Psycho Cop Returns

I watched this immediately after the original Psycho Cop and, wow, what a difference a little self-awareness makes! The original incompetently plodded through horrible writing, acting (with the exception of Shafer)and pretty much anything else you could screw up in a movie. For the sequel, they watched the original, expanded on the strengths and actively ridiculed the weaknesses. I almost hate to call Shafer's performance "brilliant" but there it is. Another actor would play the role just for laughs, but Shafer, after delivering a punchline, keeps the character's cheerful psychotic complexity. Did I really write that?

This is just a fun, fun film that does a great job treading the line between the "THIS IS A COMEDY HORROR MOVIE ABOUT BAD COMEDY HORROR MOVIES" and just an enjoyable slasher film.

Well, I didn't see this coming. But I got to hand it to it. It was surprisingly entertaining and easily surpasses the original "Psycho Cop". Think of "Die Hard", but sleazier and done like a slasher outing with a touch of soft-core as Officer Joe Vickers gatecrashes a late- night stag party. Probably even more on the cheap. While the first felt serious with unintentional humour, "Returns" seems to play-up the concept with tongue-in-cheek and self-knowing quips. It's outrageous, sexed-up and totally ups the ante, nasty and gory deaths with Officer Vickers chipping with a witty response nearly every time. Robert R Shaffer returns to the deranged role and he gives an even better performance, which doesn't feel as amateurish and his delivery of the dialogue is less painful. Everything moves at a fast pace, the setting keeps the horror confined, as the body count piles up and the story's developments go over-the-top. The plot is pulpy, but a little creative and the performances are fairly animated with the ravishing Barbara Niven leading the way.

I dunno what this other guy's talking about, but this film is an instant classic. Directed by Adam Rifkin (Detroit Rock City, The Invisible Maniac) under the alias Rif Coogan, this is one of the funniest, most entertaining horror film parodies ever made. Not a bit of it is meant to be taken seriously. Psycho Cop, returning from his ill-fated venture in the first film, seeks out a couple of blue-collar office workers after he suspects their planning of something illegal. Indeed, these two genntlemen, Larry (played by Roderick Darrin and Miles David Dougal) are planning a bachelor party for their friend, after the office closes. Both actors portray the films comic relief, Brian as the "ninny" constantly whining and looking over his shoulder and Larry as the go-for-broke party animal. As the party rolls on, members of the party as well as "Gus, the nightwatchman" (with a name like that, you know they're not serious) begin dying off, and Brian suspects something's up. The surviving partiers and a co-worker, the beautiful Barbara Niven, begin finding the bodies and the fun begins... A great movie, much more enjoyable than the Maniac Cop films.

This movie is hilarious. It doesn't try to be a serious horror movie, because the makers knew it was a sucky film and so they added one-liners and jokes. Brilliant! I loved all the death scenes.

After viewing the first Psycho Cop and found that a lot of fun, but completely stupid with awful acting and then finding out that there's a part 2, to be honest I wasn't all that thrilled and thought that it would be just a watered down version of the first one. But boy I was wrong, opinions seemed mixed on this one, but honestly I found this one a whole lot better.

Okay the production isn't any better nor is the effects and acting, but this does have a certain charm to it. This time the setting is in an office building instead of the old camping teenagers in the woods scenario, which was a bit odd for a movie called Psycho Cop, but this setting makes more sense in a way and Bobby Ray Schafer (the cop himself) seems more fun in this one and has more snappier dialogue. Plus the movie itself moves along at a decent pace and I wasn't bored for a minute and the strange turn it takes during the final act was a total surprise and very different and I didn't want this movie to end.

The plot this time we start off with 2 office guys in a coffee shop making plans for a bachelor party at their office building after hours, but they are overheard by officer Joe Vickers himself and he doesn't approve and starts following them and of course when he enters the building all hell breaks loose with several office workers, a security guard and a couple of strippers all lined up ready for his brand of unique justice.

The acting of course is pretty bad but I found the characters a lot more memorable than the first one and some were even likable. Barbara Niven as the obvious final girl was pretty likable and was strong willed and proved to be a decent match for the psycho cop. Mile Dougal was annoying as hell and his acting (if you can call it that) was just strange and all over the place. But the two strippers were a riot and of course Psycho cop himself steals the show.

All in all Psycho Cop Returns is not by any means a masterpiece, but it is a lot of fun and highly enjoyable and honestly never thought that in a million years that I'd enjoy this but I did and I wish that there was a Psycho Cop 3.