Q: The Winged Serpent
1982
Jimmy Quinn is a small-time crook who finds a mysterious nest in the spire of the Chrysler Building. Meanwhile, chaos is breaking out in New York as people have their heads bitten off and body parts are seen strewn across the streets... Read more
| Starring | Micheal Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree |
|---|---|
| Director | Larry Cohen |
| Genres | Horror |
loading...
-
Critics' reviews (3)
View all -
Cult director Larry Cohen can work wonders with the tiniest of budgets and this typically offbeat offering is one of his best. The ancient Aztec god Quetzacoatl, a giant flying serpent-bird, is reincarnated by a Manhattan cult and decapitates New Yorkers from its nest atop the Chrysler Building. As detectives David Carradine and Richard Roundtree try to make sense of the myth, petty crook Michael Moriarty holds the Big Apple to ransom in exchange for Q's hiding place. Part wonderfully entertaining cop thriller, part old-fashioned monster movie, Cohen's classic B picture sports great all-round performances and nifty stop-motion animation effects by David Allen. It sounds silly on paper, but Cohen keeps the laughs and frights flowing in equal measure, and he draws a nicely sleazy performance from his leading man.
-
A plumed serpent ('Whaddya mean? That fuckin' bird?') is nesting in the top of the Chrysler Building, from where it... read more on Time Out
-
Quirky, above-average horror film with flashes of brightness.
-
Most helpful members' reviews (3)
View all -
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Serpent God builds nest in New York City...
Q (Quetzalcoatl) is supposed to be an avatar of an Aztec serpent god who takes up residence in NYC and feeds off its populace, leading the police to think that a ritual murderer is loose in town. This film has a nostalgic charm emphasised by the styles, actors and limited sfx which were available in limited budget 'straight to TV' films of the 1980s. It pays homage to '50s B movie 'The Flying Serpent' and contains scenes which were later copied in other monster movies (for example, Q's clinging to the side of a tower while roaring near the end of the film was copied in Godzilla 98, along with the undiscovered, unhatched egg scene).
-
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Hello Mexico.
Any aficionado of the 'B' movies will appreciate 'Q' for what it is. Do not watch this movie thinking it is going to be a high budget hollywood blockbuster of a monster movie. Much of the acting is hammy depsite a pretty good cast including Richard Rowndtree, David Carradine and Michael Moriarty. The effects are obviously low budget and the script is in places diabolical yet somehow this film is a classic Monster pic. The underlying story is as good as any monster flick to this day and with little to work with financially, Cohen somehow pulls it off. I have rated it 4 stars for the stunning aerial views of Manhattan, the entertainment value and the fact that it has always stuck in my mind since I first saw it twenty years ago. Watch this film in front of an Aztec alter in full high priest get-up. When your spouse walks in on you just pretend it is all part of your everyday routine and offer them a cup of tea.
-
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Ruined by its leading actor!
Q has all the hallmarks of a fun monster film, but its grainy picture, grimy locations and idiotic leading man, Michael Moriarty left this viewer bored. Directed by low budget regular Larry Cohen it does show signs of originality, a decent cast and the production values aren't too bad. There's an effective score from Grizzly composer Robert. O. Ragland too. But all of this fails cos of the main character. I admire the makers for trying to use a atypical leading man, but every time he was on the screen I just longed for Q to bite his head off and let the action go back to David Carradine (who is far more effective as the detective). Watch it if you must, you might be able to handle Moriarty...I couldn't.
-
Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Not as good as i remembered it!
Giant flying serpent creature eating people and linked to bloke making human sacrifices. I remember watching this film years ago on grainy video and thought it was great, but time has not been kind to this low budget movie. As anouther reviewer stated, micheal moriarty is pretty rubbish, looking completely bored, but at least the great david carradine tries his best with a pretty dreadful script. The creature is totally crap even for a low budget film and the scenes where it attacks people is a joke, however i have seen lots of worse films, so perhaps you should rent it and judge for yourself.
-
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
The winged serpent
Hammy acting, poor storyline, one of the worst films I have seen in ages
-
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Serpent God builds nest in New York City...
Q (Quetzalcoatl) is supposed to be an avatar of an Aztec serpent god who takes up residence in NYC and feeds off its populace, leading the police to think that a ritual murderer is loose in town. This film has a nostalgic charm emphasised by the styles, actors and limited sfx which were available in limited budget 'straight to TV' films of the 1980s. It pays homage to '50s B movie 'The Flying Serpent' and contains scenes which were later copied in other monster movies (for example, Q's clinging to the side of a tower while roaring near the end of the film was copied in Godzilla 98, along with the undiscovered, unhatched egg scene).
-
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
Hello Mexico.
Any aficionado of the 'B' movies will appreciate 'Q' for what it is. Do not watch this movie thinking it is going to be a high budget hollywood blockbuster of a monster movie. Much of the acting is hammy depsite a pretty good cast including Richard Rowndtree, David Carradine and Michael Moriarty. The effects are obviously low budget and the script is in places diabolical yet somehow this film is a classic Monster pic. The underlying story is as good as any monster flick to this day and with little to work with financially, Cohen somehow pulls it off. I have rated it 4 stars for the stunning aerial views of Manhattan, the entertainment value and the fact that it has always stuck in my mind since I first saw it twenty years ago. Watch this film in front of an Aztec alter in full high priest get-up. When your spouse walks in on you just pretend it is all part of your everyday routine and offer them a cup of tea.
-
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Ruined by its leading actor!
Q has all the hallmarks of a fun monster film, but its grainy picture, grimy locations and idiotic leading man, Michael Moriarty left this viewer bored. Directed by low budget regular Larry Cohen it does show signs of originality, a decent cast and the production values aren't too bad. There's an effective score from Grizzly composer Robert. O. Ragland too. But all of this fails cos of the main character. I admire the makers for trying to use a atypical leading man, but every time he was on the screen I just longed for Q to bite his head off and let the action go back to David Carradine (who is far more effective as the detective). Watch it if you must, you might be able to handle Moriarty...I couldn't.
-
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Not as good as i remembered it!
Giant flying serpent creature eating people and linked to bloke making human sacrifices. I remember watching this film years ago on grainy video and thought it was great, but time has not been kind to this low budget movie. As anouther reviewer stated, micheal moriarty is pretty rubbish, looking completely bored, but at least the great david carradine tries his best with a pretty dreadful script. The creature is totally crap even for a low budget film and the scenes where it attacks people is a joke, however i have seen lots of worse films, so perhaps you should rent it and judge for yourself.
-
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Dated but still good.
I remembered seeing this years ago and was totally blown away. Seeing it again brought back memories. very dated, and lots of naff un-necessary boring scenes with lack of continuity, but very tongue in cheek. have a blast!
-
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
not too bad
The street petty criminal was funny to watch; but otherwise this was a tedious and bad film.
-
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Dated and silly... but still enjoyable
Forget all the yawning plot holes (like how can a giant flying bird not only avoid being seen in New York but fit into the tiny space at the top of the Chrysler Building) and enjoy the quirky storyline and script, and the fantastic teaming of Moriarty, Carradine and Rowntree, which brings this hokum to life. Filmed on a virtually non-existent budget (for its day), it's Cohen's eagerness to please the audience with gore and laughs that overcomes all obstacles. Po-faced directors with small country-supporting budgets should take note!
-
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
The winged serpent
Hammy acting, poor storyline, one of the worst films I have seen in ages
-
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Qrap
Dire, bad, acting from the James T Kirk school of the same and a poorly realised serpent. It should have had Doug McClure in it it was so bad.
- < Prev
- 1
- Next >
Critics' reviews (3)
-
Cult director Larry Cohen can work wonders with the tiniest of budgets and this typically offbeat offering is one of his best. The ancient Aztec god Quetzacoatl, a giant flying serpent-bird, is reincarnated by a Manhattan cult and decapitates New Yorkers from its nest atop the Chrysler Building. As detectives David Carradine and Richard Roundtree try to make sense of the myth, petty crook Michael Moriarty holds the Big Apple to ransom in exchange for Q's hiding place. Part wonderfully entertaining cop thriller, part old-fashioned monster movie, Cohen's classic B picture sports great all-round performances and nifty stop-motion animation effects by David Allen. It sounds silly on paper, but Cohen keeps the laughs and frights flowing in equal measure, and he draws a nicely sleazy performance from his leading man.
-
A plumed serpent ('Whaddya mean? That fuckin' bird?') is nesting in the top of the Chrysler Building, from where it... read more on Time Out
-
Quirky, above-average horror film with flashes of brightness.
Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop
-
-
- Q: The Winged Serpent
- DVD: £3.93
Free Delivery - RRP £16.79 (you save: 77%)
Jimmy Quinn is a small-time crook who finds a mysterious nest in the spire of the Chrysler Building. Meanwhile, chaos is breaking out in New York as people have their heads bitten off and body parts ... -
Related News & Features
Related user collection
Hidden Gems (14)
70% from 1 member
Celebrity collection
Andy Serkis (3)
77.6% from 24 members
