Michael Moriarty

Candy Clark

David Carradine

Richard Roundtree

James Dixon

Malachy McCourt

Fred J. Scollay

Peter Hock

Ron Cey

Mary Louise Weller

Bruce Carradine

John Capodice

Tony Page

Larkin Ford

Larry Pine

Eddie Jones

Shelly Desai

Lee Louis

Fred Morsell

Ed Kovens

Richard Duggan

Jennifer Howard

David Snell

Larry Silvestri

Perry Genovese

Gabriel Wohl

Nancy Stafford

Bobbie Burns

Linda Gilbert

William Pilch

Larry Cohen

Steve Neill

Rick Stratton

Fred Murphy

Michelle Solotar

Michael A. Candela

Armond Lebowitz

Robert O. Ragland

Salah M. Hassanein

Paul Kurta

Dick Di Bona

Dan Sandburg

Samuel Z. Arkoff

David Kern

Peter Kuran

Randall William Cook

David Allen

Peter Sabiston

Ira Halberstadt

Dennis Murphy

Nancy Juliber

Daniel Pearl

Joe Mann

Tom Hurwitz

Oliver Wood

Frederick Iannone

Konstantine Jekov

Carolyn Zatz

Gerry Holbrook

Don Cerrone

Arthur Blum

Stefan Czapsky

Morris Flam

Michael Trim

Arlon Ober

Jeffrey Hayes

Anthony Milch

Jerry Mosely

Jane Landis

Nicholas Gould

John Loggia

Tim D'Arcy

Lee Schattino

Dennis Eger

Roger Dicken

Dennis Gordon

Aiko

Deed Rossiter

Yuri Denysenko

Phil Clark

Don Minkler

T.A. Moore Jr.

Lee Minkler

Crime

Horror

Mystery

Larco Productions

Arkoff International

United States of America

***Amusing Big City monster flick featuring Quetzalcoatl***

As two Manhattan detectives (David Carradine and Richard Roundtree) investigate deaths linked to Aztecan ritual a huge winged serpent begins preying on citizens. A piano-playing street thug (Michael Moriarty) claims to know where its nest is located and makes a deal with the authorities. Could the beast be Quetzalcoatl?

Larry Cohen’s "Q" (1982), aka “Q: The Winged Serpent,” is a Grade B creature feature with a wink of humor. Imagine “Wolfen” (1981) if it wasn’t so artsy and didn’t take itself so seriously, albeit with a different monster, and you’d have a good picture of “Q.”  

Moriarty cops a serious Bill Burr vibe as the two-bit hood while Carradine & Roundtree seem to be enjoying themselves as tough Big City investigators. Speaking of the city, this is a great way to view New York City in the early 80s. Unfortunately, Cohen drops the ball in the female department as he doesn’t know how to take advantage of the feminine resources and opportunities (and I’m not tawkin’ bout nudity or sleaze, just effective photography of women).

Nevertheless, the flick’s entertaining and shouldn’t be as obscure as it is. 

It runs 1 hour, 33 minutes, and was shot in Manhattan with focus on the Chrysler Building.

GRADE: B/B-

CinemaSerf

This could have been so much better if the casting were not so dreadful. As it is, it's only a passable adventure that sees two cops - David Carradine and Richard Rowntree on the case of a murderer who ruthlessly decapitates his victims - usually whilst they are seemingly impregnable on a rooftop, or somewhere equally lofty. Meantime, "Quinn" (Michael Moriarty) is trying to stay one step ahead of some folks he owes money too, and whilst hiding atop the Empire State Building, happens upon something startling! As the killings intensify, and sightings of a strange creature are reported to the police, he does a deal with them to reveal what might just be it's nest. The story is fine - but there are just way few appearances from our mysterious beastie, and the plot is also cluttered up with some Inca ritualim too. When we do see "Q" - well Ray Harryhausen it isn't. It has a cheap version of the "Hammer" look to it, and the acting and dialogue are no better. It's rated 'X', but I suspect that is because there is some nudity, there is nothing at all remotely scary to see here.

English

Larry Cohen on Q THE WINGED SERPENT

Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) - Trailer