Q - THE WINGED SERPENT

US, 1982, 92 minutes, Colour.
Michael Moriarty, David Carradine, Candy Clark, Richard Roundtree.
Directed by Larry Cohen.

Q - The Winged Serpent is a very enjoyable animal menace fantasy. It was written and directed by Larry Cohen - whose films include similar horror fantasies like It's Alive, It Lives Again, Demon (God Told Me To) as well as The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover.

The film uses the atmosphere of New York City excellently, has special effects for the winged serpent and its gory killing of people. It also uses echoes of such films as The Exorcist but combines them with the atmosphere of blood sacrifice Mexican religions. The film has an excellent cast, relying on Michael Moriarty as the ordinary petty criminal who sees the chance to become a hero in the newspapers because of his discovery of the serpent. David Carradine is good as the policeman.

Tongue-in-cheek and offbeat - but probably more persuasive and frightening because of it.

1. An entertaining horror thriller? Its use of the monster and menace conventions? Satire? The popularity of the film among buffs?

2. B-budget style, the sets and styles of the old serials and B films? Jokey tone?

3. Special effects and serpent (real and rubber), the murders, the subjective shots for the monster, gore? Editing and pace for flight, chases, shootouts?

4. The musical score, the songs: Let's Fall Apart Together Tonight, Evil Dream?

5. The quality of the cast and their contribution to the credibility and enjoyment?

6. The flip start setting the tone, the decapitation, the sunbathers, the worker and the sandwiches - the range of victims? Flip Callous? The variety of deaths - the flayed victims, the pool man, the police? The cinematic variations on the gore trend?

7. The picture of the police: David Carradine as the effective policeman, slightly seedy, dedicated to his work, his clashes with his assistants especially Sergeant Powell? The contrast with Powell - and his being killed? Shepard and his liking for music, the jazz, the bar, the discovery of Jimmy Quinn? His research, discoveries about the Mexican religions, reports, the city authorities and their reaction? Interrogations? Fight? The clashes with the monster? With the human villains? The clashes with Quinn, using him? The hero of the film? The contrast with Powell and his being the antagonist? The sketch of the city officials, their attitude towards the city, criticisms, meetings and authorisations, cover-ups, taxes etc.? Corruption, ego? The film's comment on the New York papers and the jibe at Rupert Murdoch? The critique of the city, its lifestyles, people, judgments, fear, social anger?

8. Jimmy Quinn as the petty thief, participation in the jewel robbery, driver, running away, pursued by fellow criminals, escape into the Chrysler Building (and the irony of the Chrysler Building and its pinnacle looking like the monster)? His discovery, going to the police, the media, his bargaining with officials about money? The sleazy criminal, ambitious, shrewd? His relationship with Joan, support, his further adventures, being caught up with the strange religions, with the monster, his being threatened, the promise to reveal the hiding place, Shepard saving his life?

9. Joan and her sharing Jimmy's experiences, trying to understand, support?

10. The monster, visual, special effects? Flying over the city? The monster's eye view of the victims, the swooping on the victims, the killing? The terrorising of the city - and the city looking upwards (as in the old B-movies of the '30s and '40s)? The aura of the Mexican religions, human sacrifice, the legends? The victims? The masks? The symbolism of the monster - serpents, devils, angels, wings, the whole aura of religion not understood?

11. Shepard and his pursuit, study, the rituals, the bodies, the chase and the confrontations? The heroics? The fanatics involved in the religion, their backgrounds, what motivated them? The bringing together of the themes of gore, religious possession, petty crook, police thriller? The irony of the resolution - and, of course, another egg being broken open and a monster emerging?

14. The popularity of this kind of nightmare adventure? Comic book style? A successful use of thriller conventions?