The defence The Adrenaline Seeker
“Its refusal to behave is the point.”
The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.
Back to trending 
Maniac Cop
Action · Horror · Mystery · 1988
A killer dressed in a police uniform begins murdering innocent people on the streets of New York City.
Movie details
Maniac Cop
“You have the right to remain silent…forever.”
1988 Action · Horror · Mystery 1h 25m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.1 / 10
Community rating
A killer dressed in a police uniform begins murdering innocent people on the streets of New York City.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Maniac Cop?
For the defence
The Adrenaline Seeker
“If it slows down, you check your phone.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Home Sweet Home: Rebirth
Horror · 2025
When a city is overrun with a demonically-possessed crowd, a cop must find the source of evil to save his family.
Maniac Cop 2
Action · 1990
Undead cop Matt Cordell rises from the grave, and is after the criminals who murdered him in prison.
Urban Legend
Mystery · 1998
A college campus is plagued by a vicious serial killer murdering students in ways that correspond to various urban legends.
Body Cam
Horror · 2020
As a police officer investigates the gruesome murder of her colleague, she discovers that a mysterious supernatural force is behind it.
God Told Me To
Crime · 1976
A New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random citizens who claim that 'God told them to'.
Striking Distance
Crime · 1993
Demoted Pittsburgh cop Tom Hardy works river patrol while a serial killer targets women from his past, forcing him to conduct an unauthorized investigation to prove his innocence and expose a dirty cop.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Horror · 2021
Working in the shadow of an esteemed police veteran, brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks and his rookie partner take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past. Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.
Cult Killer
Mystery · 2024
A private investigator is forced into a dangerous alliance with a killer in order to uncover a quiet town’s grisly criminal underbelly and clear the name of her mentor, who is implicated in the crimes.
The Jester 2
Horror · 2025
When teen magician Max crosses paths with the sinister Jester on Halloween night, she must outsmart a supernatural killer whose magic is all too real and whose tricks always end up in blood.
Psycho Killer
Crime · 2026
Following the brutal murder of her husband, a Kansas highway patrol officer sets out on a journey to track down the perpetrator. As the hunt progresses, she comes to realize the man responsible is a sadistic serial killer, and the depth of his mental depravity and his sinister agenda is more twisted than anyone could have imagined.
Where it lives
Watch in your region.
Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.
Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
William Lustig
Written by
Larry Cohen
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
Court is in session
Put Maniac Cop on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Prestige Tourist
“Oddness is not depth.”
A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.