Eventually the 1980s would feature an undead cop who wasn’t really dead. Maniac Cop is more Frankenstein’s monster anyways, as the titular police offer seeks revenge against the system that put him away for being a psycho. Bruce Campbell, Tom Atkins, Richard Roundtree, Robert Z’Dar and Laurene Landon headline a really good cast that elevates what is basically a trashy slasher flick with a cop as the killer.
The movie doesn’t really try to hide that aspect, even though it obscures the full truth from its main characters. The kills are brutal enough and the final act is really entertaining. Maniac Cop is not as interesting as William Lustig or Larry Cohen’s other films, and I don’t think it really deserved to be a franchise. Still I liked it well enough, and once again the 1980s shows a part of New York City I never got to experience.
Down The Rabbit Hole 
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