Q: The Winged Serpent

Q: The Winged Serpent
(1982) [Trailer]
Director: Larry Cohen [IMDB]

I'm starting to dig into the filmography of Larry Cohen. Last year I reviewed 'The Stuff' and it peaked my interest in Mr Cohen. I decided to check out his next most popular film and cult classic... Q.

Synopsis: It's like King Kong... only with a lizard bird and the dude from Law & Order.

I really liked Q, it has this weird 80's charm to it that makes me nostalgic. The serpent has surprisingly little screen time, which might be a good thing because the effects are pretty dated. What Q lacks in monsters, it makes up for in dialogue. Michael Moriarty's performance is so awkward, but in a great way. It's really something to behold, it's humorous at times, but then he'd belt out a scene that's really impactful. It was quite enjoyable. David Carradine and Richard Roundtree play two ridiculous cops and they're not too believable, but still fun to watch. There's also a nice amount of gore, which I appreciated.

Although the winged serpent may look a little cheesy, Cohen does a good job at working around it. When you're looking through the serpent's perceptive as it flies over the city rooftops, you get some of the best scenes in the movie.

Just like 'The Stuff', this film is an oddity, but one that's worth taking a look at. I'm definitely going to dig up some more Larry Cohen films.

The Stuff

The Stuff

(1985) [Trailer]
Director: Larry Cohen (IMDB)

I decided last night, before bed, that I'd pick a random old horror movie from Netflix instant to watch. I went ahead with this selection. Why you ask? Because look at that cover art!

The Stuff is a new food sensation taking the country by storm. It looks like yogurt or mayo but it's much more addictive. Michael Moriarty is sent in from the Fed to investigate this strange new food's alluring appeal. Turns out it's a evil ooze that puts people into a weird almost zombie like psychosis.

This is definitely a campy 80's horror movie that has a lot of comedic elements and would make a good double bill with something like The Blob or Killer Clowns from Outerspace. It's a little slow to get going and there are lots of cheesy parts. Part of me felt like I had seen it before, who knows, I used to watch lots of horror movies as a kid. I did like Michael Moriarty in this, he was a little over the top but still enjoyable and his performance stood out. There's also some parts featuring Pauly and Sal. Overall it was ok I guess, I just really wanted to see more gore and more of The Stuff killing people.