Maniac Cop 2 - Plot

Plot

Surviving being impaled by a pipe and plunging into a river at the end of the previous film, the undead Maniac Cop Officer Matthew Cordell (Robert Z'Dar) acquires a junked police cruiser and continues his killing spree through New York, attacking a convenience store in the middle of a robbery and killing the clerk (the thief subsequently being killed in a shootout with police). As Cordell stalks the streets his enemies Officers Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) and Teresa Mallory (Laurene Landon) are put back on active duty by Commissioner Edward Doyle (Michael Lerner) who has the two undergo a psychiatric evaluation under Officer Susan Riley (Claudia Christian); while Jack is content that Cordell is long gone and wants to go on with his life, Teresa is convinced that Cordell is still alive (his body never being recovered) and is still plotting his revenge on the city for ruining him.

While out at a newsstand Jack is knifed through the neck by Cordell, leaving Teresa distraught and prompting her to decide to appear on a talk show to inform the public about Cordell, the police having kept Cordell's supposed return covered up (Commissioner Doyle was involved in originally framing Cordell and sending him to Sing Sing). While en-route to a hotel in a taxi Teresa is joined by Susan and the two are attacked by Cordell, who kills the cabbie and forces Susan and Teresa off the road. After handcuffing Susan to the wheel of a car and sending her into the busy streets, Cordell kills Teresa by snapping her neck. Gaining control of the car Susan crashes and is found by the police and given medical attention.

Elsewhere a stripper named Cheryl (Paula Trickey) is attacked in her apartment by serial killer Steven Turkell (Leo Rossi) who has strangled at least six other exotic dancers over the course of several months. As Turkell brutalizes Cheryl, Cordell arrives and disposes of a pair of officers earlier called by Cheryl before helping Turkell escape. Grateful for the help, Turkell befriends Cordell and takes him back to his apartment, where Cordell stays for a short while before leaving. After Cordell leaves, Turkell goes out to find another victim, but is ID'd at a strip club by Cheryl and arrested by Susan and Lieutenant Sean McKinney (Robert Davi). Placed in holding cell in the police station, Turkell taunts Susan, telling him Cordell will break him out. Turkell's assumption proves correct, with Cordell breaking into the police station and massacring the bulk of the police force in a hail of gunfire before breaking Turkell and several others out. Using Susan as a hostage Turkell, Cordell and another criminal named Joseph Blums (Clarence Williams III) hijack a prison bus and head to Sing Sing, Turkell having convinced himself Cordell wants to free all the inmates and create an army of criminals. Following Cordell are McKinney and Doyle, the former convincing the latter to reopen Cordell's case and dig up and then rebury his casket with full honors, McKinney believing this will appease Cordell.

Getting into the prison using Blums's (who was set to be transported to the prison the following day) paperwork Cordell and the others kill a guard for his keys. Shortly after entering death row, Cordell is contacted over the prison PA system by Doyle, who admits to Cordell that he was set up and states that his case has been reopened. After hearing Doyle's announcement, Cordell abandons Turkell, Blums and Susan and heads deeper into the prison, where he is attacked with a Molotov cocktail by the three inmates who originally mutilated him. While burning, Cordell kills the three inmates and begins assaulting the other prisoners, only to be attacked by Turkell, who realizes Cordell was never his friend and only used him. As Cordell and Turkell fight, the two crash through a wall and fall onto the bus below, the two killers seemingly dying when the bus explodes.

Sometime later, Cordell is buried with full honors alongside other fallen officers, two of the few attendees to his funeral being Susan and McKinney. As Cordell's casket is lowered McKinney throws Cordell's badge into the grave and leaves with Susan, giving a monologue about how there is a little bit of Cordell in every officer and that every member of the force needs to rise above becoming a Maniac Cop. Before the credits roll, Cordell's hand busts through the lid of his casket and grabs his badge, foreshadowing that he will return.