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Review

Working in genre and exploitation cinema primarily through the 1970s and '80s, director Larry Cohen enjoyed several successful pop culture hits (namely It's Alive and Black Caesar), but arguably never quite broke through to the more widespread critical acclaim and commercial success bestowed upon several of his contemporaries (Wes Craven, John Carpenter, et al). Yet Cohen, a more gifted screenwriter than director (Cohen has actually moved largely into the former field in recent years), created some of the most intriguing and inventive genre films of the era, and now Blue Underground has collected a trio of those key titles in a reasonably priced boxed set that serves as an ideal introduction to Cohen's films (just make sure you also pick up the low priced DVD of Black Caesar, perhaps his best movie as a director).

Cohen's directorial debut Bone is unlike any of his subsequent work, a darkly satirical and experimental drama with a standout Yaphet Kotto performance in the role of an African American "rat exterminator" who invades the lives of a wealthy Beverly Hills couple; sharply written and witty, Bone remains one of the director's most underrated works.

God Told Me To is the boxed set's highlight: a bizarre religious allegory with a tormented Catholic cop on the trail of a hemaphroditic savior instructing his Manhattan disciples to kill in his name, God Told Me To is among the director's best and most audacious films.

Q the Winged Serpent is the boxed set's most conventional horror film, and regrettably the weakest of the trio, though Cohen's intelligence elevates the formulaic material, centered around a winged demon who has made its home atop New York's Chrysler Building. Q is very much worthwhile viewing, however, for the wonderful performance from Cohen regular Michael Moriarty as a jazz buff who attempts to utilize the creature for his own gain. Cohen contributes lively commentary tracks for each of the films, and the Bone disc also offers a unique look at early footage shot during the film's initial aborted production.