If you’re looking for a great slasher film, horror in the 1980s has you covered. The decade was home to the most well-known slasher films in the genre. Friday the 13th dropped eight franchise films, Halloween had four, and A Nightmare on Elm Street released five.
But those that ventured outside the popular slasher franchises were often rewarded, as many lesser-known slasher films were much better than many of the sequels of the “big three”. My Bloody Valentine, The Prowler, The Burning, Maniac, Intruder, Sleepaway Camp, Prom Night… the list goes on and on.
Out of all the underrated movies in this sub-genre from the decade, one stands out in its unique blend of a brutal slasher movie and an intricate police drama. That movie is Maniac Cop, and it just turned 35.
Directed by William Lustig (Maniac, Uncle Sam), and written by Larry Cohen (It’s Alive, The Stuff), Maniac Cop follows the story of a police uniform-clad killer, who murders innocent people on the streets of New York, before working his way up through the NYPD and city politicians.
The killer frames Officer Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) for his crimes, and Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins) works quickly to get to the truth behind the killer’s identity.
The story was atypical of the common slashers from the time; rather than use the final act to reveal the killer’s identity, pieces of the story are unraveled throughout the film, and the audience is quickly clued into the tale of Detective Matt Cordell (Robert Z’Dar), a supercop who was set up by the police department, sent to prison, stabbed by inmates, and then left for dead. Cordell returns in a monstrous form to exact revenge on those who wronged him (and some of them that didn’t).
One of the great things about Maniac Cop’s story was that it kind of threw viewers for a loop. Early in the film, we fully expect Tom Atkins to be the main protagonist, because we’re following his investigation little by little, and he’s getting most of the screen time.
By this time in the ‘80s, Atkins had made his mark in the horror genre, starring in movies like Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Night of the Creeps, and The Fog.
I’m not sure anyone expected Atkins to be chucked out of a 10-story building by the killer and have the main protagonist roles taken over by Bruce Campbell and Laurene Landon to finish up the second half of the film, but I’m sure they weren’t mad about it either.
Campbell was fresh off his breakout role in Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II, and brought a lot of that same energy into Maniac Cop. Granted, while he was a little more strait-laced, there were plenty of Ash Williams mannerisms throughout the film.
Raimi also helped get the film made, as he did some of the shooting in New York City and showed the film’s financial investors, who eventually greenlit the movie. Even though William Lustig directed the film, there were tons of Raimi-inspired shots throughout the movie.
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Robert Z’Dar was such an amazing choice for Matt Cordell, too. The actor has a massive physique, standing at 6’2” and having the muscle build of a professional wrestler. His size and stature made the unique kills even more fun, as he effortlessly lifted victims up by their throats and snapped their necks like a Slim Jim, or pushed someone’s face into the wet cement, drowning them quickly.
D’zar, mostly known for bad guy and henchman roles like in Tango & Cash and Samurai Cop, found a footing as Matt Cordell, and would return in both sequels.
Maniac Cop’s score was great too, surprisingly done by Jay Chattaway, the composer behind more than 150 episodes of Star Trek, across four different series. Chattaway also scored Maniac, Stephen King’s Silver Bullet, and an episode of the popular anthology movie series, Masters of Horror.
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Upon its initial release, Maniac Cop wasn’t exactly liked. Even Bruce Campbell came out in criticism of the movie, calling it bad. Due to its slasher style, critics were quick to call it a clone of Halloween or Friday the 13th, but the movie’s story was much more geared toward police dramas and revenge thrillers. The movie also doesn’t get enough credit for its extremely high kill count, which sits at 20!
Obviously, there’s a supernatural presence about Cordell, and he did start things off by killing innocents, but it was an unbiased, calculated move to fulfill his vengeful agenda, not mindless murder like Michael Myers, Leatherface, or Jason Voorhees. This in itself lends credence to the movie’s uniqueness within the sub-genre.
The film isn’t entirely forgotten, as there’s still tale of an HBO reboot series on the way from The Neon Demon’s Nicola Winding Refn and Alone’s John Hyams.
In this humble writer’s opinion, Maniac Cop is entirely too slept on, and was one of the most fun and underrated slashers of the ‘80s. It’s the perfect movie to watch with a friend group, or just settle down with a bucket of popcorn to see some good ol’ fashioned anti-police, slasher movie chaos.
And to those that disliked this film, “You have the right to remain silent… forever.”
