11 Top Cops in Horror
Scott Hallam
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“The Walking Dead” – Sheriff Rick Grimes
Venturing through the post-apocalyptic world of “The Walking Dead” armed with his signature weapon, the impressive, high-powered Colt Python, Sheriff Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln) is, of course, the focal character in “The Walking Dead.” He’s gone from badass police officer to farmer to evolved man and then back to badass police officer. Rick has become a modern day horror icon who’s carried his professional duties into the new world. And his partner, the late, unforgettable Shane Walsh (Jon Berenthal), certainly deserves a mention on this list as well for all those fans of Team Shane.
Scream – Deputy Sheriff Dwight “Dewey” Riley
Deputy Dewey is as much a horror mainstay as Ghostface himself. David Arquette portrayed Deputy Sheriff Dwight “Dewey” Riley in all four Scream movies and managed to keep our hearts in our throats wondering whether he would survive each of them. He seems to fall in the category of bumbling law enforcement officer, but Deputy Dewey does manage to pull off victories from time to time, certainly challenging his categorization as a bumbler. Not the least of which was his ability to woo Gale Weathers (played by Arquette’s one-time real life wife, Courteney Cox). Dewey certainly matured as the Scream series rolled on and eventually became sheriff of Woodsboro and married Gale. Not bad for a character that wasn’t supposed to survive the original film. Dewey was originally slated to die (and you can verify that, as any scene showing the injured Dewey in the climax of Scream had him not breathing); however, director Wes Craven liked the character so much he shot a scene of Dewey being loaded into an ambulance, alive, instead of dying, just in case audiences fell in love with him too. They did, and Deputy Dewey thrived. Below is a typically hairy moment for him, this one from Scream 2.
Maniac Cop – Officer Matthew Cordell
When it comes to honoring horrific law enforcement officers, is there anyone more appropriate for the recognition than Officer Matthew Cordell? Or, as you may better know him… Maniac Cop! Maniac Cop was an 80’s standby. Up against two genre heavyweights in Bruce Campbell and Tom Atkins (playing Jack Forrest and Frank McCrae, respectively), Maniac Cop Cordell had his work cut out for him in the original film. Played by solid-chinned Robert Z’Dar (Zdarsky for those of you keeping score at home), the Maniac Cop would finally go on to provide three films worth of violence and brutality. Not bad for an officer that was supposed to be dead in the first film. He’s uniformed, he’s evil, and he’s not fucking around! Maniac Cop is the real deal.
WolfCop (review) was written and directed by Lowell Dean and stars Leo Fafard, Amy Matysio, Aidan Devine, Jesse Moss, Sarah Lind, Jonathan Cherry, and Corrine Conley.
Synopsis:
Officer Lou Garou isn’t the best cop in small-town Woodhaven – in fact, he’s probably the worst. He mostly just looks to avoid anything that could possibly interfere with his goal of getting wasted. One evening during the night shift, Lou investigates a mysterious disturbance at the edge of town and wakes up with a pentagram carved in his chest, heightened senses, and body hair that’s growing at an alarming rate. To solve the mystery of his transformation, he’ll have to take on a case no normal cop would be able to solve, but this half-man, half-beast is not just a cop… he’s a WOLFCOP.
