Q: The Winged Serpent
Larco Productions, 1982

starring: Michael Moriarty, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree and Candy Clark
written and directed by: Larry Cohen

the plot: Ex-junkie and small-time crook Jimmy Quinn (Moriarty) finds himself in a bind after a jewel heist goes bad and his Mafia buddies run out on him. Quinn goes on the run and momentarily finds safety at the top of the Chrysler Building, where he discovers some gruesome corpses and a giant nest. Meanwhile, Detective Shepard and Sergeant Powell (Carradine and Roundtree) are investigating a series of ritualistic murders as well as sightings of what appears to be a giant lizard flying around Manhattan. The cops at first dismiss the lizard sightings as bunk until severed heads, torn-off limbs and buckets of blood begin raining down on unsuspecting New Yorkers. It’s not long until Quinn crosses paths with the two cops and offers them a deal: all the information he knows about the beast terrifying the city—a manifestation of the ancient Aztec god Quetzlcoatl—in exchange for total immunity for the crimes he’s committed.

why it’s good: Is Q the most perfect B-movie ever made? It certainly has all the right qualities—a cast of top-of-the-line B-movie stars, a sort-of-chintzy stop-motion giant monster that glides around New York snacking on hapless window washers, and Moriarty as the film’s wide-eyed, spastic hero. Moriarty sings, Carradine acts all Zen-like and Roundtree tries to bring a little Shaft into his role, and it’s clear the cast is having just as good a time as Cohen, who lovingly films New York and its denizens in all their gritty, pre-Guliani glory. Eschewing his usual subtext-laden stories, Cohen instead opts to show off his love of ’50s sci-fi and Ray Harryhausen films. Q will make you laugh and gasp, and though you may be tempted to ask how exactly an ancient Aztec god could manage to build a nest in a prominent city landmark—don’t. Just sit back and enjoy a pure, un-self-conscious B-movie.

why you should own it: Though Q is unquestionably worth owning, aficionados will be disappointed by the Anchor Bay DVD, which has a commentary track by Cohen but nothing more.
—Larry Clow