This Moviedrome double bill entry consists of two low-budget independent films involving monsters – 1980’s Alligator and 1982’s Q: The Winged Serpent.
Alligator (1980)
I have posted a youtube video link below to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s introduction to director Lewis Teague’s 1980 creature feature Alligator. Readers can also read Cox’s intro transcript here. The episode’s original airdate was July 19, 1992 (read here). While nowhere near as great as Q: The Winged Serpent (more on that later), Alligator is a surprisingly good, not to mention entertaining, B monster movie. Alligator’s genius lies not so much in it’s cliches as in the screenplay/story’s self-awareness of them – courtesy of John Sayles (yes that John Sayles) and Frank Ray Perilli.
Here is a youtube video link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to Alligator
Here is another youtube video link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to Alligator
Here is a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer
Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)
I have posted a youtube video link below to Moviedrome presenter Alex Cox’s introduction to late great independent director/writer Larry Cohen’s 1982 monster movie Q: The Winged Serpent. Readers can also read Cox’s intro transcript here. The episode’s original airdate was July 19, 1992 (read here). Not unlike Lewis Teague’s Alligator (read above), Cohen also embraces the cliches that shape the genres (or sub-genres) that Q: The Winged Serpent belongs to. For 1976’s God Told Me To (also directed and written by Cohen), it was a blend of horror, the police procedural and science-fiction. In Q: The Winged Serpent, Cohen combines those first two aforementioned categories with that of the heist film. To complete the picture, Cohen (as always) sprinkles a considerable dose of social comment both at the surface and at the center. If any of you readers are interested, here is a link to my favorite Larry Cohen films (read here).
Here is a youtube video link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to Q: The Winged Serpent
Here is another youtube video link to Alex Cox’s Moviedrome intro to Q: The Winged Serpent
Here is a youtube video link to the film’s original theatrical trailer
Also, here is a youtube video link to Larry Cohen’s Trailers from Hell commentary for it
cinematiccoffee 
I remember when Q first was released,that first week,it was everywhere and was hyped pretty good and it looked like it was going to be a hit but then people started talking about the bad special effects and it just killed the buzz the movie had going and it died at the box office. Sadly it looked dated even when it was released….
Brilliant links as usual – thanks John. Love watching these 🙂
Haven’t seen Q. It’s on my list. Alligator is pretty great.
–Pam
I’m long overdue a rewatch of these films John. I hadn’t realised John Sayles wrote the script for Alligator, I hadn’t realised Q: The Winged Serpent featured Richard Roundtree and a couple of the Carradines. I’m quite looking forward to catching up with these films again!
I never got to see ‘Alligator’, but alays loved ‘Q The Winged Serpent’.
Best wishes, Pete.
I hear ya. Did it ever occur to these people that Q: The Winged Serpent was intended as a low-budget independent monster movie? I say this because one needs to understand the aims of the auteur (i.e. it’s director), which in this case, was Larry Cohen. Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
Why thank you for the kind words Paul 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
Oh yes please check out Q 🙂 Alligator is undeniably entertaining 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
Yes, I think a second viewing will be right up your alley 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
I liked Alligator, but I loved Q: The Winged Serpent 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
Probably not because it got a wide release and had a good advertising campaign and featured a well known star in David Carradine.
These look like fun. I *think* I remember at least when Alligator came out. Never saw any of them, though.
Seek them out – I guarantee that you will enjoy them 🙂 Anyway, thanks for dropping by 🙂
(I don’t have a like button on my end, so…)
🙂