Maniac Cop Origin & Backstory Explained: How Matt Cordell Became A Murderer

Maniac Cop‘s titular killer lawman Matt Cordell wasn’t always evil, in fact, at one time he was one of the more ethical men on the police force. Nowadays in America, the subject of police brutality is one that’s all too relevant, especially considering the many instances of cops shooting unarmed African-Americans. Back in the 1980s though, murderous police officers were more commonly found in the realm of fiction, at least by the majority of the population in that age prior to camera-equipped cell phones.

Directed by B-movie mainstay William Lustig, the first Maniac Cop film was released in 1988, and starred such horror luminaries as The Evil Dead‘s Bruce Campbell and Night of the Creeps’ Tom Atkins. The story sees New York City besieged by a serial killer, one reportedly wearing an NYPD uniform. Current cops, including those played by Campbell and Atkins, are told to downplay the notion of a murdering law enforcer, but it’s all too real, and the arrival of this killer ultimately leads back to a horrific web of corruption and betrayal.

With a Maniac Cop TV series on the way to HBO of all places, set to be produced by maverick filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, it seems like as good a time as any for a refresher on exactly who Matt Cordell was, and why he was ultimately driven to the dark side. The Maniac Cop is headed back to the beat.

Maniac Cop Origin & Backstory Explained: How Matt Cordell Became A Murderer

Before Matt Cordell (played in the Maniac Cop films by late actor Robert Z’Dar) started killing people in a zombified rage, he was actually a highly respected member of the New York City police force. Cordell was a stickler for obeying and upholding the law, although he was by no means perfect himself, showing a tendency to use unnecessary amounts of force against suspects and disregarding procedure if it meant apprehending them. Still, Cordell was a mostly upstanding cop, and helped put away many legitimately dangerous criminals. That was until he got too close to crimes being committed by corrupt mayor Jerry Killium.

Killium and other corrupt police authorities conspired to get Cordell tried and convicted for crimes he didn’t commit, leading to a stint in prison. Naturally, all the bad guys Cordell got locked up were more than happy to brutally murder and disfigure him. It’s not entirely clear how Cordell ends up coming back as a zombie to get his revenge on those who betrayed him – as well as whoever else gets in his way – as he was believed to be brain dead after the prison attack. Cordell gets more decayed-looking as the Maniac Cop films progress, and while he succeeds in clearing his name and is laid to rest at the end of Maniac Cop 2 (followed by a hysterical Maniac Cop rap song over the credits), a voodoo spell resurrects him again for Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence. It remains to be seen if Matt Cordell will retain this same backstory and origin for the HBO series.

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