Q (1982)

New York police are bemused by a spate of reports of a giant flying lizard that has been spotted around the rooftops of New York, which they assume to be bogus until the lizard starts to ... See full summary »

Director:

Larry Cohen

Writer:

Larry Cohen

Stars:

Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Moriarty	...	Jimmy Quinn
Candy Clark	...	Joan
David Carradine	...	Shepard
Richard Roundtree	...	Powell
James Dixon	...	Lt. Murray
Malachy McCourt	...	Commissioner
Fred J. Scollay	...	Capt. Fletcher
Peter Hock	...	Det. Clifford
Ron Cey	...	Det. Hoberman
Mary Louise Weller	...	Mrs. Pauley
Bruce Carradine	...	The Victim
John Capodice	...	Doyle
Tony Page	...	Webb
Larkin Ford	...	Curator
Larry Pine	...	The Professor

Storyline

New York police are bemused by a spate of reports of a giant flying lizard that has been spotted around the rooftops of New York, which they assume to be bogus until the lizard starts to eat people. An out-of-work, ex-con piano player is the only person who knows the location of the monster's nest and is determined to turn the knowledge to his advantage, but will his gamble pay off or will he end up as lizard food?

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Plot Keywords:

monster | nest | police | anklet | decapitation | 

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Taglines:

You'll just have time to scream... before it tears you apart!

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Q: The Winged Serpent

Filming Locations:

Chrysler Building - 405 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arkoff International, Larco Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer/director Larry Cohen, according to interviews, once looked at the Chrysler Building and said, "That'd be the coolest place to have a nest." This single thought was the idea which began the creation of this movie.

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Goofs

Shepard's sub-machine gun changes type during the raid on the nest. At the bottom of the ladder he's carrying a Sterling with a horizontal curved magazine. In the next shot at the top of the nest he's clearly carrying a late model M3 "grease gun" with a straight vertical magazine.

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Quotes

Jimmy Quinn: Eat 'em! Eat 'em! Crunch crunch!

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Connections

References The Flying Serpent (1946)

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Soundtracks

"Evil Dream"
Written by Michael Moriarty
Performed by Michael Moriarty

User Reviews

Amusing, Scary B Effort

I really enjoyed watching this film for a number of reasons. First it does not try to be anything more than what it is, a B horror film with good character actor characterizations, some witty dialogue, cheesy special effects, an outlandish story, and lots of gore. Larry Cohen does a fine job with this picture about a Mexican god of a flying plumed serpent that is prayed back into life through human sacrifices. The film is both a horror film and a detective story. The acting is pretty good with Michael Moriarity and David Carradine standing out. The bird-like serpent lives in the pre-renovated Chrysler Building in NYC of all places, and the aerial photography is rather good as we see the beast stalk his prey on nearby rooftops and finally clash his human enemies at home. All in all a great way to spend ninety minutes.