The Cohen Case Files: Q [aka Q: The Winged Serpent] (1982)

Written, Produced, and Directed by Larry Cohen Q (aka Q: The Winged Serpent) hit theaters in 1982.  But for me the film came along circa 1984-85.  You see, that’s when the film was in heavy rotation on cable.  I was a terribly impressionable ten year old, watching in shock and disgust by peeping through the […]

The Cohen Case Files: It’s Alive (1974)

Written, Produced, and Directed by Larry Cohen Larry Cohen has the ability to take himself seriously at times.  For most filmmakers who traffic in genre pictures and satire, this can be a recipe for disaster.  In Cohen’s case, this led to arguably his two best films: God Told Me To and It’s Alive.  Where God […]

The Cohen Case Files: The Stuff (1985)

Executive Produced, Written, and Directed by Larry Cohen Sometimes Larry Cohen’s penchant for genre films mixed with social satire leads him into situations where those elements fail to gel.  Such is the case with The Stuff.  But despite the fact that the film doesn’t fully work as a satisfying whole, it’s still very entertaining and well […]

The Cohen Case Files: Black Caesar (1973)

Written, Produced, and Directed by Larry Cohen Larry Cohen’s first excursion into the blaxploitation genre (unlike many people, I don’t consider 1972s Bone to be a blaxploitation film), Black Caesar is a solid morality tale with gangster film trappings.  If not for the profanity, nudity, and graphic violence on display, it could be a Warner […]

The Cohen Case Files: Full Moon High (1981)

Written, Produced, and Directed by Larry Cohen For how much he has dabbled in various genres (horror, science fiction, blaxploitation, mystery, thriller), Cohen has largely steered clear of straight forward comedies.  There is plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor in films like The Stuff, Q, and his script for Maniac Cop, but for the most part, he […]

The Cohen Case Files: God Told Me To [aka Demon] (1976)

Written, Produced, and Directed by Larry Cohen I’m going to spend a lot of time on this blog writing about the films of writer/producer/director Larry Cohen.  Unfairly brushed aside by mainstream critics and many film historians as merely a cheesy B-movie director, his output has been admittedly uneven, but the highs far outnumber the lows […]