Q: The Winged Serpent

Cult-film master Larry Cohen disrupts New York’s densely packed streets with his monstrous, trashy tale of a giant flying lizard terrorising the city.

  • Director

    Larry Cohen

  • With

    Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, Richard Roundtree

  • USA 1982. 93min

  • 35mm

  • Certificate

    15

New York’s hectic streets get even weirder when the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, a giant flying lizard manifested through occult means, makes a nest in the spire of the Chrysler Building and unleashes mayhem on the Big Apple. Cult filmmaker par excellence Cohen once again turns his joyfully creative eye to 1980s city life, stealing shots on the street, juxtaposing fantastic murder with small-time crime, and sneaking in some blunt but effective political commentary. Q borrows from the creature-feature B-movie tradition, while also revelling in the sparky interplay between Moriarty’s jittery Quinn and Carradine’s cool, calm detective Shepard. The archive’s original UK release print of Cohen’s film is a little worn, but otherwise shows good detail and colour.

William Fowler