Maniac Cop
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | William Lustig |
| Produced by | Larry Cohen |
| Written by | Larry Cohen |
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| Music by | Jay Chattaway |
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| Edited by | David Kern |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.1 million |
| Box office | $671,382 |
Maniac Cop is a 1988 American action horror film directed by William Lustig and written by Larry Cohen. It stars Tom Atkins, Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Richard Roundtree, William Smith, Robert Z'Dar, and Sheree North. Z'Dar plays the title character, a murderous ex-cop returned from the dead, who is pursued by his former co-workers. It was released on May 13, 1988, and grossed $671,382 from a budget of $1.1 million. Despite negative reviews on release, Maniac Cop has become a cult film. It was followed by two sequels, Maniac Cop 2 (1990) and Badge of Silence (1993). A remake is in the works.
In New York City, a waitress on her way home is assaulted by two muggers and seeks aid from a police officer, who breaks her neck. Over the next two nights, this "Maniac Cop" commits more murders, prompting Lieutenant McCrae (Tom Atkins), who was told by his superiors to suppress eyewitness accounts that the killer was wearing a police uniform, to pass on information to a journalist, in an attempt to protect civilians. Unfortunately, this causes panic and dissent among the city and results in innocent patrolmen being shot to death or avoided on the streets by paranoid people.
Ellen Forrest (Victoria Catlin), who suspects that her husband Jack (Bruce Campbell) may be the Maniac Cop, follows him to a motel, where she catches him in bed with a fellow officer, Theresa Mallory (Laurene Landon). Distraught, Ellen runs out of the room, and is slain by the murderer. Jack is arrested under suspicion of murder, but McCrae believes Jack has been framed. McCrae gets Jack to tell him about his relationship with Mallory, who is attacked by the Maniac Cop while working undercover as a prostitute. Mallory and McCrae fight off the killer, who is deathly cold even through his gloves and does not appear to breathe; though they shoot him several times, the killer appears unfazed.
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Wikipedia