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| Robert R. Shafer as Psycho Cop (1989). |
It was
inevitable that after the indie success of Maniac
Cop (1988) rip-offs and imitations would flood the market, and so it
happened. But whereas that slasher classic was the work of masters and/or
talented people in front and behind the camera, such as Tom Atkins and Bruce
Campbell, and William Lusting and Larry Cohen, the Psycho Cop duo (1989 – 1993) almost seems like the work of
amateurs.
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| Psycho Cop (1989) poster. |
Psycho Cop (1989)
Six
vacationing college students (that as is so often the case in 1980s slashers,
appear to be much too old to still be in school, yet all of them are so dumb
that I guess they could probably still be students after missing an exam too
many) are terrorized by a – you guessed it – psycho cop (Robert R. Shafer, in
an unintentionally comedic performance), who is offing them one by one for no
other reason than him probably being a Satanist (we see him messing around with
a pentagram or two).
Writer/director
Wallace Potts (he had previously helmed a couple of adult films) is offering
some of the silliest dialogues you’ll ever get to hear, and the experience of
watching the film is actually torturous, as at even 87 minutes, it feels much
longer. However, for reasons I cannot determine, the end result actually
resembles a real movie of sorts, which wasn’t the case with most of the similar
straight-to-video product from the era. If there is one winning element here is
the soundtrack by Alex Parker and Keyth Pisani, which is above average for this
kind of thing.
 |
| Psycho Cop 2 (1993) poster. |
Psycho Cop 2 (1993)
Improving
upon the original, this sequel is about a bunch of yuppies that organize an
afterhours party with alcohol, drugs, and strippers (Julie Strain is involved,
and introduced as Penthouse Pet of the Year), that will become damned by the
stalking of the titular man of law (returning Robert R. Shafer, unintentionally
funny as always). Whereas the original was tame (and you didn’t actually know
why the psycho cop would kill the main cast since they didn’t really offend his
typical-for-1980s conservative sensibilities) this one is full of sex and
nudity, which is something that gives some sort of motive to film’s villain
(you know, the whole sex and death angle that is prevalent in many low budget
horror movies from that era). However director Adam Rifkin (credited here as
Rif Coogan) doesn’t offer much more other than a rebellious finale that is both
fitting and empowering.
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