It’s surprisingly hard to find a good St. Patrick’s Day horror movie that’s actually set on the holiday. The dedicated segment in the anthology Holidays is, unfortunately, one of the film’s weakest, while Hulu’s Into the Dark entry Crawler is decent, if a little unoriginal.
Luckily, we have William Lustig’s cult classic Maniac Cop to give us a glimpse of the festivities, with the film’s climax taking place during New York City’s 50th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
You probably don’t need me to explain the plot of Maniac Cop. The title is pretty self-explanatory: a maniac cop, wrongfully convicted and supposedly killed in prison, is enacting his revenge on the streets of New York City by brutally killing civilians.
What you might not remember if you haven’t seen the film in a while is that it features real footage of the parade, complete with all the bagpipes and kilts you can shake a shamrock at—all while a baby-faced Sam Raimi makes a cameo as a news reporter commenting on the killings. Treat yourself to a rewatch, it’s a hoot.