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B movie maverick Larry Cohen always enjoyed slipping a littlesocial commentary into his genre pictures, and the satirical sci-fi/horrorcomedy The Stuff is no exception. A mix of Invasion of the BodySnatchers and The Blob, The Stuff is an insidiously addictive, low-calorie dessert sensation that soon wins the hearts and minds ofthe nation, but mostly the minds. You see, to borrow a title from another Cohen classic, it's alive.

Michael Moriarty is an industrial spy with questionable ethics and acertain moral flexibility behind his disarming drawl. "No one is as dumb as I appear to be," he informs his newest client, a snack food CEO who wantsthe secret of The Stuff. Needless to say he becomes the film's hero, asmart-talking everyman battling a compromised FDA and a corporate baddiewho sees dollar signs in every Stuff snarfing zombie he converts. Cohen'ssatirical swipes at consumerism, advertising, and the ethics of corporateprofit come fast and furious, if not exactly focused, and help drive thefilm past his--at times--sloppy direction. Moriarty's energetic performanceis hilarious, and his rag-tag crew includes Andrea Marcovicci as anadvertising wunderkind (who improbably falls in love with Moriarty),Saturday Night Live alum Garrett Morris as "Famous Amos" parody"Chocolate Chip Charlie," and Paul Sorvino as a commie-hating,conspiracy-spewing militia leader.

The DVD features commentary by Larry Cohen along with trailers and detailed biographies. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (30)

The Stuff ... there's never enough!
The stuff is an alien substance of sorts, found bubbling out of the ground in small towns across the United States. It looks like ice-cream, tastes great, but ... once it takes hold of you, it becomes addictive and deadly. But what is its secret ingredient?

Enter Michael Moriarty ('Troll', 'Courage Under Fire'), who is hired as an industrial saboteur by representatives of a food company to discover just what makes the stuff so addictive. As the stuff becomes more readily available, the people selling it are no longer content to merchandise through the smaller outlets. They begin to advertise it nationwide.

David 'Mo' Rutherford (Moriarty) tracks the stuff across the country with the help of Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci) and a young boy, Jason (Scott Bloom), witnessing its effects on the population. During their efforts, they are assisted by Col. Malcolm Grommett Spears (Paul Sorvino) and the wacky cookie entrepreneur, Chocolate Chip Charlie (Garrett Morris, 'Saturday Night Live'). As the film progresses, it becomes impossible to know just who to trust, and resisting the stuff becomes increasingly difficult.

Larry Cohen has become a hero to those whose interests are in cult horror/sci-fi films, having turned out classics like 'A Return to Salem's Lot', 'The Ambulance', and 'Q: The Winged Serpent'. This is his fourth collaboration with Moriarty and it is well worth the money. 'The Stuff' contains comedy, action, science fiction, and horror - a combination of 'The Blob' and 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', with Cohen's crazy sense of humor thrown in for good measure.

Also stars Brian Bloom, Danny Aiello, and Patrick O'Neal.

Bonus features on this edition include an informative audio commentary with director, Larry Cohen, TV Spots, original theatrical trailer, and widescreen presentation.

Buy it! You'll be addicted.

Excellent sci-fi and marketing satire!!!
This movie works on many levels. It's a sci-fi movie about Stuff that bubbles up from the ground to become the latest food rage. The problem is the more you eat the more it takes control of you. But at a more critical level it attacks the product marketing by executives and ads that will sell us anything as long as they can make a buck. Even stuff that will destroy you.

The DVD has the added value of comments by the director Larry Cohen which include great stories about making the film. Michael Moriarty is great as the quirky industrial spy hired by the ice cream companies to find out the secret formula for the stuff. Garrett Morris plays Chocolate Chip Charlie an obvious takeoff of Famous Amos.

Simply a great movie.

Silly, Gooey Fun!
Larry Cohen did it again with THE STUFF (1985): he concocted another Horror/Social Comedy offering, this time using the theme of food as the point of entry! A biting satire of advertising and consumerism (the best since George A. Romero's 1978 classic DAWN OF THE DEAD), THE STUFF is entertaining, gross and flat-out fun. Starring Michael Moriarty in another of his patented quirky Tab Hunter-Gone-To-Hell performances, this film is not great, but it is quite likable. After his breakout starring role in the great baseball drama BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY (1973), the Method-trained, blond-haired, blue-eyed, 6'4" Moriarty has carved out a niche starring in "B" movies (usually for Larry Cohen), and he's always fun to watch!

Here he plays a Southern-drawlin' FBI agent named David 'Mo' Rutherford---"'cause no matter how much ah get, ah always want mo'" (great line!)---who is hired by the dairy industry to find out mo' about The Stuff. You see, The Stuff was discovered by an oil-well worker who witnessed a strange meteor crash and found a pool bubbling with thick, white goo, decides to taste it, discovers that it tastes sensational, and is quickly able to market it to the general public as---what else?--The Stuff! An instant hit, outselling ice cream by five-to-one, The Stuff unfortunately has some gruesome side-effects that gradually become known to the few who do not partake of it. Let's just say that it has a similar result as those nasty space-plants in INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978). Mo and a ten-year-old boy named Jason (who is the only one in his family not to have eaten The Stuff) begin to get to the bottom of things, aided by a most unlikely pair: A black cookie entrepeneaur nicknamed Chocolate Chip Charlie (the hilarious "SNL" alum Garrett Morris) and a racist militia leader named Col. Malcolm Grommett Spears (an even-more hilarious Paul Sorvino). Add to the mix veteran actors Danny Aiello and Patrick O'Neal, and you have a recipe that calls for you to just sit back and have fun! THE STUFF may not be for everybody (certainly not for anyone under 13), and it's not to everyone's taste (or lack thereof), but if you like "B" films---especially those by schlock-meister Larry Cohen---then give THE STUFF a try. Don't say I didn't warn you!

RECOMMENDED
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR LARRY COHEN FANS

Awesome and Funny
The Stuff, what an awesome and funny film this is. Though there are some funny parts to it, this B-film presents itself with some gore to it. All of the actors did a good job in this low budget film. While this isn't your typical big budget film, I highly recommend it to enjoy.

Ummmm....
I wanted to see this movie so very bad when my friend and I saw the preview of it. The preview made us laugh so hard and it looked like a good ol' B movie. Well, I hate to say it but this movie was a dissapointment in my book. Everything you see that is cool in the preview is the only thing worth watching in the movie. This movie had its funny parts but few and far between. If it is at your local video store and you have a free coupon this is a good movie to rent with a bunch of friends. This is a type of movie that is just so bad that your friends will have fun making fun of it. The movie would have been better if I didn't expect it to be an awesome B movie. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Good God
This little known feature is a must. By Larry Cohen (Black Ceasar/Q The Winged Serpant/Dial Rat For Terror) the New York based director.The film was initiially retitled called "Demon" after it was refused showings due to the title. A dedicated Christian (oh dear) COP (oh dear,oh dear) starts his investigations in a seemingly senseless spake of sniper killings. Thats about all I can tell you without spoiling it,but this film goes down paths that you never thought it would and suprises all the way to the end. There is also a small apearence by Andy Kaufman (Latka from "TAXI") as a cop who goes kill crazy at a parade. Watch and see why "God Told Me Too"

God Told Me To Write This...
Yes, this is one weird movie. Mass murder has broken out in New York City like a particularly bad flu epidemic. The film opens with a guy perched on a water tower, gunning down pedestrians for no apparent reason. Tony Lo Bianco is a cop named Nicholas who climbs the tower to talk to the man. When asked why he did it, the gunman says, "God told me to." He then takes a swan-dive onto the street below. Nicholas is a very religious man and is fascinated with the idea of God telling anyone to commit mass murder. The murders keep happening. A man goes to the market and stabs a bunch of customers. Andy Kaufman is a cop who goes berserk at the St. Patrick's Day parade and shoots cops and bystanders alike. Another guy kills his entire family and calmly waits for the police. Of course there's one common denominator in all of these incidents. God told them to do it. Nicholas digs deeper into the mystery to the point of losing his job. He seeks out a young man with long blonde hair who was seen with all the killers just before their crimes. He finds the blonde man's mother, who promptly tries to kill him. Later, Nicholas is told by an older, retired officer about a strange occurance back in 1951. A woman he picked up (running naked down the road) told him she'd been abducted by aliens and raped. Nicholas finds her, still living, in a nursing home. What dark secrets does she hold? What connection is there between Nicholas and the blonde haired man? GOD TOLD ME TO is a VERY different movie! Is God really orchestrating these killings? Or is some alien hybrid only impersonating the deity? Check this one out...

God Told Me To....Kill! that sounds fun!
A New York City policemen investigating a series of particularly brutal homicides discovers an eerie link between the cases - when the murderers are asked why they committed the crime they all claim, "God Told Me To."

A Very Strange Movie!

Not worth the time or the money.
What is this very-hyped movie about?

New York City sees a rash of killings. Before dying, each murderer says, "God told me to."

Upon investigation, detective Tony Lo Bianco (who should have known better than to get involved in this mess of a film) discovers that all were influenced by a young man who looks vaguely like Jesus Christ. In reality, both he and Lo Bianco were fathered by aliens who abducted their virgin mothers 30 years before. In Lo Bianco's case, the genes of the alien were recessive and his mother's humanity dominated. In the other man's case, the alien genes were dominant. (...)

If you're saying "Huh?", you're on to the mystery of this film. Is it scary? Not at all. Is it funny? Not really. Is it poorly acted? Not really. Is the script ludicrous? You bet. Does it explain everything? Yes. Is it worth 92 minutes and 15-20 bucks to learn the mystery of the androgynous Messiah(...)? No.

Cohen's Q-The Winged Serpent and It's Alive are far better than this disaster of a film...and that's saying a lot.

Seriously Potent Stuff!
Larry Cohen's GOD TOLD ME TO is one of the most intelligent, gritty horror/thrillers ever made! In New York, a series of mass murders occur with each perpetrator saying the title phrase. But is there something more going on here? Tony Lo Bianco is excellent as the devout Catholic policeman who is investigating this bizarre phenomenon and discovers something really shocking about himself along the way! As with most cult movies, GOD TOLD ME TO must be seen to be believed; it's a genuinely thought-provoking and scary thriller that raises interesting questions about religion. The visual style is amazing; it inspired the look of shows like NYPD BLUE and 24. In the tradition of the best science fiction movies, GOD TOLD ME TO raises more questions than answers, and very important questions at that. Don't miss it! ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Wonderful acting
One does not usually expect to find quality acting in a movie like this, but I was quite surprised.

David Carradine plays a policeman on the trail of two cases that seem linked. The first involves a window washer who suddenly loses his head. Later there are more rooftop disappearances, seemingly perpetrated by a giant bird. The second case involved a series of ritualistic murders. They seem to be the work of a fanatic following Aztec rituals to bring back the god Quetzalcoatl.

Carradine's portrayal is excellent but he cannot hold a candle to Michael Moriarty who plays a down-on-his-luck loser. He wants to be a jazz pianist but is still unemployed. He is also a timid small-time crook. He is a driver ("I don't go inside and I don't carry a piece!"). But a job goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

Moriarty hides in the Chrysler building and discovers that the run-down art-deco spire is the home of the giant bird. There is even an egg in the nest. A body hidden there gets him thinking. The city is in fear of the bird and he knows where it is. He is convinced he is now the most important man in the city.

Now that he thinks he has power, he holds the safety of the city for ransom. He wants money and a "Nixon-like" pardon. But his arrogant cockiness loses him his girl (she had felt sorry for him but now could see how mean he really is).

The city acquiesces to Moriarty's demands and go after the monster. Because the bird is not in the nest when they arrive, the city is able to pull out of the deal.

In the end, Carradine manages to take care of the bird and track down the ritual killer. Moriarty is back where he started minus one girlfriend (although Carradine tries to convince him to go back to her).

Good tight acting with Moriarty giving an amazing performance. The stop-motion effects on the creature are a little crude at times but not really bad considering the time period and the budget.

Definitely a fun film to watch with a minimum of gore (although there is a scene where street crowds are splattered by blood from the skies). Find it and watch it.

Larry Cohen Strikes Again!
If you like outrageous humor, Q is simply irresistable. First, there's a giant mythic Aztec "serpent" which makes a habit of swooping down on unsuspecting New York sunbathers and construction workers. (We get to see New York through the eyes of the bird---expressionistic style.) In a likeable performance, David Carradine as a police detective, diligently researches the creature and then tracks it down---his efforts climax in a hilarious "finale" in which Carradine and his cohorts attempt to machine-gun the monster as it collides into buildings. Doubling the fun is a wonderful performance by Michael Moriarty as a frustrated jazz pianist who resorts to small-time crime to make a living and ends up discovering the serpent's egg at the top of the Empire State Building. (As Mr. Moriarty happily confides to the audience, "I'm afraid of almost everything, but I'm not afraid of heights!") Whether singing scat songs, hobbling through New York on a gimpy leg, or demanding immunity from the police ("I want a Nixon-like pardon!"), Mr. Moriarty is always a delight. And so is this movie.

Horror In The Sky
I remember seeing this film when I was 7 or 8 years old and it scared me senseless. Seeing people getting their heads chopped off and mutalated from who knows what that flies around a big city gave me an uneasy eerie feeling. I didn't know what the name of this movie was and I was looking for it in the video stores. I stumbled onto this accidentally and taking my chances of this being the dragon in the sky killing people movie that I saw 20 years ago, I bought it. After seeing it again, this is the movie that scared me to death so many years ago. Though, by today's standards, this movie is rather cheap and cheesy, it still gave me that uneasy eerie feeling. This movie is original, having a flying dragon that is summoned by ritual killings, that eats people like birds eat worms. This movie is a hybrid of Godzilla and slasher flicks. This is definately B-movie material, but it's fun to watch and brings back some childhood memories... and that is worth more than the price of admission.

Quetzalco-What-L?!
Q is for Quetzalcoatl, the flying, feathered serpent god of the ancient aztecs. It seems that some nut is loose in NYC, performing ancient sacrificial rites on willing participants, skinning them alive and taking out hearts and things. The police figure it's just another crazy serial killer. Only David Carradine's character believes there's more to it than that. Meanwhile, a small-time, ex-heroin addict, and street crook (played perfectly sleazily by Michael Moriarty) is being hunted by thugs who think he's ripped them off. These elements begin to merge when a gigantic flying monster starts biting people's heads off in broad daylight! Moriarty stumbles upon the creature's nest, complete with giant egg, while trying to hide in the top of the Chrysler building. He later leads his enemies back to the nest, telling them he's hidden their money there. They quickly become monster chow. Moriarty then decides to tell police where the beast lives, if they will drop all charges against him, and give him a million bucks. He considers himself to be prince of the city, and becomes extremely arrogant about it. The cops destroy the egg and it's mum, in a battle reminiscent of king kong. The "high priest" serial killer guy is enraged by this, and pays a visit on our slimey anti-hero. This is a movie only Larry Cohen (It's Alive!, God Told Me To) would / could make! Low-low budget, but excellent nonetheless. We don't see a lot of the monster, but when we do, it's pretty cool for 1982. Q for Quality...

Don't bother
I was lured to buy the DVD version of "Q" after reading some amazon costumers' reviews. However, once I saw the film, I had to conclude they greatly overrated it. "Q" is badly written and has a terrible edition. Besides, it focuses so much in Michael Moriarty's character that it ends overlooking the snake itself (and I don't actually mean showing the monster... sometimes you can achieve really artistic results without doing that frequently). There are better low budget monster movies out there. Thus, my recommendation is that you forget about this title and get "The Howling" or something like that. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

good idea but bad come out
Fred Williamson(Black Ceasar, From Dusk Till Dawn) is John Bookman and he returns home after his father is shot up by a gang called the rebels, a gang he formed back in his day, led by Spyro and Damien..two ruthless thugs who changed the gang from what it used to be, the rebels think they own the streets. well Bookman and co. join forces to try to stop them. an allstar cast including Jim Brown(Mars Attacks,Salughter) Ron O'Neal(Superfly), Pam Grier(Ghost Of Mars, Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown), Paul Winfield(Mars Attacks, The Terminator), Richard Roundtree(Antitrust, Shaft, Corky Romando) and many more. takes its toll on the 70's black films but is too much uninspired with wooden performances and a lack of, anything...was expecting much more

A violent reunion from back in the day
The reason to watch this movie is the reunion for those of us who remember the protagonists from the era of blaxploitation films in which we were introduced to them/ Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier, reconvene to take back their home town of Gary, Indiana from several well organized and terribly violent street gangs.

Also appearing in almost cameo roles are Ron O'Neal ("Superfly") and Richard Roundtree (the original John Shaft). Seeing them all together is a treat, but left me wondering why this quintet did not get more screen time all together. It is particularly pleasing to see Brown and Grier, who, as one of the expert reviewers noted, have aged very very well. However, the re-ignition of their former relationship is tepid and seemingly forced. By contrast, it has nowhere near the intensity seen when barely restrained Brown confronts a gang leader about the murder of his son.

I agree that the simplistic plot and the consistent (and predictable) violence keep this from being one of the great films of our time. Those who remember the first time seeing these individuals in character now some thirty years ago will enjoy seeing them all together again, and that makes this disc worthwhile.

great re-union of 70's actionmovie st ars
if your a film buff, and wanted to see just outta curiosity
what happened to the black star's of the early 70's...see this movie, sorry to say that most of the aging star's except for pam grier now could be cast in a new version of sanford and son...as fred's old buddies from the hood drinking
grape ripple. it was a good social commentary of life in gary,
indiana and how dependent that city was on the steel mills and the off shoot business's that gradually closed down, see this movie on a saturday afternoon,,,but if you have to mow the lawn or paint the house...you'd be better off doing that.

An solid comeback for an action movie vet--
Original Gangstas: Fred Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam Grier. Williamson is John Bookman, former football pro turned coach, who comes back to his old hometown to find it overrun by gangs. The last straw is when Bookman's dad is assaulted and his grocery store vandalized. Grier is the mom of a basketball prodigy slain by the Rebels, one of three major gangs in the city. Brown is Bookman's best friend who comes back to bury his son. In a touch of irony, the gangs are the modern day incarnation of the crews started by Bookman & his friends decades ago. But whereas the original intent was to be a teen militia of sorts, the modern crews-mostly people well over 21-- are about nothing but victimizing their neighborhood.

Filmed entirely on location in Gary, Indiana, the film uses many city landmarks to illustrate the decay that has taken place. The film rightly postulates that the abrupt downsizing of the US Steel mill in the late 60's started an economic domino effect that the city has yet to recover from. Abandoned storefronts still abound, while neighborhoods are peppered with derelict houses and other rag-tag buildings.
Supporting roles are offered by Robert Forster as a police detective, and Ron O'Neal & Richard Roundtree as longtime residents who join the effort to take the city back.

Williamson and his contemporaries first came to prominence in the black action movie trend of the 70's. Some of his real life was slipped into the script: Williamson was a Northwestern football star before turning pro; also, according to the star the film was inspired from an encounter he had while visiting his mother, who still lives in Gary.

Fred and the actors of his generation deserve better from the Hollywood industry-- folks like Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have used them in a handful of contemporary films, but they should have the status of a Clint Eastwood or Burt Reynolds..

ORIGINAL GANGSTAS Review
In a reunion of the big-name 70's blaxplotation stars, you can expect a whole lot of fun. They're all here. Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Jim Brown, Pam "Foxxy Brown" Grier, Richard "Shaft" Roudntree, and Superfly himself, Ron O'Neal. A host of other infamous character actors and some of today's big name underground rappers also show up for this bullet-riddled nostalgia pic.

It's "old school" versus "new school" as the Rebels, a gang once known simply for protecting their neighborhood has transformed into a gang of thugs who specialize in drive-by shootings and drug dealing. This doesn't sit well with the gang's founding members who reunite with the support of the community to clean up the streets once and for all.

While not nearly as energetic and entertaining as many of the 70's pics that it is paying homage to, "Original Gangstas" does have fun while delivering a solid anti-violence message. Seeing all your old favorites strap up again makes for some real good times. There are also some good performances from relative unknowns like Christopher Duncan as the leader of the new Rebels and rapper Dru Down as the group's loud-mouthed "trigger man". Also look for rappers, Scarface and Bushwick Bill in cameos. A genuine good time. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

"What's wrong with my baby!!?"
One of the great cult films of the '70's, Larry Cohen's "It's Alive" plays less as a horror film than as a psychological drama, smartly focusing on the emotional devastation wrought on the marriage of the parents, Frank and Leonor Davis (well played by John Ryan and Sharon Farrell) and, to a lesser extent, their existing eleven-year-old son Chris. The theme Cohen plays with is less a "monster on the loose" picture than one in which the very human parents are forced to confront the ugly consequences in which society, and particularly the media, want only to feed on and exploit the pain of individuals thrust into a situation beyond their immediate comprehension or control. Farrell, (understandably) close to the edge of insanity, still maintains a mother's love for her child - no matter what it might look or behave like. Ryan, seeing this as a slam against his manhood, simply refuses to accept that this "child" is anything that he could have fathered. The film also raises dark questions concerning the pharmaceutical industry's cynical promotion of birth-control drugs and their side-effects, as well as a speculating on the effect pollutants in the air and water might have on our bodies. (A theme revisited by director Phillip Kaufmann in the 1978 version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers").

Unfortunately, these themes are a bit hamstrung by Larry Cohen's flat-footed direction; there are some great, and funny scenes to be sure (the milkman comes to mind), but the film is unsure whether it wants to be a social satire or a real horror film. Ironically, it ends up being neither; the "Davis baby" actually emerges as a truly tragic figure, crawling up alongside King Kong and Frankenstein's monster (who Ryan's character makes reference to in the film) as a poor creature unwittingly thrown into the harsh world of mankind, which always fears and hates what it doesn't understand.

Flaws aside, this is still a great example of how far out (and how much sick fun) horror films of the '70's could be. Even though this was distributed by a major studio (Warner Bros.), this was essentially a low-budget independent film. The "baby" was created by the brilliant, multiple Oscar-winning makeup artist Rick Baker. At the time the film was made, the "baby" puppet didn't permit (nor did the budget) any of the cable-control mechanisms inside to create movement, as Baker and his crew would later use to great effect on "An American Werewolf in London", "Harry and the Hendersons" and "Gorillas in the Mist". Still, few could argue that the "Davis baby" is one of the wildest and most bizarre characters ever to emerge from '70's horror films.

Highly dated, but still recommended nonetheless!

Funny, Ferocious Fun!
" It's Alive " is a part of a horror series directed by Larry Cohen, the sequels are " It Lives Again " and " It's Alive III : Island Of The Alive. " But before we get to those sequels, let's talk about this cult classic, of baby-time carnage!!

I absolutely love this movie and its sequels, I once watched, I believe all three films on Monstervision, hosted by Joe Bob Briggs. It was ofcourse during the nightly hours. I was just captured and must say these flicks are certainly some of the great mid-night horror marathon movies. I don't give a damn how long ago they came out, these are cheese-ball, absolutely hilarious classics! The humour is, intentional or not, abundantly apart of the fun. This first one picks up with a normal man and his wife who have a baby, who turns out to be a monster baby. The man is John P. Ryan, and his wife, Sharon Farrell, two marvelous actors in this movie. The supporting cast is there too. The Rick Baker babies may look cheesy, but its all apart of the fun. Some of the funnest moments come when the baby is running amock, attacking, milk men, and all sorts of prey. Also the score, by Bernard Herrmann (Psycho) is perfect, absolutely perfect. His last score by the way before his death was " It Lives Again, " the remarkable sequel, which is even better, and keep a look out for the third picture too, not as good as 1 & 2, but still just a great fun time.

It's a B-Movie Classic!
Larry Cohen has always had fun making no-frills, slightly creepy "B" Horror movies. As a result, his films tend to be non-cerebral, quirky, violent, cheesy-looking, infectiously funny, and, most of all, fun. It is in this spirit of fun that I write this review for one of Cohen's most memorable and fun films, IT'S ALIVE! (1974).

The plot is simple: a relatively normal (though slightly quirky) middle-aged couple with an 11-year-old son, who decided to have one more child, is going through what is obviously a prolonged, painful pregnancy for the expectant soon-to-be-second-time-mother. The Davis family, consisting of Frank (John P. Ryan), Lenore (Sharon Farrell) and Chris (Daniel Holzman) just want to get through it, already. Lenore finally goes into labor one night, and the whole family drives to the hospital, during which time Frank tries to lighten the mood with a little humor. During the interminable wait in the hospital lobby, Frank overhears two men discussing something about the toxins being released into the environment and how scientists are warning of the possible mutations this could cause for humans. Suddenly, a badly wounded doctor comes stumbling out of the O/R and drops dead on the hallway floor. Frank and the others run into the room to find a scene of sheer horror: five doctors and nurses dead, their throats all torn and bloody. As they stare in shock and amazement, Lenore (who is uninjured) delivers the chilling news: she gave birth to a newborn baby monster. As Frank and the police try to find the Davis' mutated son, who had escaped the hospital through a ventilation shaft, Baby Davis tries to find his way home by himself, dispatching several unaware victims in the process. Frank is torn amongst his feelings of protectiveness for his son, of the sense of duty to snuff out this newborn killer's life, and anger at those he feels are overly anxious to kill him.

I have rented this film and seen it on three separate occasions (all on VHS, of course; unfortunately, Warner Brothers has not yet seen fit to issue it on DVD) and it gives me something new to focus on each time. The first time, it was the visceral violence of the film (it is quite bloody); the second time, it was the sheer campiness of the whole thing. The third time, it was the emotional suffering of Frank Davis, as he tries to simultaneously make sense of the situation, figure out what his newborn monstrosity will do next, and to make it right.

Although all of the acting in the film is effective and dependable, none stands out more than John P. Ryan. I love his goofiness at the beginning of the film as he's talking to his "young whipperschnapper" son in a comic Humphrey Bogart-meets-Edward G. Robinson voice. I like the effectiveness of the quiet, tense scene that takes place right after the horrible slaying in the hospital, in which the police try to dance lightly around Frank as they begin to ask him uncomfortable questions at this very awkward time. Frank's foot-shifting, equally uncomfortable responses and increasing agitations hit just the right note, and are a subtle example of great Method Acting. Finally, I like the heartbreakingly somberness of the climactic, and inevitable, final scene.

The PG-rating for IT'S ALIVE! remains something of a deceptive mystery; it IS quite bloody, although there isn't much in the way of graphic gore. Still, this got rather strong ratings abroad: According to IMDb, it received a "15" rating in Sweden, an "18" rating in both the U.K. and The Netherlands (the numbers referring to the age at/above to which the film's viewership was restricted), an "R" rating in Australia, and in Finland, it was banned!

I know it's cheesy, I know that you hardly see the monster baby (which, given the lack of special effects, was probably a good thing and even added to the suspense), and I know that future multiple-Oscar-winning makeup genius Rick Baker was basically beginning to learn his craft here; the fact is, I find it impossible not to like IT'S ALIVE! If you love those late-night creepy old movies, then you know you will like this too. You've got to admit, you like this kind of stuff--and director Larry Cohen sure makes it fun to watch!

RECOMMENDED
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF 1970'S FILMS

Terrible.
This movie is rotten. It's not scary enough to be a legitimate horror movie or funny enough to be a comedy. Instead, it's like a bad high school film project. Stiff acting, long boring periods where nothing interesting is going on, and a dopey looking monster baby puppet straight from the corner toy store. However, I did sympathize with the anguished cries of the monster baby, because that's exactly how I felt after watching this junk.

Songs that Acompany this trilogy
This is more like an inquiry....! I was just wondering if anyone out there knows the Hit single that was released from one of these movies, if so can you leave a message letting me know what it is called and by who

Thank you, Regards

Johnny ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Great sequel to Black Ceasar
Fred Williamson is the man. He was the sexiest african american actor of the 70's..and still sexy today..:-)

It was a great sequel. The James Brown sound tracks were right on! I would suggest buying the 2 DVD special. It's a great deal. I've seen Black Ceasar and Hell up in Harlem sold for a lot more.

I will always love Fred Williamson. If you are Fred Williams fan..you will like him in One down..two to go" the "Kill Reflex".."Bucktown". I can go on and on.

I own every film that Fred Williamson has been in.

Good movie, but..........
But, not as good as Black Caesar. There was a good deal of action in this film, more than the predecessor, and you can definetly tell that a lot more money was spent on this movie, however it lacked the originality and spontanaity of the first film. The action scenes were better, and the story was very well thought out, but the movie just lacked something. Tommy Gibbs is still a super ... though, and I wouldn't wanna mess with him. "Hell Up In Harlem" just strikes me as a sequel with a LOT of potential, and energy that would have made a fine film, but the tale gets caught up too much in trying to out do the first film, instead of building upon it. ... I think this is a must see for fans of the fisrt film, but don't be surprised if you are disappointed.

CLASSIC FRED WILLIAMSON!!!!
THIS is an awesome movie and I would truly recommend this to any Fred Williamson fan who enjoys his movies and I loved this movie it was pretty good Julius W. Harris and Gloria Hendry returns also and she is a very beautiful woman and they are very good legendary actors and actresses and this movie is really good I would really recommend Tommy Gibbs falls in love again with a minister by the name of Jennifer and may I also add that this is a nice soundtrack also this time this soundtrack is done by Edwin Starr and this is the sequel to Black Caesar !!!!h

Excellent Film
I liked it better than Black Caesar. There is more action and Drama in this one, as Tommy takes revenge on those who set him up in the first one.

Smashing! Fred Williamson in a Rough and Touch Action Film
One video guidebook dismissed it as a "turkey"; another called it "bomb." "Hell Up in Harlem" didn't and won't get critical acclaim, that's for sure. But I say, it's terrific!

Don't get me wrong. From purely artistic point of view, the film IS awful. It doesn't know where it goes; it is full of hurriedly shot scenes with shoddy editing; and most of all, didn't Fred Willaimson die at the end of "Black Caesar"?

BUT ... Yes, but "Hell" still entertains us. And much more fun than you expect from lukewarm reception from critics. Okay, so, let me tell you what you see in this movie. Tommy Gibbs (Williamson) is not dead, and he is sent to a hospital under the guard of gangsters who take hostages of other patients and doctors (wow!) while having the operation. And Gibbs comes back, with his father (Julius Harris), and again they fight and rule. But again another corrupt white DA is waiting for the time to divide and destroy them.

Well, forget the story. The point is, you see lots of action one after another, so you never stop and think about it. Just look how Fred Williamson wipes out his enemies. He assassinates one of them with a rifle from the Broadway signboard; he massacares the mobsters in the Florida Keys with a help from ... two middle-aged, Afro-American maids (the kind of housemaids you see in "Gone with the Wind") who hold guns with most wooden posture and grinning faces. Even Coney Island is no longer a peaceful place for amusement. Fred Williamson takes up a beach parasol (among other things on the beach) and, OUCH!! one of the gangsters meets nasty death instead of the cozy sunshine on his stomach.

Looking back from now, "Hell Up in Harlem" seems to have gone a little too far. The chain of its incredible plot twist and intense actions may make some of us tired of watching it, and some wise-cracking lines may make some of us very uncomfortable (for example, listen to a one-liner about "soul food" and watermelon). But it is still fun. Probably it was produced too quickly, but again Larry Cohen's fast-paced direction seldom gets us bored with unique hand-held camera and authentic locations. And the film gives one of the earliest performance of Oscar nominated Margaret Avery (for "The Color Purple", 13 years later).

Anyway, my final verdict. Don't think; just enjoy watching this outrageous film. This is what you call fun. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Good blaxploitation flick, but often disturbing.
If you think John Shaft is tough, then wait until you see the character Tommy Gibbs in Black Caesar. The acting is terrible, the film could use some re-editing, but it's definitely one of the more revered inclusions in the genre. And the James Brown soundtrack is killer!

The quintessential "blaxploitation" film. . .
Those of us who know what it takes to make a powerful film know that you don't need a gargantuan budget and a big-name director. This stylish, gritty crime film from the 1970s "blaxploitation" library stars Fred Williamson as Tommy Gibbs, a tough, confident hood who works his way up the organized crime ladder in New York City. Director Larry Cohen perfectly blends elements from DePalma's "Scarface", 1930s gangster films, and the powerful, in-your-face violence is expertly complemented with the themes of loyalty, redemption, and greed (The scene in which Tommy's gang heads a bloody gun battle at a Mafia pool party was exceptionally well done). The performances were all convincing, especially D'urville Martin's over-the-top portrayal of Tommy's preacher friend. Combining raw, uncompromising violence, a complex morality tale, a dynamic soundtrack from the godfather of soul, James Brown, and believable performances, this film is a powerful journey into the realm of organized crime and its a shame that more people don't know about this movie. So for those of you who like big-budget, socially acceptable Hollywood garbage with action scenes almost completely lacking adrenaline, go see a James Cameron film. If you want an honest, uncompromising character study, definitely check out this underappreciated gangster flick. Don't miss a particularly entertaining scene in which Tommy gets knife happy on one of his victims in a barber shop, cutting off a certain appendage. This scene receives an indirect if perverse tribute in Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs."

Blaxploitation.....A Perfect 10
This is by far the best in the genre.....raw and rugged....a perfect 10....should not be missed if your a fan of blaxploitation flicks.....enjoy!

A CLASSIC I LOVE FRED WILLIAMSON!!!
THIS MOVIE IS SO AWESOME I WISH THAT I COULD GIVE THIS MOVIE 100 STARS BECAUSE THE ACTING IS WONDERFUL BY JULIUS W. HARRIS, GLORIA HENDRY, AND MINNIE GENTRY THIS IS A POWERFUL DRAMATIC ACTION PACKED MOVIE BASED IN HARLEM, NEW YORK I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE TO ANYONE WHO ENJOYS BLAXPLOITATION MOVIES AND I LOVE THE ACTING THE PLOT EVERYTHING THE WHOLE PACKAGE DELIVERS I WOULD ALSO RECCOMMEND THE SOUNDTRACK I AM NOT TRULY A JAMES BROWN FAN BUT HE REALLY DELIVERS WITH"THE BOSS" AND ALSO "MAMA" I LOVE THIS MOVIE AND THE SOUNDTRACK!!!

Perhaps The Very Best Of This Genre
Growing up in the early 1970s, I never really took Shaft, Black Caesar, or Superfly seriously. Thirty years later, my perspective has changed drastically. Black Caesar, starring Fred Williamson, is a masterpiece and represents the absolute elite of this genre. Williamson does a fabulous job portraying the rise and fall of a NYC gangster. Many have referred to Williamson as "The Black Burt Reynolds", but I'm quite hard pressed to come up with a Reynolds performance that is actually better than Williamson's in Black Caesar.

It's a shame Williamson wasn't given access to a broader array of high quality scripts. In a lot of ways, Williamson is more accomplished, educated, and polished than Reynolds. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Good God
This little known feature is a must. By Larry Cohen (Black Ceasar/Q The Winged Serpant/Dial Rat For Terror) the New York based director.The film was initiially retitled called "Demon" after it was refused showings due to the title. A dedicated Christian (oh dear) COP (oh dear,oh dear) starts his investigations in a seemingly senseless spake of sniper killings. Thats about all I can tell you without spoiling it,but this film goes down paths that you never thought it would and suprises all the way to the end. There is also a small apearence by Andy Kaufman (Latka from "TAXI") as a cop who goes kill crazy at a parade. Watch and see why "God Told Me Too"

God Told Me To Write This...
Yes, this is one weird movie. Mass murder has broken out in New York City like a particularly bad flu epidemic. The film opens with a guy perched on a water tower, gunning down pedestrians for no apparent reason. Tony Lo Bianco is a cop named Nicholas who climbs the tower to talk to the man. When asked why he did it, the gunman says, "God told me to." He then takes a swan-dive onto the street below. Nicholas is a very religious man and is fascinated with the idea of God telling anyone to commit mass murder. The murders keep happening. A man goes to the market and stabs a bunch of customers. Andy Kaufman is a cop who goes berserk at the St. Patrick's Day parade and shoots cops and bystanders alike. Another guy kills his entire family and calmly waits for the police. Of course there's one common denominator in all of these incidents. God told them to do it. Nicholas digs deeper into the mystery to the point of losing his job. He seeks out a young man with long blonde hair who was seen with all the killers just before their crimes. He finds the blonde man's mother, who promptly tries to kill him. Later, Nicholas is told by an older, retired officer about a strange occurance back in 1951. A woman he picked up (running naked down the road) told him she'd been abducted by aliens and raped. Nicholas finds her, still living, in a nursing home. What dark secrets does she hold? What connection is there between Nicholas and the blonde haired man? GOD TOLD ME TO is a VERY different movie! Is God really orchestrating these killings? Or is some alien hybrid only impersonating the deity? Check this one out...

God Told Me To....Kill! that sounds fun!
A New York City policemen investigating a series of particularly brutal homicides discovers an eerie link between the cases - when the murderers are asked why they committed the crime they all claim, "God Told Me To."

A Very Strange Movie!

Not worth the time or the money.
What is this very-hyped movie about?

New York City sees a rash of killings. Before dying, each murderer says, "God told me to."

Upon investigation, detective Tony Lo Bianco (who should have known better than to get involved in this mess of a film) discovers that all were influenced by a young man who looks vaguely like Jesus Christ. In reality, both he and Lo Bianco were fathered by aliens who abducted their virgin mothers 30 years before. In Lo Bianco's case, the genes of the alien were recessive and his mother's humanity dominated. In the other man's case, the alien genes were dominant. (...)

If you're saying "Huh?", you're on to the mystery of this film. Is it scary? Not at all. Is it funny? Not really. Is it poorly acted? Not really. Is the script ludicrous? You bet. Does it explain everything? Yes. Is it worth 92 minutes and 15-20 bucks to learn the mystery of the androgynous Messiah(...)? No.

Cohen's Q-The Winged Serpent and It's Alive are far better than this disaster of a film...and that's saying a lot.

Seriously Potent Stuff!
Larry Cohen's GOD TOLD ME TO is one of the most intelligent, gritty horror/thrillers ever made! In New York, a series of mass murders occur with each perpetrator saying the title phrase. But is there something more going on here? Tony Lo Bianco is excellent as the devout Catholic policeman who is investigating this bizarre phenomenon and discovers something really shocking about himself along the way! As with most cult movies, GOD TOLD ME TO must be seen to be believed; it's a genuinely thought-provoking and scary thriller that raises interesting questions about religion. The visual style is amazing; it inspired the look of shows like NYPD BLUE and 24. In the tradition of the best science fiction movies, GOD TOLD ME TO raises more questions than answers, and very important questions at that. Don't miss it! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Larry Cohen's Dark Black Comedy
This 1972 comedy-drama marks the directorial debut of popular and prolific B-movie auteur Larry Cohen, who also wrote the screenplay. Though Cohen is known today for penning and directing well-crafted but low-budget indie flicks in the science-fiction, horror, or fantasy genres, BONE is a brilliant and biting Juvenalian satire that astutely dissects the issues of race relations and economic stratification in the United States. Part of the film's intelligence comes from the fact that Cohen's script is not one-sided. Not only does he take lunges at average white folks and their stereotyped views of themselves and those of darker-skinned ethic persuasions, he also uses his dark rapier-like wit to flay the typical black citizen's equally stereotyped attitudes towards upper-class whites. But Cohen doesn't end it there. BONE is a complex, multi-layered story in which one can find many subtle comments and observations above and beyond the primary theme. Addressed are socio-economic issues such as honesty, avarice, marital ennui, contemporary sexual mores, familial trust, the consequences of acting on one's personal fantasies, and lots more, and it definitely requires multiple viewings to peel back the layers and take it all in.

Though some socio-political pundits will rightly argue that race relations and the social standing of non-whites have improved since the era in which this film was made, there are still palpable gaps between the social and economic classes in America, and recent notorious racial hate crimes demonstrates that there is certainly a lot of ground yet to cover where racial issues are concerned. This being the case, BONE still seems just as fresh and relevant--and just as satirically witty--as it did in 1972.

The principal actors in BONE are phenomenal. In the titular role, actor Yaphet Kotto portrays a black robber and rapist who upends the calm, boring life of an affluent middle-aged white couple. His Oscar-caliber performance is forceful and dynamic, yet the character he creates is still sympathetic and at times downright hilarious. Character actor Andrew Duggan, in what is probably the best performance of his career, creates a dead-on three-dimensional portrait of a smarmy and greedy salesman who one day finds his daily routine abruptly disrupted by Bone. And Joyce Van Patten is delightfully dingy as the bored, cheerless housewife who eventually develops romantic and erotic feelings towards her abductor.

Certain aspects of BONE leave the narrative open to interpretation. In the end, one is left to decide if the events depicted really happened, if they were simply a fantasy of the housewife, or if they took place in the imagination of the affluent couple's son (who, we learn, is in a European prison for drug smuggling and is therefore regarded by his parents as an embarrassment and a social liability). This is a brilliant tactic on Cohen's part, as it forces the viewer to mentally review the film's issues and themes--or even to view the film again--and consider everything more deeply in order to formulate a personally sensible interpretation of the open-ended plot.

Unfortunately, the complex themes, the sophisticated satire, and the generally controversial nature of the film have proved too deep for the average audience, and BONE has therefore never achieved the notoriety or the distribution that it deserves. Instead, it has basically been relegated to the status of a cult film or an exploitation flick, and only film aficionados who actively seek quality non-mainstream works have been lucky enough to obtain access to a copy of BONE in recent years.

Until now, that is. Thanks to the folks at Blue Underground, BONE has been lovingly restored and made available on DVD. In addition to a fantastic picture and great sound, the DVD also features extras such as a humorous and informative commentary by writer/director Cohen and his protégé, Bill Lustig; a short statement from the film's original distributor, Jack Harris; some footage from an earlier aborted shoot of the film, which includes some differences in cast and dialog; and a theatrical trailer in which the film is marketed under an alternate title of THE HOUSEWIFE.

Anybody who appreciates good filmmaking and great satire will enjoy BONE, and fans of Larry Cohen will definitely want to snatch up a copy of this disc for their DVD collections. Blue Underground's DVD edition of BONE is well worth the price of admission.

A Bad Day in Beverly Hills
Well, here it is, in all its' wide screen glory. Blue Underground presents writer/director/producer Larry Cohen first film Bone, also known as Housewife, Dial Rat for Terror, or Beverly Hills Nightmare completely uncut and uncensored with a whole lot of juicy extras.

This is truly a bizarre film. The title, Bone, refers to the character played by Yaphet Kotto. The movie opens by the pool of a seemingly affluent, older couple that lives in a rather large house in Beverly Hills. Bone, an unstable, unpredictable violent criminal forces his way into the lives of this couple, looking for some easy money, and we are treated to one wild ride as the plot veers into the uncharted waters of absurdity.

The very nature of perversity is explored, as the characters are forced to confront hidden desires, exposing the seamy underbelly of modern life. The material presented here may have been tamed over time, thirty years after its' inital release, but the I think the film still commands the effect to disturb, shock, and make one laugh through its' use of imagery and dialogue. Yes, I said laugh, as I would call this a black comedy of sorts.

The movie can be hard to take at times, but the use of jump cuts and incidental music are used very effectively. What may seem insignificant at times later reveals it to be of some importance. Probably my favorite performance in this film was that of Oscar nominee Jeannie Berlin (The Heartbreak Kid) who played The Girl. Her character was truly fascinating even though she had little screen time compared to the rest.

As I said, Blue Underground provides a wealth of extras on this, up until now, rare movie. There's a wonderful commentary with Larry Cohen, a short interview with distributor/director/producer Jack H. Harris, selected scenes from an early shoot of the film, trailers, a radio spot, a gallery of promotional materials, a Larry Cohen biography, and even a small reprinted still of a poster for the movie inside the case. If you are willing to take a chance on something a lot out of the cinematic mainstream, then this is as good a place as any to start.

Jump-cut masterpiece
You're right- my previous review of this film sucked. But the film itself decidedly does not suck. What we have here is a highly sophisticated satire with the denouement hinted at with stylish jump-cuts fron scenes (as in "Performance" and "Petulia"), which if fully understood as we just catch glimpses of them during the buildup, would explain the whole thing before we'd had the fun of hanging with the three main characters. Cohen's dialogue and characterizations are interesting and funny. A really good satire of wealthy whites and why they are wrong to look down their noses at poor people of color. ... Read more

Amazon.com

OK, who's Q, anyway?"Q" is short for Quetzacoatl, an enormous winged serpent and Aztec deity who's called back to life after a series of ritual human sacrifices in Manhattan.Ittakes a lot to keep a critter like Q satisfied, so he flies around and lops the heads off sunbathers, window washers and swimmers as handily as popping grapes off the vine. The police are confounded by the murders, decapitated bodies (blood rains from the skies on NYC denizens) and Q-sightings.The solution comes in the unlikely form of Jimmy (Michael Moriarty), a petty thief. After a heist goes bad, he hides from his cronies in the uppermost spires of the Chrysler Building and stumbles on the giant bird's nest and egg.He leads the NYPD up to the lair for a big showdown with Q, but it's not quite as easy as anybody thought, of course. Director/screenwriter Larry Cohen was one of themore inventive, original voices of Seventies B-movies, with credits that include God Told Me To, Black Caesar, It's Alive!, Hell Up in Harlem and The Stuff.With Q, Cohen put together an interesting, entertaining mix of Fifties sci-fi homage (complete with great stop-motion special effects for the terrifying beast), action movie, and crimedrama.It also touches on the metaphysical question of how exactly one goes about killing off a god.It'd be difficult to think of a more compelling performance from Moriarty; as the piano-playing, scat-singing small-time crook Jimmy, he's repellent and sleazy. However, he's struck on something that will give him 15 minutes to bask in the spotlight ("I'm the most important man in New York!", he gloats) and give him a chance to redeem himself and save thousands of lives. Moriarty brings a depth to the character that makes him absorbing, if not quite sympathetic, and gets to come across with the choice line, "Stick it up your…brain!Your small little brain!".With plenty of humor, suspense, a gallon or two of gore, and great performances from Moriarty and David Carradine and Richard Roundtree as his cop nemeses, this is great, original, entertaining sci-fi fare.--Jerry Renshaw ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Wonderful acting
One does not usually expect to find quality acting in a movie like this, but I was quite surprised.

David Carradine plays a policeman on the trail of two cases that seem linked. The first involves a window washer who suddenly loses his head. Later there are more rooftop disappearances, seemingly perpetrated by a giant bird. The second case involved a series of ritualistic murders. They seem to be the work of a fanatic following Aztec rituals to bring back the god Quetzalcoatl.

Carradine's portrayal is excellent but he cannot hold a candle to Michael Moriarty who plays a down-on-his-luck loser. He wants to be a jazz pianist but is still unemployed. He is also a timid small-time crook. He is a driver ("I don't go inside and I don't carry a piece!"). But a job goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

Moriarty hides in the Chrysler building and discovers that the run-down art-deco spire is the home of the giant bird. There is even an egg in the nest. A body hidden there gets him thinking. The city is in fear of the bird and he knows where it is. He is convinced he is now the most important man in the city.

Now that he thinks he has power, he holds the safety of the city for ransom. He wants money and a "Nixon-like" pardon. But his arrogant cockiness loses him his girl (she had felt sorry for him but now could see how mean he really is).

The city acquiesces to Moriarty's demands and go after the monster. Because the bird is not in the nest when they arrive, the city is able to pull out of the deal.

In the end, Carradine manages to take care of the bird and track down the ritual killer. Moriarty is back where he started minus one girlfriend (although Carradine tries to convince him to go back to her).

Good tight acting with Moriarty giving an amazing performance. The stop-motion effects on the creature are a little crude at times but not really bad considering the time period and the budget.

Definitely a fun film to watch with a minimum of gore (although there is a scene where street crowds are splattered by blood from the skies). Find it and watch it.

Larry Cohen Strikes Again!
If you like outrageous humor, Q is simply irresistable. First, there's a giant mythic Aztec "serpent" which makes a habit of swooping down on unsuspecting New York sunbathers and construction workers. (We get to see New York through the eyes of the bird---expressionistic style.) In a likeable performance, David Carradine as a police detective, diligently researches the creature and then tracks it down---his efforts climax in a hilarious "finale" in which Carradine and his cohorts attempt to machine-gun the monster as it collides into buildings. Doubling the fun is a wonderful performance by Michael Moriarty as a frustrated jazz pianist who resorts to small-time crime to make a living and ends up discovering the serpent's egg at the top of the Empire State Building. (As Mr. Moriarty happily confides to the audience, "I'm afraid of almost everything, but I'm not afraid of heights!") Whether singing scat songs, hobbling through New York on a gimpy leg, or demanding immunity from the police ("I want a Nixon-like pardon!"), Mr. Moriarty is always a delight. And so is this movie.

Horror In The Sky
I remember seeing this film when I was 7 or 8 years old and it scared me senseless. Seeing people getting their heads chopped off and mutalated from who knows what that flies around a big city gave me an uneasy eerie feeling. I didn't know what the name of this movie was and I was looking for it in the video stores. I stumbled onto this accidentally and taking my chances of this being the dragon in the sky killing people movie that I saw 20 years ago, I bought it. After seeing it again, this is the movie that scared me to death so many years ago. Though, by today's standards, this movie is rather cheap and cheesy, it still gave me that uneasy eerie feeling. This movie is original, having a flying dragon that is summoned by ritual killings, that eats people like birds eat worms. This movie is a hybrid of Godzilla and slasher flicks. This is definately B-movie material, but it's fun to watch and brings back some childhood memories... and that is worth more than the price of admission.

Quetzalco-What-L?!
Q is for Quetzalcoatl, the flying, feathered serpent god of the ancient aztecs. It seems that some nut is loose in NYC, performing ancient sacrificial rites on willing participants, skinning them alive and taking out hearts and things. The police figure it's just another crazy serial killer. Only David Carradine's character believes there's more to it than that. Meanwhile, a small-time, ex-heroin addict, and street crook (played perfectly sleazily by Michael Moriarty) is being hunted by thugs who think he's ripped them off. These elements begin to merge when a gigantic flying monster starts biting people's heads off in broad daylight! Moriarty stumbles upon the creature's nest, complete with giant egg, while trying to hide in the top of the Chrysler building. He later leads his enemies back to the nest, telling them he's hidden their money there. They quickly become monster chow. Moriarty then decides to tell police where the beast lives, if they will drop all charges against him, and give him a million bucks. He considers himself to be prince of the city, and becomes extremely arrogant about it. The cops destroy the egg and it's mum, in a battle reminiscent of king kong. The "high priest" serial killer guy is enraged by this, and pays a visit on our slimey anti-hero. This is a movie only Larry Cohen (It's Alive!, God Told Me To) would / could make! Low-low budget, but excellent nonetheless. We don't see a lot of the monster, but when we do, it's pretty cool for 1982. Q for Quality...

Don't bother
I was lured to buy the DVD version of "Q" after reading some amazon costumers' reviews. However, once I saw the film, I had to conclude they greatly overrated it. "Q" is badly written and has a terrible edition. Besides, it focuses so much in Michael Moriarty's character that it ends overlooking the snake itself (and I don't actually mean showing the monster... sometimes you can achieve really artistic results without doing that frequently). There are better low budget monster movies out there. Thus, my recommendation is that you forget about this title and get "The Howling" or something like that. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Good God
This little known feature is a must. By Larry Cohen (Black Ceasar/Q The Winged Serpant/Dial Rat For Terror) the New York based director.The film was initiially retitled called "Demon" after it was refused showings due to the title. A dedicated Christian (oh dear) COP (oh dear,oh dear) starts his investigations in a seemingly senseless spake of sniper killings. Thats about all I can tell you without spoiling it,but this film goes down paths that you never thought it would and suprises all the way to the end. There is also a small apearence by Andy Kaufman (Latka from "TAXI") as a cop who goes kill crazy at a parade. Watch and see why "God Told Me Too"

God Told Me To Write This...
Yes, this is one weird movie. Mass murder has broken out in New York City like a particularly bad flu epidemic. The film opens with a guy perched on a water tower, gunning down pedestrians for no apparent reason. Tony Lo Bianco is a cop named Nicholas who climbs the tower to talk to the man. When asked why he did it, the gunman says, "God told me to." He then takes a swan-dive onto the street below. Nicholas is a very religious man and is fascinated with the idea of God telling anyone to commit mass murder. The murders keep happening. A man goes to the market and stabs a bunch of customers. Andy Kaufman is a cop who goes berserk at the St. Patrick's Day parade and shoots cops and bystanders alike. Another guy kills his entire family and calmly waits for the police. Of course there's one common denominator in all of these incidents. God told them to do it. Nicholas digs deeper into the mystery to the point of losing his job. He seeks out a young man with long blonde hair who was seen with all the killers just before their crimes. He finds the blonde man's mother, who promptly tries to kill him. Later, Nicholas is told by an older, retired officer about a strange occurance back in 1951. A woman he picked up (running naked down the road) told him she'd been abducted by aliens and raped. Nicholas finds her, still living, in a nursing home. What dark secrets does she hold? What connection is there between Nicholas and the blonde haired man? GOD TOLD ME TO is a VERY different movie! Is God really orchestrating these killings? Or is some alien hybrid only impersonating the deity? Check this one out...

God Told Me To....Kill! that sounds fun!
A New York City policemen investigating a series of particularly brutal homicides discovers an eerie link between the cases - when the murderers are asked why they committed the crime they all claim, "God Told Me To."

A Very Strange Movie!

Not worth the time or the money.
What is this very-hyped movie about?

New York City sees a rash of killings. Before dying, each murderer says, "God told me to."

Upon investigation, detective Tony Lo Bianco (who should have known better than to get involved in this mess of a film) discovers that all were influenced by a young man who looks vaguely like Jesus Christ. In reality, both he and Lo Bianco were fathered by aliens who abducted their virgin mothers 30 years before. In Lo Bianco's case, the genes of the alien were recessive and his mother's humanity dominated. In the other man's case, the alien genes were dominant. (...)

If you're saying "Huh?", you're on to the mystery of this film. Is it scary? Not at all. Is it funny? Not really. Is it poorly acted? Not really. Is the script ludicrous? You bet. Does it explain everything? Yes. Is it worth 92 minutes and 15-20 bucks to learn the mystery of the androgynous Messiah(...)? No.

Cohen's Q-The Winged Serpent and It's Alive are far better than this disaster of a film...and that's saying a lot.

Seriously Potent Stuff!
Larry Cohen's GOD TOLD ME TO is one of the most intelligent, gritty horror/thrillers ever made! In New York, a series of mass murders occur with each perpetrator saying the title phrase. But is there something more going on here? Tony Lo Bianco is excellent as the devout Catholic policeman who is investigating this bizarre phenomenon and discovers something really shocking about himself along the way! As with most cult movies, GOD TOLD ME TO must be seen to be believed; it's a genuinely thought-provoking and scary thriller that raises interesting questions about religion. The visual style is amazing; it inspired the look of shows like NYPD BLUE and 24. In the tradition of the best science fiction movies, GOD TOLD ME TO raises more questions than answers, and very important questions at that. Don't miss it! ... Read more