Maniac Cop 1988

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Tom Atkins, Robert Z'Dar

I am a massive fan of 80s horror flicks, especially psycho slashers like this. Halloween, Friday the 13th, anything with an invincible killer is my bread and butter.
Now maniac Cop only made it to three outings unlike the rest of them. I suppose not all of the same genre can make it in a saturated market. I love them though just as much as the others and think it is at least on par with some of the other genres episodes.
So we start of with a terrorised woman fleeing from some thugs who tries to get help from a police officer. She is subsequently strangled to death with the thugs onlooking. Tom Atkins is on the case believing it to be a cop like the thugs say. After a few more killings we are introduced to Campbell's character.
It's classic acting from the king of cool as his police officer having some problems at home. When Cordell (the maniac Cop) kills Campbell's wife he's blamed for it all for being unstable.
Atkins Cop finds out its a cop who was wrongly accused and jailed for a crime. In prison he is brutally attacked and people think him dead.
Campbell's Cop has an alibi in the form of a female officer who he was cheating with over his wife. Atkins believes him and her and looks for the killer.
With Atkins discovery Cordell's ex girlfriend Sally Nolan attacks him knowing she's worthless to Cordell now. Who has subsequently broken into the police station and procedurally murderises all officers. While he's squishing Sally and murdering Atkins Cop Bruce and his gf escape. They go to the morgue to get proof and find out Cordell still had some lower brain functions, scared to put him back in jail they released him to Sally who nursed him.
Armed with this knowledge bruces gf goes to the DAs office who doesn't believe her. Cordell attacks Bruce gets arrested his gf escapes, Cordell comanderes the van Bruce is in and they all go to the cities pier where the films final (and slightly underwhelming) last fight occurs.

This almost immediately links into MC 2 which I'll do next time
I give this film a very strong 3 stars, the acting is infact above the standard slashers of the time, just the story is so run of the mill any non psycho slashers fan might get bored.

Demons, ready for a come back?

Yes I know I've banged on about it a lot especially lately it's only because I feel this has been dormant for quite a while. Right we have as such encountered a big increase in zombie films lately well recently it's quietened down somewhat. Which is probably why a new spin on the genre or at least an old new spin could work about now.
That's about the demon angle and I'm talk the two original films, where the nearest scratch or drop of infected blood will turn you in a clawed ferocious plague spreading demon. None of this night of the demons bullshit either, Angela and all that rubbish can bugger off. Sorry they were half decent films with nice depictions of demons in them, just not the same type as the original films.
So I think a third film by the master himself would be great and a-1 hopeful dreaming. But if done right and I swallow my own bile saying this, a GOOD remake of the first film.
So do you agree?
If so please leave me a comment and thanks in advance!

THN

Demons 1985

Directed by: Lamberto bava
Running time: 88mins

Ah the memories this was the first horror film I watched at about age 8 that actually scared me so much I couldn't watch it all. This is after watching many ft13th and nightmare films and finding them funny. Only at age 12 did I once again find it in a video shop and force my mother to rent it for me, I did finish it and then learn of a sequel which I watched a week later.

So the films premise well we get a girl called Cheryl disembarking from and underground train and suddenly the whole underground becomes deserted in a matter of seconds. She then freaks out as she's followed by a guy with parts of a silver mask embedded in his face. He eventually catches up with her and gives her two tickets to an 'exclusive' cinema showing. She then meets up with her friend and the arrange to go the cinema showing.

At the cinema they are chatted up by some guys Ken and George who kind of force themselves in a friendly way onto the girls. Some loud louts come into the cinema next and mess around with a mask that is hanging from a motorcycle handle. The woman cuts her face on something inside, disgruntled she replaces the mask and all the viewers enter cinema screen. The films a horror Much to the chagrin of some viewers.

The film says of a time when demons will rule the earth and mirroring the early woman someone cuts their face on an Identical mask. Rosemary, that's her name, she starts to feel sick and runs off to the toilet. The cut begins to bubble and spew forth mass amounts of puss, she screams trying to stem the flow then she convulses and begins her transformation into a demon. Nails elongating into sharp claws teeth replaced by malformed but sharp fangs and the ability to infect with a mere scratch.

Little me at this point thought fuck this for a laugh turned it off and had nightmares about being scratched for many years to come lol. Older me appreciates the efforts of the special effects team make up etc. So her friend goes to check on her gets her neck slashed in the process and proceeds to die behind the movie screen mirroring the film. She falls through the screen her nails/claws ripping through as she transforms before everyone's eyes. They all try to escape and find they are barred inside the movie house. ( though later some thugs open a way inside releasing demons into the streets).
One by one they are transformed into demons until only Cheryl and George is left. A helicopter crashes through the roof of the cinema and George gets Cheryl on the motorcycle with a ninja sword and cuts a swathe through the demons to where a rope dangles from the new hole.

Now here's one of my ONLY qualms with the film as George is riding around decapitating demons one viciously claws his arm, no other movie site or even the makers themselves comment on this, was it a mistake? Who knows. Well they get out and realise the whole city is being over run by demons. They are then attacked by the mask guy demonized and kill him. This is pretty much never the end which you know I try not to spoil here unless I have to.
All in all a pretty decent schlock fest if you like zombie stuff this is close to it think more 28 days later type though. I'd recommend it for a horror night  most definitely with a strong 3 stars as my rating.