We now live in a time where our horror heroes that shaped the genre as we know it today and delivered so many beloved classics are starting to pass away with alarming regularity. And it freaking blows. Among the latest of our fallen heroes is Larry Cohen, a prolific screenwriter, producer, B-movie auteur, and absolute rebel when it came to independent filmmaking.
Though known for lower budget films, his social satire was razor sharp. Cohen was fearless when it came to making his movies; his inventive and guerilla-style meant bypassing the normal process of acquiring permits and permission. If you haven’t already, check out the documentary King Cohen (on Shudder) to get an idea of what Cohen contributed not just to horror, but film in general.
From there, add these 10 great Cohen films to your watch list.
A Return to Salem’s Lot
As a follow up to Tobe Hooper’s Salem’s Lot, this one will ruffle a lot of feathers. It’s a bit of a mess. But it is absolutely bonkers in every way, and pure Larry Cohen. So, go into this one ignoring everything about its predecessor and its ties to Stephen King’s novel. It opens with a sort of Cannibal Holocaust scene that introduces us to our lead Joe, an amoral anthropologist played by Cohen’s perennial favorite Michael Moriarty. Joe heads back to his hometown of Salem’s Lot with his estranged teen son in tow to find that it’s long been taken over by vampires who breed cattle for food and humans for slaves. They want Joe to pen their vampire bible. And there’s also a Nazi hunter as a sort of Van Helsing type. The American flag is used as a stake to impale a vampire, for crying out loud. And vampire pregnancy is even a thing. This movie is nuts. I can’t exactly say it’s good, but it’s so very unapologetically Cohen.
God Told Me To
A New York City detective investigates a series of murders, mass shootings, and violent acts where the perpetrator reveals their motive as simply, “God told me to.” The true culprit is a cult leader with psychic powers, but it gets far more bizarre and sci-fi than that. Written, directed, and produced by Larry Cohen, it stars Tony Lo Bianco as the main detective and Richard Lynch as the cult leader. Andy Kaufman makes his first film appearance as a possessed cop. Cohen drew inspiration for this film from the bible, as he considered God to be one of the most violent characters in it. God Told Me To was originally distributed by Roger Corman’s New World Pictures, where it didn’t fare as well or find an audience until much later.
It’s Alive
Written, directed, and produced by Cohen, It’s Alive ranks among the more recognizable titles from the auteur. Set in Los Angeles, the Davis are expecting their second child, though it’d taken years to conceive as housewife Lenore was on contraceptives. When the due date arrives, their baby is revealed to be monstrous with fangs and a penchant for homicide. Despite the doctor doing his best to snuff out the baby’s life, it escapes and the hunt begins to find the murderous infant. Pure Cohen in that it’s that unique blend of schlock horror meets relevant commentary. In this case, it’s a reflection on how a baby’s environment has a direct effect on its outcome. But it’s also a fun creature feature with effects by Rick Baker.
The Stuff
Are you eating it or is it eating you? Written and directed by Cohen, The Stuff is a marshmallow/yogurt like substance from the Earth that’s harvested and marketed as a no calorie treat. It’s the latest craze. The only problem is that the Stuff happens to be a parasite that turns its consumer into a zombie-like creature. Luckily saboteur Mo Rutherford (Michael Moriarty) and Chocolate Chip Charlie (Garrett Morris) are hired by the pillars of the ice cream industry to get to the bottom of things. Though the commentary and consumerism of junk food are thinly veiled, it’s endearingly goofy and funny. Plus, Moriarty once again nails the eccentric and unlikely protagonist, “The name’s Mo Rutherford. They call me that ’cause when people give me money, I always want mo’.”
Q: The Winged Serpent
Q is the precise type of film with a backstory just as interesting as the film itself. The premise follows a pair of detectives investigating a series of ritualistic Aztec murders. Meanwhile, a giant winged beast is terrorizing the city, and small-time crook Jimmy Quinn knows where the nest is. Stop motion animated giant serpents, and a bizarre odd couple team up between the quirky Jimmy (played by Moriarty, of course) and Detective Shepard (David Carrandine) make for a fun time. What’s most impressive is that Cohen threw this film together in a matter of days; he was fired from a bigger budget production shooting in New York and decided not to waste the hotel room he’d paid for by shooting his own movie.
Maniac Cop
Maniac Cop is the fantastic collaboration between Cohen and William Lustig (Maniac), and the beginning of a trilogy. Cohen wrote and produced, and Lustig directed. A mysterious killer dressed in a police uniform starts a murder spree in New York City that leaves Officer Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) as the main suspect. Only his mistress and fellow officer Theresa Mallory (Laurene Landon) and Detective Lieutenant Frank McCrae (Tom Atkins) believe he’s innocent. The true killer is undead Officer Matthew Cordell (Robert Z’Dar) out for vengeance. Lustig, Cohen, Campbell, and Atkins all together in one movie? Yes, please.
Maniac Cop 2
Cohen and Lustig team up again in this sequel, picking up sometime after the survivors of the previous film have pieced their lives back together. Too bad Officer Cordell is back, even more decayed and angry than before. This time he’s teamed up with a serial killer, Steven Turkell (Leo Rossi). The baton is passed to a new set of protagonists to contend with Cordell’s wrath. This sequel ups the ante on action sequences, violence, and pacing, making it maybe even better than the first film. Of course, like many early 90s films, Maniac Cop 2 also boasts a theme rap to close out the movie.
The Ambulance
Cohen loved to take benign things like babies and junk food and make them objects of horror, and this time he tried his hand at ambulances. Eric Roberts stars as an aspiring comic book artist who finds himself in the midst of a conspiracy when the girl he’s hitting on collapses and gets carried away by ambulance. When he follows up, hoping to seal the deal on a date, there’s no record of her at any hospital. He discovers her roommate disappeared as well in an eerily similar way. The further he investigates the strange ambulance behind the disappearances, Detective Frank Spencer (James Earl Jones) thwarts him at every turn, not believing there’s anything amiss. There’s a lot of humor here and Roberts makes for a strong lead. The best part might be Stan Lee’s cameo in an era long before it was the norm.
Phone Booth
Once upon a time, Cohen talked about doing a movie in a phone booth with his friend Alfred Hitchcock. It never happened, but eventually he did write a screenplay that would revolve around a man, Stu, being pinned in one by a sniper, who calls Stu over the booth’s phone to extort him. That movie was Phone Booth, directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, and Radha Mitchell. Which means that it’s quite likely Cohen’s most high-profile film. It’s also pretty good, playing out in real time with serious suspense.
Masters of Horror “Pick Me Up”
Alright, this one isn’t feature length, but it is a great entry in the Masters of Horror anthology series that aired during the first season. Bearing Cohen’s sense of humor, the plot follows two serial killers embroiled in a turf war. One, Wheeler (Michael Moriarty), picks up hitchhikers and kills them; the other is Walker (Warren Kole), a hitchhiker who slays whoever picks him up. Get it? Wheeler and Walker? Ha. Poor Stacia (Fairuza Balk) causes the war between the two to escalate when she enters their lives. Great satire, and Moriarty’s performance is captivating. As usual. Look for other Cohen favorites in cameos, too.
