Q (1982)
Producer/Director/Screenwriter: Larry Cohen
Alternate titles: The Winged Serpent, Q — The Winged Serpent
Mexico doesn’t just send us their rapists; they also send their Aztec gods — in this case, a dragon-like creature name Quetzalcoatl. It takes up residence in New York and makes occasional trips to bite the heads off people. The city is trying to find it but instead, ex-junkie Jimmy accidentally finds it in the Chrysler Building after a failed robbery. He sells the information to the city. Also: someone is killing and skinning people — leaving cool bodies.
This film uses very few special effects (lots of make-up effects, though). Yet it is incredibly effective. You should definitely seek this one out.
Starring Michael Moriarty (Pale Rider). Featuring Candy Clark (The Man Who Fell to Earth), David Carradine (Kung Fu), and Richard Roundtree (Shaft).
Q is copyrighted. It is available on DVD and Blu-ray with a Larry Cohen commentary and trailer.
The Quacky Slasher (2017)
Producers: Rod Hay & Paul Leech
Director/Screenwriter: Peter Mckeirnon
While a child, a mental patient wrongly believed that his father was killed by ducks. Now he’s escaped and is delivering justice while wearing a duck mask.
This short (35 minute) film is pretty funny with excellent, if simple, practical effects by Hay. Mckeirnon has an excellent eye for shots, which is slightly compromised inside where he doesn’t have the lighting budget to make them look as good as the outdoor shots. This one is well worth seeking out.
Starring Andrew Butterworth, Neil Gallagher, Michael Hagen, Jacqueline Mercer, Jayne Kinsella, and Andy Coffey.
The Quacky Slasher is copyrighted. It is available on Amazon Prime.
26 November 2020
Queen of Snakes (2019)
Producers: Christopher R Mihm, Stephanie Mihm, and Julie Ann Mihm
Director/Screenwriter: Christopher R Mihm
A grown daughter cares for her disabled mother. One day, a package comes for the previous occupant — an archaeologist. Inside is a Nordic medallion that gives the user powers from the goddess Queen of Snakes.
This is the first Mihm film in color, which features very red sets and costumes. It more or less completes his transition from making parodies of 1950s films into simply making films in that style. It does have a couple of humorous moments but is mostly done straight.
Starring Stephanie Mihm (House of Ghosts) and Rachel Grubb (Weresquito: Nazi Hunter). With Michael G Kaiser (The Monster of Phantom Lake), Christi Jean Williams, and Daniel Sjerven (Cave Women on Mars).
Queen of Snakes is under copyright. It is available on DVD.
4 September 2020
Quest for the Egg Salad (2002)
Producer/Director/Screenwriter: Chris Seaver
In a world of fairies and elves, a magician shows up and tells a young man that he must go in search the egg salad that has been stolen by a bad guy with a green face and long nose.
This is a pretty typical Chris Seaver film: good acting, banal visuals, and a script that sounds like it was written by a group of 13-year-old boys who just got their first look at Penthouse. It works for a lot of people. It has the same rating on IMDb as Witchouse. I don’t think I’ve ever made it through one of his films in a single sitting. I’m not offended — just bored and annoyed.
Starring Jesse Green (Taintlight), Tina Krause (The Fappening), and director Doug Sakmann (Punk Rock Holocaust). Lloyd Kaufman is in there somewhere. Seaver over-acts charmingly. And, of course, Teen Ape (Mulva 2: Kill Teen Ape!) is doing his “white guy who thinks he’s a black stereotype from a 1970s TV show” act, which is another reason to avoid this film.
Quest for the Egg Salad is under copyright. Tempe released it on DVD with crew and fan commentaries, a half hour of behind-the-scenes stuff, and trailers for this and several other Seaver films.
12 August 2020