Maniac Cop (1988)

Director:

William Lustig

Writer:

Larry Cohen (written by)

Release Date:

13 May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

You have the right to remain silent. Forever.

Plot:

In New York, a man in a cop's uniform starts killing people for no apparent reason.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Uniform | Maniac | Female Stockinged Legs | Camera Shot Of Feet

Cast

Tom Atkins	...	Frank McCrae
Bruce Campbell	...	Jack Forrest
Laurene Landon	...	Theresa Mallory
Richard Roundtree	...	Commissioner Pike
William Smith	...	Captain Ripley
Robert Z'Dar	...	Matt Cordell
Sheree North	...	Sally Noland
Nina Arvesen	...	Regina Sheperd (as Nina Aversen)
Nick Barbaro	...	Councilman
Lou Bonacki	...	Detective Lovejoy
Barry Brenner	...	Coroner
Victoria Catlin	...	Ellen Forrest
James Dixon	...	Clancy (as Jim Dixon)
Corey Michael Eubanks	...	Bremmer (as Corey Eubanks)
Jill Gatsby	...	Cassie Philips
Rocky Giordani	...	Fowler
John F. Goff	...	Jack's Lawyer (as John Goff)
William J. Gorman	...	Desk Sergeant
Jon Greene	...	Tactical Sergeant
Teddy M. Haggarty	...	Prison Guard
Dan Hicks	...	Squad Leader (as Danny Hicks)
Erik Holland	...	Dr. Gruber
Dennis Junt	...	Assistant Squad Leader
Marcia Karr	...	Nancy
Judy Kerr	...	Motel Maid
Jake LaMotta	...	Detective
Judy Levitt	...	Woman in Car
Jason Lustig	...	Squad Commander
William Lustig	...	Motel Manager
Vic Manni	...	Jail Guard
Tito Núñez	...	Chico (as Tito Nunez)
Daniel Ortiz	...	Ramos
Louis Pastore	...	John
Frank Pesce	...	Watchman
Bernie Pock	...	Sam
Ed Polgardy	...	Man in Bar #1
Sam Raimi	...	Parade Reporter
Carla Reynolds	...	Police Officer (as Carla Y. Reynolds)
Jefferson Richard	...	Witness (as Jef Richard)
Adele Sparks	...	Nurse
Tom Taylor	...	Man in Bar #2
Ingrid Van Dorn	...	Waitress
Luke Walter	...	Musician
Patrick Wright	...	Prison Guard
Nicholas Yee	...	Patrolman
Lee Arnone	...	White Woman
Nay K. Dorsey	...	Young Black Man
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Old Man
Bill Waldron	...	Young White Man
Alma Washington	...	Black Woman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Croughwell	...	Prison Inmate (uncredited)
Ron Holmstrom	...	Building Superintendent (uncredited)

Directed by
William Lustig

Writing credits
Larry Cohen		(written by)

Produced by
Larry Cohen	....	producer
James Glickenhaus	....	executive producer
Jefferson Richard	....	co-producer (as Jef Richard)

Original Music by
Jay Chattaway

Cinematography by
James Lemmo
Vincent J. Rabe

Film Editing by
David Kern

Casting by
Gino Havens		(as Geno Havens)

Art Direction by
Jonathon Hodges

Costume Design by
Dorothy Amos

Makeup Department
A.J. DeFlorio	....	hair stylist: New York (as A.J. De Florio)
A.J. DeFlorio	....	makeup artist: New York (as A.J. De Florio)
Brad Look	....	special effects makeup assistant (as Bradley Look)
Kerry Mendenhall	....	hair stylist
Bill Miller-Jones	....	makeup artist

Production Management
John Engel	....	production manager: New York (as John S. Engle)
Sanford Hampton	....	unit production manager
Frank K. Isaac	....	executive in charge of production (as Frank Isaac)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Phillip Betz	....	assistant director: New York (as Phil Betz)
Sanford Hampton	....	first assistant director
Noga Isackson	....	second assistant director: New York
David Kern	....	second unit director
Theone Masoner	....	second second assistant director
Spiro Razatos	....	second unit director
Jefferson Richard	....	second unit director (as Jef Richard)
Debra Simon	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Ted Berner	....	prop assistant
Nat Bocking	....	property master
Daniel Boxer	....	assistant art director: New York
Ann Cudworth	....	art director: New York
Dayna Lee	....	assistant art director
James E. Marchwick	....	leadman (as James Marchwick)
Bill H. Roberts Jr.	....	props: second unit (as Bill Roberts)

Sound Department
Gregg Barbanell	....	foley artist
Kenneth R. Burton	....	sound recordist
Denis Dutton	....	sound editor
Craig Felburg	....	sound mixer
Jeff Gall	....	sound editor
Robert Glenn	....	sound editor
Eric J. Goldstein	....	sound mixer: second unit (as Eric Goldstein)
Jeffrey J. Haboush	....	sound re-recording mixer
Cameron Hamza	....	boom operator
Paul Heslin	....	adr supervisor
Paul Heslin	....	sound editor
Warren Kleiman	....	adr mixer
John Post	....	sound effects supervisor
Dorielle Rogers	....	sound recordist: New York
Steven J. Rogers	....	sound mixer: New York (as Steve Rogers)
Greg P. Russell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jackson Schwartz	....	foley mixer
Bob Weitz	....	stereo sound consultant: Ultra
Ted Johnston	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Cathy McKelvey	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
David Atherton	....	special effects makeup artist
John Best	....	special effects coordinator
Bill Drysdale	....	special effects coordinator
John Naulin	....	special effects makeup supervisor
Jim Spinner	....	special effects makeup artist: second unit
Paul Staples	....	special effects coordinator
Laszlo Stumpf	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Larry Arpin	....	optical effects

Stunts
Gregory J. Barnett	....	stunts
Kurt Bryant	....	stunts
Buzz Bundy	....	stunts
Richard E. Butler	....	stunts
Charles Croughwell	....	stunts
Phil Culotta	....	stunts
Corey Michael Eubanks	....	stunts (as Corey Eubanks)
Glory Fioramonti	....	stunts
Donna Garrett	....	stunts
Andy Gill	....	stunts
David M. Graves	....	stunts
Freddie Hice	....	stunts
Matt McColm	....	stunts
Bernie Pock	....	stunts
Don Pulford	....	stunts
Spiro Razatos	....	stunt coordinator
Spiro Razatos	....	stunts
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts (as Ronald R. Rondell)
Tom Sarmento	....	stunts
Tony Vaccaro	....	stunts
Al Wyatt Jr.	....	stunts (as Alan Wyatt Jr.)
Kenny Bates	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Cade	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Berries	....	still photographer
John Beymer	....	aerial camera operator: New York
Alan Brownstein	....	gaffer
Elizabeth Carney	....	third electrician: New York
Al Cerullo	....	aerial photographer: New York
Roxanne di Santo	....	assistant Steadicam operator (as Roxanne DiSanto)
Ray Dietz	....	assistant camera: New York
Marcus 'Roo' Flower	....	grip
John Gabrielle	....	key grip: New York (as John Gabriele)
Kim Gigilia	....	best boy: New York
Larry Hillier	....	gaffer: New York
Levie Isaacks	....	camera operator: second unit
Konstantin Jekov	....	assistant camera: New York
Ron Johnson	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Ronald Johnson)
Tom Keefer	....	key grip
Forrest Landreth	....	assistant camera
Roger Lattin	....	best boy
Damon Marcellino	....	electrician
Michael Marzovilla	....	second electrician: New York
J. Michael Muro	....	Steadicam operator: New York (as Jim Muro)
Rick Perez	....	best boy
Mark Petersson	....	camera operator: New York
Daryl-Ann Saunders	....	still photographer: New York
Henning Schellerup	....	camera operator: second unit
Irene Schonwit	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Irene Schoenwitt)
Peter Spera	....	assistant camera: New York
Rich Sutherland	....	best boy: second unit (as Rick Sutherland)
Lou Weinert	....	second assistant camera
Oliver Whipple III	....	key grip: second unit (as Oliver Whipple)
Paul Witte	....	camera operator: second unit
Marc Wyler	....	crane grip: New York
Marc Wyler	....	rigging grip: New York
Phil Yoder	....	equipment grip
Elizabeth Ziegler	....	Steadicam operator

Casting Department
Jacov Bresler	....	extras casting
Ann Ross	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lori DeLapp	....	wardrobe key (as Lori McClellen)
Margaret Shan Jensen	....	costume designer: New York
Laurie Sullivan	....	wardrobe
Freya Torsky	....	wardrobe supervisor: New York

Editorial Department
Adam Chuck	....	post-production coordinator
Carole A. Edge	....	assistant editor
Larry Engelmann	....	color timer (as Larry Engleman)
Veronica Rebar	....	apprentice editor
David Block	....	colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Stephen Croes	....	performer: electronic music
Don Hahn	....	music engineer
Pete Levin	....	performer: electronic music
Joseph Smith	....	orchestrator (as Joseph C. Smith)
Jack K. Tillar	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Ron Holmstrom	....	transportation captain (as Ron Holstrom)
Earle Rogne	....	driver

Other crew
Richard Audino	....	production assistant: New York
Eva Banhidi	....	script supervisor: New York
Roni Ben-Nevat	....	production assistant: New York
Nadia Bruce	....	production secretary
Tom Cavaliere	....	production assistant: New York
Tara Crowley	....	paramedic
David Finley	....	production assistant: New York
Dave Gare	....	production assistant: New York (as David Gare)
Fred Gartner	....	location security
Udi Golan	....	production assistant: New York
Jon Greene	....	police services
Teddy M. Haggarty	....	production assistant (as Teddy Haggarty)
Michael Hyatt	....	title designer: main titles (as Mike Hyatt)
Nancy Karlin	....	script supervisor
Dessa Kaye	....	production coordinator
Kathleen 'Kash' McKewen	....	head production assistant
Maxwell Meltzer	....	production accountant
Jennifer Mezzacappa	....	production assistant: New York
Jane Muset	....	office coordinator: New York
Mark Paperno	....	production assistant: New York
Kim Petrosky	....	production assistant: New York
Kevin Skvorak	....	production assistant: New York
Jeffrey D. Stevens	....	set medic
Todd Turner	....	production assistant
Lisa Van Cott	....	craft service (as Lisa A. Van Cott)
Phoebe Zeeman	....	production assistant: New York

Production Companies

• Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment (presents)

Distributors

• Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cineplex-Odeon Films (1988) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Alvorada Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Amsell Entertainment (????) (worldwide) (all media)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Arrow Video (2011) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Arrow Video (2012) (UK) (DVD)
• Beam Entertainment (Japan) (DVD producer)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (Australia) (VHS)
• Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1988) (Canada) (VHS)
• Creative Axa Co. Ltd. (Japan) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray) (Cultproof)
• Elite Entertainment (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Elite Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Legacy Entertainment (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• MCA Home Video (1988) (Canada) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1996) (Finland) (TV)
• Monster Pictures (2012) (Australia) (all media)
• Nordic Film Group (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• North American Pictures (2011) (worldwide) (all media)
• Pack-In-Video (1989) (Japan) (VHS)
• Pan Vision Oy (2011) (Finland) (DVD)
• Star Classics Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• Synapse Films (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Synapse Films (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Synergy Films (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Teleamerica (1989) (Argentina) (video)
• Trans World Entertainment (TWE) (1988) (USA) (VHS)

Special Effects

• More Than Skin Deep (special effects make-up)
• Hollywood Special Effects

Other Companies

• Amigo Studios  music recorded at
• Artbeat Music Services  synclavier provided by
• B.J.'s Casting  extras casting
• Hollywood Optical Systems  titles and opticals
• Hollywood Raggs Inc.  wardrobe
• Med-Event  paramedic services
• Michael's Epicurean Express  catering
• Payday Inc.  payroll services
• Professional Ambulance  paramedic services
• Screen Time Images  DVD menus and authoring
• Screen Time Images  film restoration
• Skyland Sound Inc.  production sound services
• Truman Van Dyke Company  insurance
• West Coast Editorial  negative cutting

Also Known As:

Runtime:

85 min | USA:91 min (DVD version) | Canada:88 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Australia:R | France:-12 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1989) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1989) | Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:16 | West Germany:18 (video premiere) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment

Trivia:

The actors that play both the protagonist (Bruce Campbell) and the antagonist (Robert Z'Dar) have had the nickname 'The Chin'.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Despite taking place in New York City, one scene takes place beneath an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway bridge. The AT&SF never had railroad lines in the Eastern United States, in fact they never had lines anywhere east of Chicago.

Quotes:

Frank McCrae:[shooting his gun] Cordell! Son-of-a-bitch!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

Soundtrack:

Walk the Floor

Cult camp class!

To be honest, I absolutely love trash like this! Maniac Cop is a film that clearly isn't too caught up with trying to establish itself alongside the more professional efforts of the horror genre, and instead simply revels in it's B-movie status. This gives the film free reign to do whatever it wants to do, as it doesn't have to worry about coherency or logic and this helps it massively as the final result shows. Actually, surprisingly enough; this is a rather professionally handled B-movie and many of the reasons why it works are down to things like atmosphere and characters, which are the things that the film isn't supposed to be bothered about. The plot is well worked also, and the way that the mystery pans out is exciting in all the right places. The story follows a problem in New York. Innocent citizens are turning to the police for help as usual; but one officer isn't bowing to the law, and has taken it upon himself to dish out justice his own way. This maniac cop is exterminating the local population, and it's up to framed copper Jack Forrest and his mistress Theresa Mallory to save the day!

The way that director William Lustig portrays the New York streets gives this film a lot of it's power. It's gritty, in the same way that many of the seventies cop thrillers were and this, when combined with the thick eighties trash crust, is what makes this film a winner. The scenes that see the maniac cop taking people out are fiendishly funny, but also quite shocking. The police are looked up to in most societies, and it would be a huge problem if one of them were to start dishing out the wrong kind of law themselves. Scriptwriter and B-movie god Larry Cohen seems keen to portray this too, with much of the action taking in the panic that previous events have caused. One of this film's main assets is definitely the presence of Evil Dead's Ash, Bruce Campbell. Campbell isn't quite as over the top as he was in Sam Raimi's classic trilogy - but he's playing a different character and just seeing him is a good reason to see this film. He is joined by fellow B-movie actor Tom Atkins, as well as Laurene Landon and Robert Z'Dar, who is perfectly cast in the title role. This isn't a film that will please fans of serious movies - but if you like your silly B-grade films, you'll definitely like this!