Maniac Cop isn’t most audiences’ go-to classic slasher.
But some of its cast are in the all-time horror pantheon.
The film features a trifecta of low-budget icons: Tom Atkins (Halloween III: Season of the Witch), Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead), and Robert Z’Dar (Samurai Cop).
This combination of infamous chins (Campbell, Z’Dar) and stiff upper detective lips (Atkins) only did mediocre box-office business in the summer of ’88.
And its critical reception was lukewarm, at best, with some dismissing it as a Friday the 13th clone.
Still, Maniac Cop spawned a trilogy.
And today’s fan base calls it a kickass embodiment of watchable 80s horror. Its enduring low-key popularity has led to modern Blu-Ray releases.
So is Maniac Cop a good movie?
The Plot of Maniac Cop:
When a mysterious figure dressed as a police officer begins taking lives, Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins) investigates.
While Commissioner Pike (Richard Roundtree) suspects a madman, McCrae believes a real police officer is behind the deaths.
Can McCrae uncover the identity of the Maniac Cop?
The Rest of the Main Cast Includes:
- Bruce Campbell as Officer Jack W. Forrest Jr.
- Laurene Landon as Officer Theresa Mallory
- Robert Z’Dar as Officer Matt Cordell / The Maniac Cop
- William Smith as Captain Ripley
- Ken Lerner as Mayor Jerry Killium
- Victoria Catlin as Ellen Forrest
- Sheree North as Officer Sally Noland
- Rocky Giordani as Officer Fowler
- Nina Arvesen as Regina Sheperd
- Marcia Karr as Nancy
- William Lustig as Motel Manager (uncredited)
- Sam Raimi as News Reporter (uncredited)
Fun Fact: Raging Bull himself, Jake LaMotta, appears uncredited as Detective Motta. He was director William Lustig’s uncle.
The Good Things:
Some Slash but not-so-Rehash, +2 Points
In slasher films, the plot is usually an excuse for death scenes.
Yet this one, in pieces, plays at being a thriller.
I anticipated 125 minutes of a Jason Vorhees type (Friday the 13th) in a cop uniform stalking victims at night.
And though that’s where things start, there’s an agenda to this murder.
There’s a frame-up, relationship drama, and an unsettling origin story for the Maniac, like a black eye on the police force.
It’s not Shawshank, but it plays against type.
Accessible Thrills and Kills, +2 Points
Not overly gory, sickening, or scary, the movie lands in that watchable category for horror fans or laypeople — so long as you can handle some on-screen death.
And the pacing flows. It’s like a 3-minute summer pop song, not a sweeping bath rock opus.
Three Protagonists to Go, Please, + 1 Point
Some films are centered on a group of characters. Think Walter Hill’s The Warriors, which follows all nine gang delegates, even when they split up.
But most movies have set protagonists and antagonists, and flip-flopping between leads is rare.
Yet here there are, arguably, three heroes.
McCrae is the first in the door. And for much of the first and second act, we follow his hard-nosed-cop investigation.
Yet by the third act, Officer Jack Forrest is our main man. And other times, it’s Officer Mallory.
Most movies would tip their hat to the group affair early, building all characters in the first ~25 minutes so you know you’re supposed to keep them close at hand. Yet this movie… doesn’t and still makes the switches without fuss.
Little Societal Jab, +1 Point
After the press leaks that a homicidal cop is on the loose, the people share their thoughts about the killings with a news reporter.
We listen to a black man about police brutality and an older man quip about abuses of power running rampant in his day.
To paraphrase John Carpenter, horror, which has a reputation for exploitation for easy bucks, always reflects society.
And you can see a glimmer of excessive force as a theme in a bloodthirsty, rampaging officer and a distrusting public.
Unlikeable Lead, +1 Point
Bruce Campbell’s Officer Jack (surprisingly) acts like a shitty person. His marriage in trouble, he offers little sympathy for his wife’s emotions, nor remorse for the disintegration of their marriage.
His callousness mixes some gray into the otherwise straightforward black-and-white, good vs. evil vehicle.
The Not-as-Good Things:
Keep that Tale a Going, -2 Points
While the movie gives you more story than typical slasher fare, it quits that game too early.
The investigation into the identity of the killer cop is the most entertaining and novel part of the movie.
But once we know who the maniac is, things get back to the slayer and slayer stoppers contest, and it’s too bad.
To be fair to the film, most audiences bought a ticket for carnage.
But I wish the film had pursued its pathway of intrigue more. Diving deeper may have made the film’s action and death more satisfying.
Gotta Remix Those Deaths, -1 Point
Horror fans crave variety in their kills. This one satisfies audiences with body count but not dead body methods.
A hapless man gets drowned in cement. But otherwise it’s a hack-n-strangle affair, a big knife featuring.
I don’t demand Final Destination, Rube Goldberg machine, deaths by design.
But how about a few more shocks related to police work?
Should I Watch Maniac Cop?
Total Arbitrary Points Score: 4 points
Maniac Cop has passable but unspectacular horror and action.
Yet it’s got just enough spunk to hold you.
It offers more to the plot than your average slasher.
We follow an unorthodox formula, as there are arguably three protagonists, one of which you may not root for.
And the killer brings out a veiled dig at societal problems.
So if you’re a fan of horror and/or cult thriller films, and in particular the cast, give it a go.
Enjoyed this Post?
Thank you so much. If you’d like to get a ping when I have a new article, you can join my newsletter below.
Disclaimer:
This review’s factual information was gathered through online sources, like Wikipedia, IMDB, or interviews. Misrepresentations and errors are possible but unintentional.
Making art is hard. This is a fan’s blog. Any criticisms are meant to be constructive.
