get investors to supply money for a possible feature length movie, this remarkable short stars the one and only Joe Spinell as Mr. Robbie, a troubled children's show host who kills the abusive parents of kids who watch his television program (Mr. Robbie receives letters from the kids informing them about their parents' grave misdeeds). Of course, Mr. Robbie was himself severely mistreated by his father as a kid. Mr. Robbie tracks down a cook who beat up his son and wife and murders the guy. Directed by Buddy Giovinazzo of "Combat Shock" fame, this film has a raw and gritty quality which makes it genuinely creepy and unsettling. Spinell brings his usual intense and arresting presence to his role as Mr. Robbie; despite looking weary and worn-out, Big Joe still comes across as very creepy and threatening. The voice actors who read out loud the kids' disturbing letters talk in uneasy high-pitched tones that are truly painful to hear. The rough, grainy cinematography and skin-crawling repetitive synthesizer score further enhance the overall grimy and uncomfortable mood. Plus we even get a nifty gore gag when Mr. Robbie dispatches the cook by thrusting a knife through his eye (choice line: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen cookie"). The perversity of the premise alone makes this supremely bent baby a winner. An eight minute version of this twisted doozy is featured as an extra on the Troma DVD for the Spinell psycho horror vehicle "The Last Horror Film." Essential viewing for Joe Spinell fans.