History Film / QTheWingedSerpent

* DeathBySex: Inverted. One of the monster's victims is a guy who decides to go swimming in a rooftop pool rather than watch some bikini-clad babes do push-ups. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrRr-TFpmfQ It ends badly for him]].

* AwesomeMccoolname: Q stands for Quetzalcoatl, an ancient Aztec God.
--> "Eat him! Eat him! CRUNCH! KA-RUNCH!"

A 1982 fantasy/horror movie movie written and directed by Creator/LarryCohen, starring Creator/DavidCarradine, Creator/MichaelMoriarty, Candy Clark, and Creator/RichardRoundtree.

* HateSink: Jimmy, who's a money-grubbing, obnoxious coward who doesn't care that innocent people are dying [[spoiler:and actually [[KarmaHoudini made it out of the movie alive although he atleast didn't get the money that he held up the city for]]]].

** Simultaneously, the high priest [[spoiler:survived a bullet through his forehead, and it takes several more to put him down after. His victims also seem impervious to pain, simply lying content while flayed alive.]]
* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: During the helicopter shot of the police driving to intercept the final ritual killing, [[spoiler: Q's shadow falls over the bridge.]]

** To a lesser extent, the very existence of fertilized eggs implies at least one more Q, unless [[TrulySingleParent it can reproduce aesexually.]]

** To a lesser extent, the very existence of fertilized eggs implies at least one more Q.

The two plot lines come together when Shepard figures out that an Aztec Cultist priest, Kahea, has been convincing victims to be somewhat willing human sacrifices as he prays the ancient Aztec god Quetzalcoatl back into existence. Quetzalcoatl appears in the form of an [[GiantFlyer enormous]] [[MixAndMatchCritters snake-bird thing with six limbs]], and nests in the top of the Chrysler building, flying out to snatch victims off of skyscrapers under construction, rooftop swimming pools, and snacking on the occasional skyscraper window-washer.

Jimmy disposes of his fellow crooks by leading them to the nest and cheering as the bird eats them, then informs Shepard where to find the nest in exchange for a promise of immunity and one million dollars, tax free. A team of NYPD cops waits at the top of the Chrysler building, and when the bird-snake-god thing returns from a hunting flight, they shoot the thing to death in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLOyp_7X7K0 surprisingly cool action sequence]]. Afterwards, Kahea ambushes Jimmy in his apartment in revenge for killing the monster and prepares to make him a sacrifice to Quetzalcoatl, but Shepard luckily intervenes and kills Kahea. Jimmy gets his one million dollars, tax free.

* MixAndMatchCritters: A feathered serpent. With six limbs. And a beak.

** The cultist sub-plot gets neatly wrapped up when the cultist goes after Jimmy (understandably blaming him for Quetzalcoatl's death) and Shepard puts five bullets in Kahea (one gets him in the head and he looks dead for a moment, Shepard empties the rest of the gun when Kahea pulls off one final NotQuiteDead scare).

--> '''Shepard:''' "This man does not die easily."

* DoesNotLikeGuns: Jimmy Quinn, who loudly protests when offered a gun and has to have one forced on him by his criminal accomplices. When he tries to threaten said accomplices later, they laugh and accurately point out that he's too chicken to shoot a gun.

* BigApplesauce: Of course the events take place in modern New York City.
* ChewingTheScenery: Michael Moriarty has his moments. Such as when he tricks his fellow crooks into climbing up into Q's nest, and momma comes home.

** Simultaneously, the high priest [[spoilers: survived a bullet through his forehead, and it takes several more to put him down after. His victims also seem impervious to pain, simply lying content while flayed alive.]]

** Q takes about three minutes of sustained submachine gun fire to the head, neck, and chest before it finally dies.

** In Myth/AztecMythology, Quetzalcoatl was one of the only gods that ''did not'' receive human sacrifices. In fact, he harshly condemned the practice.

* RasputinianDeath: Kahea gets shot by Shepard, and it doesn't seem to really faze him at all. It takes five bullets before he finally goes down.

A 1982 fantasy/horror movie movie written and directed by Larry Cohen, starring Creator/DavidCarradine, Creator/MichaelMoriarty, Candy Clark, and Creator/RichardRoundtree.

* HateSink: Jimmy, who's a money-grubbing, obnoxious coward who doesn't care that innocent people are dying [[spoiler:and actually [[KarmaHoudini made it out of the movie alive]]]].

A 1982 fantasy/horror movie movie written and directed by Larry Cohen, starring Creator/DavidCarradine, Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, and Creator/RichardRoundtree.

* ArbitrarySkepticism: The police commissioner scoffs at the idea of modern day Aztec cultists being responsible for Quetzalcoatl resurrection and rampage... despite not denying the existence of Q itself.

* RasputinianDeath: Kahea gets shot by Shepherd, and it doesn't seem to really faze him at all. It takes five bullets before he finally goes down.

Jimmy disposes of his fellow crooks by leading them to the nest and cheering as the bird eats them, then informs Shepard where to find the nest in exchange for a promise of immunity and one million dollars, tax free. A team of NYPD cops waits at the top of the Chrysler building, and when the bird-snake-god thing returns from a hunting flight, they shoot the thing to death in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLOyp_7X7K0 surprisingly cool action sequence]]. Afterwards, Kahea ambushes Jimmy in his apartment in revenge for killing the monster and prepares to make him a sacrifice to Quetzalcoatl, but Shepherd luckily intervenes and kills Kahea. Jimmy gets his one million dollars, tax free.

--> '''Shepherd:''' "This man does not die easily."

Kahea is chased down and killed by Shepard. Jimmy disposes of his fellow crooks by leading them to the nest and cheering as the bird eats them, then informs Shepard where to find the nest in exchange for a promise of immunity and one million dollars, tax free. A team of NYPD cops waits at the top of the Chrysler building, and when the bird-snake-god thing returns from a hunting flight, they shoot the thing to death in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLOyp_7X7K0 surprisingly cool action sequence]]. Jimmy gets his one million dollars, tax free.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Quinn (Moriarty) is a piano player and petty criminal who gets caught up in a jewelry-store heist caper. When things go badly, he takes the stolen jewels and flees, abandoning his fellow crooks, and hides the jewels in a disused attic space at the top of the Chrysler building. There he finds a humongous nest near a hole in the roof.

* SummonBiggerFish: Jimmy gets rid of the mafia men trying to kill him because he took their diamonds by leading them to Quetzalcoatl's nest on the top of the Chrysler Building and letting its progeny eat them.

* SummonBiggerFish: Jimmy gets rid of the mafia men trying to kill him because he took their diamonds by leading them to Quetzalcoatl's nest on the top of the Chrysler Building and letting its progeny each them.