Skip to content

Maniac Cop

Maniac Cop is a 1988 film from the USA, directed by William Lustig, running 81 minutes. reelscum files it under slasher and vigilante.

Poster for Maniac Cop
Compare 6 versions
Year
1988 · 1980s films
Country
USA
Runtime
81 min
Updated
29 Oct 2026
Obscurity
known (19/100)
Also known as
Cordell

Defined in the glossary: Slasher, Vigilante

A dead cop stalks New York in uniform. Larry Cohen writes, Robert Z'Dar's jaw does the rest.

Larry Cohen wrote this late slasher about a hulking, undead police officer murdering citizens on the streets of New York, so that the uniform itself, the thing people run to for safety, becomes the threat. Robert Z'Dar's enormous jaw makes the killer unforgettable, and Bruce Campbell and Tom Atkins chase him.

Cohen's script gives it a paranoid edge about authority that the slasher usually lacks, and William Lustig directs the New York carnage with real grit. It spawned sequels and remains a cut above the era's body-count product.

Something else

Trailer

The numbers

Nobody has rated this yet. Be the first to make a claim you'll have to defend.

Your call

Where to watch

Discuss with AI

Open a chatbot with a question about this film already typed out. Useful for a second opinion, plot detail, or where to find a copy.

Filed alongside

Poster for High Tension

High Tension

2003 · France · 87m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally

Aja before Hollywood, at maximum brutality, with a twist that still starts fights.

Poster for A Bay of Blood

A Bay of Blood

1971 · Italy · 84m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally. banned somewhere

Bava invents the slasher a decade early. Friday the 13th copied two kills outright.

Poster for Death Wish 3

Death Wish 3

1985 · USA · 92m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally

Abandons realism entirely. Bronson defends a housing block with a machine gun.

Poster for I Saw the Devil

I Saw the Devil

2010 · South Korea · 141m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally

Revenge as a chew toy. Nobody in Korean cinema has been crueller for longer.

Poster for Prom Night

Prom Night

1980 · Canada · 91m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally. banned somewhere

Jamie Lee Curtis, a masked killer, and a decade-old secret. Halloween cashes in, disco included.

Poster for Silent Night, Deadly Night

Silent Night, Deadly Night

1984 · USA · 79m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally

The killer-Santa movie that got itself run out of cinemas in a week.

Poster for Happy Birthday to Me

Happy Birthday to Me

1981 · Canada · 110m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally

A prestige director slumming in the glut, and a poster more famous than the film.

Poster for The Burning

The Burning

1981 · Canada/USA · 91m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally. banned somewhere

The raft scene is the best kill in any slasher. The rest is fine.

Poster for My Bloody Valentine

My Bloody Valentine

1981 · Canada · 87m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally

Canadian, mine-set, unusually well shot. The censored cut ruined it for decades.

Poster for The Prowler

The Prowler

1981 · USA · 89m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally. banned somewhere

A killer in WWII combat gear stalks a graduation dance. Savini's best gore work.

Poster for Sleepaway Camp

Sleepaway Camp

1983 · USA · 81m
Obscurity: known. watchable legally

Ninety minutes of nothing, then an ending nobody who has seen it forgets.

Poster for Assault on Precinct 13

Assault on Precinct 13

1976 · USA · 91m
Obscurity: canon. watchable legally

Carpenter remaking Rio Bravo for $100,000. The ice cream scene is still shocking.