USA, 1988
Review:
JA Kerswell
Although it is probably wise not to over-scrutinise the plot, William Lustig’s MANIAC COP is a tasty slice of late '80s slasher cheese with an extra helping of action movie goodness—where even the coroner has a mullet. A hulking, shadowy figure dressed as a New York City Cop is killing innocent people on the neon streets of the Big Apple. Larry Cohen’s somewhat satiric script applies fuzzy logic, but the reliable trio of Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, and Laurene Landon carry the whole thing to its breakneck conclusion.
Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Atkins) suspects that a serving or retired cop is behind a series of slayings of random New Yorkers after a young waitress has her neck snapped in front of her would-be muggers. Another young woman (KILLER WORKOUT (1987) star Marcia Karr) watches her date slashed to death and splashed across the windscreen of their car by the towering flatfoot. McCrae’s theory that only a real cop—and not an imposter—could be doing this goes down like a lead balloon with his superiors, Commissioner Pike (Richard Roundtree) and Captain Ripley (William Smith)—who question his own mental stability.
As the seemingly random killings continue apace, the police themselves become victims of trigger-happy citizens, terrified they might be next on the fuzz shit list. Officer Jack Forrest (Campbell) is suspected of being the killer by his wife Ellen (Victoria Catlin) after she receives anonymous phone calls from a woman who says her husband is behind the killing spree (a plot point never resolved). However, when Ellen is found slain in the same motel where she caught Jack and his secret girlfriend—fellow cop Theresa (Landon)—the previous night, he is arrested on suspicion of being what the newspaper headlines are calling the "maniac cop". If chins could kill, indeed.
However, McCrae doesn’t believe that Jack is behind the killings and works with Theresa to unmask the real psycho, uncovering a conspiracy and plans for revenge that have been years in the making …
As I already said, it is best not to pick apart the plot or motivations in MANIAC COP. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll already know the identity of the killer, but if you don’t, skip this paragraph. The film sets itself up as a whodunnit, initially leading us to think one of the principal characters is behind the murder spree. However, it turns out to be a previously unmentioned cop called Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar), who had been framed by the city Mayor and confined to Sing Sing, where he was viciously attacked and mutilated in the showers by inmates. Presumed dead, Cordell was smuggled out of prison by a sympathetic doctor after he came back to life on the mortuary slab and was given over to the care of his girlfriend and fellow police officer Sally (Sheree North) to protect him from further attacks. Cohen’s script is ambiguous as to whether Cordell is alive or somehow one of the living dead (he can take bullets to the chest and face without flinching). There is also no explanation as to why he is killing innocent civilians when his real beef is with the Mayor—outside of being, well, you know, a maniac cop.
Bruce Campbell is uncharacteristically straight-faced in the role of the put-upon officer but is as likeable as ever and proves he has action chops outside of flying demon limbs (incidentally, Sam Raimi turns up in a cameo as a reporter at the St Patrick’s Day parade at the end of the movie). Tom Atkins is Tom Atkins—and his presence is always immensely welcome. Laurene Landon is also great as the undercover vice officer—although she sure screams a lot for a cop.
MANIAC COP was shot on a budget of between $1.1-$1.5 million. It was Lustig’s first directorial gig after he caught flack for the controversies that surrounded VIGILANTE (1982) and especially the infamous slasher MANIAC (1980). Exploitation legend Larry Cohen—known for such classics as IT’S ALIVE (1974) and THE STUFF (1985)—was open about wanting to make a commercial FRIDAY The 13TH-style slasher movie. Lustig told Fangoria: “Something less mean-spirited than the usual gore film, with intelligent characters and numerous clever twists. Besides, who could resist a title like Maniac Cop?”.
Despite being set in New York, all but three days of the shoot were in Los Angeles (some giveaways include glimpses of mountains and a stray palm tree). Campbell thought the concept was “ludicrous” and was quite open that he took the role because “Mr. Bank Account convinced me to take it”—and even had to return to a job as a security guard once the film had finished shooting. However, in Fangoria—which always put a positive spin on films that were being promoted—he said it was refreshing not to be involved in any production headaches and just act. Robert Z’Dar was hired as the murderous cop after Lustig saw him in the film THE NIGHT STALKER (1987). Incidentally, both Campbell and Z’Dar’s nickname was ‘The Chin’. The film was released in New York City in May 1988 and got some limited regional rollout throughout the year.
Joe Baltake in the Sacramento Bee said that “aficionados of exploitation sleaze should have an absolute field day.” He noted the exploitation talent in front and behind the scenes—including THE EXTERMINATOR’s (1980) James Glickenhaus who serves as executive producer here. He also noted that Glickenhaus, Cohen and Lustig “ … may be rough-around-the-edges New York filmmakers, but they have a playful side, too.” John Barker, in The Spectator, was less charitable and sneered that it was a surprise that the makers hadn’t put a numeral one in front of the title, given how obviously they were angling for a franchise along the lines of the HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH. He said: “The usually reliable Richard Roundtree not only phoned his performance in but must have got the wrong number.” Rob Salem, in The Toronto Star, said that Lustig took it all so seriously that any jokes in Cohen’s script probably were lost to him. Although, that was off the mark as the director told Fangoria he “laughed his head off” when he heard the title. Salem also sniffed a franchise: “He’s given us Jason Voorhees with a badge.” Marylynn Uricchio, in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, praised Atkins’ performance (he is from the city) but concluded: “[it] … has decent special makeup effects, with a couple of gory killings. It also has some moments of genuine terror. But sloppy editing and an utter lack of logic undermine the movie.” However, the Big Apple’s Daily News’ Phantom of the Movie said: “Despite its modest budget and occasionally slapdash direction, of the genre flicks currently unspooling, Maniac Cop easily ranks amongst the finest.”
MANIAC COP was not a big hit on screens but did OK on limited release, netting around $671,382 domestically. However, the franchise grew legs because of its significant success on home video, which led to two straight-to-video sequels, MANIAC COP 2 (1990) and MANIAC COP III: BADGE OF SILENCE (1992).
Despite some murky plotting, MANIAC COP is still a rollicking good time from a whos-who of horror and exploitation legends.
BODY COUNT 17:
Female 3 / Male 14