Maniac Cop (1988)

Two of my favorite genre actors are Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps) and Bruce Campbell (Bubba Ho-Tep). Both are capable of livening up any film in which they’re cast. To see that they appeared in a movie together was like a dream come true. Unfortunately, in 1988’s Maniac Cop, the pair only share two brief scenes and don’t get to exchange one-liners or play off one another’s well-known sense of humor.

Directed by William Lustig (Uncle Sam) and written by Larry Cohen (It’s Alive,) Maniac Cop casts Atkins as Detective McCrae. McCrae is investigating a string of grisly murders said to have been committed by a policeman in full uniform. When patrolman Jack Forrest (Campbell) gets arrested for the murder of his wife, the department is eager to pin the rest of the murders on him. But McCrae isn’t so sure Forrest is guilty of anything other than cheating on his wife with Teresa, a female cop (Laurene Landon.) Teresa and McCrae team up to solve the case as the bodies continue to pile up.

Larry Cohen’s script manages to work in some commentary on the mental health of police, police brutality, and racial profiling while it tackles its more unbelievable tale of an indestructible killer cop. Honestly, Maniac Cop is more of a police procedural than a horror movie. You’d only have to remove a few details to make it a straight crime story. It may feature the gory kills of a 1980s-era slasher film but, truthfully, Lustig and Cohen seem more interested in making a gumshoe flick.

However, that doesn’t mean Maniac Cop isn’t entertaining. In fact, that unique approach actually works in the film’s favor by setting it apart from the usual teens-slaughtered-at-a-summer-camp scenarios of the day. Atkins and Campbell may not share much screen time, but they both turn in solid performances. It’s interesting to see Campbell play such an initially unlikable character. (Although he does eventually get an opportunity to redeem himself, Jack Forrest is a bit of a scumbag for cheating on his wife.) A grizzled Richard Roundtree (Shaft) sells his role as the standard issue gruff police commissioner as best he can. And Laurene London and Sheree North (Breakout) prove themselves every bit as capable of handling the action sequences as the men in their respective roles.

Robert Z’Dar, the only man in this film with a more impressive chin than Bruce Campbell, cuts a striking figure on-screen. His immense size and unique facial features — caused by a genetic disorder called cherubism — completely overshadow the fact that he doesn’t have any lines as the killer cop. His performance hinges on body language, yet he manages to convey a character that is both powerful and menacing.

Maniac Cop offers an enjoyable B-movie experience for those who can see past its obvious plot inconsistencies, on-location filming blunders, and the typical limitations of a shoestring budget.