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.
Maniac Cop 2
Action · 1990
Undead cop Matt Cordell rises from the grave, and is after the criminals who murdered him in prison.
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'.
Mindcage
Mystery · 2022
Detectives Jake Doyle and Mary Kelly seek the help of an incarcerated serial killer named The Artist when a copycat killer strikes. While Mary searches for clues in The Artist's brilliant but twisted psyche, she and Jake are lured into a diabolical game of cat and mouse, racing against time to stay one step ahead of The Artist and his copycat.
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.
Tightrope
Mystery · 1984
Wes Block is a detective who's put on the case of a serial killer whose victims are young and pretty women. The murders are getting personal when the killer chooses victims who are acquaintances of Block. Even his daughters are threatened.
Scream VI
Horror · 2023
Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.
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.
Copycat
Thriller · 1995
An agoraphobic psychologist and a female detective must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past.
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
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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.