Maniac Cop 2 is one of those rare horror sequels that surpasses the original - it's sleazier, trashier, more violent and more entertaining as a whole. This next chapter starts off in Friday 13th Part 2 mode by immediately severing a couple of ties to the first film: cops Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) and Teresa Mallory (Laurene Landon) - who survived their encounter with rogue undead cop Matt Cordell (Robert Z'dar) in part one - are bumped off by the 'maniac cop', who is still seeking revenge for his wrongful incarceration and subsequent murder. Replacing Campbell and Landon are Robert Davi as police detective Sean McKinney (whose face is almost as scarred as Cordell's), and Claudia Christian as sexy police psychiatrist Susan Riley, who are not only trying to track down the man responsible for the recent spate of brutal police slayings, but are also trying to catch the serial killer who has been murdering New York strippers.
Going all out to top their previous effort, writer Larry Cohen and director William Lustig pack their film with impressive stunt-filled action set-pieces, the first of which sees Riley handcuffed to the steering wheel of car as it careers down a busy street; to make matters worse, she's on the outside of the vehicle. There's also a great chase scene in which serial killer Turkell, driving a prison bus, is pursued by several police cars through New York; a Terminator-style shootout at a police station allows for lots of bloody squibs; and the finalé in a prison features some very impressive full body burn stunts. Lustig keeps the pace snappy throughout, there are some great cameos (keep an eye out for Charles Napier, Sam Raimi and Danny Trejo), and the grimy city locations are perfect for this kind of trashy B-movie horror.
8/10 - it would be a crime to miss it.
