Casey Chong with seven snake movies that may have slithered under your radar…
Sharks may top the list when it comes to animal-themed horror movies, but the slithery, poisonous snakes deserve their spot, too. Popular snake movies like Anaconda and Snakes on a Plane are worthy of a mention here. And so do a few films that feature a scene or two about snakes, namely Indy’s fear of the serpents in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Van Damme’s drifter character quickly grabs a charging rattlesnake and knocks it down with a punch to the head in Hard Target. But what about those snake movies that failed to garner mainstream exposure and/or have been lost to the annals of cinema history? With that in mind, here is our curated list of seven snake movies you may not have seen before…
Venom (1981)
Originally a snake movie directed by Tobe Hooper, who left early in production due to “creative differences”, and Piers Haggard stepped in to complete Venom. But despite the title, it doesn’t feel like a snake movie at first, especially during the earlier stretch. It begins deliberately structured like a kidnapping story that follows the wealthy family’s maid Louise Andrews (Susan George) and chauffeur Dave (Oliver Reed) conspiring with international criminal Jacques Müller (a perfectly sinister Klaus Kinski) to kidnap the child (Lance Holcomb) in exchange of a huge ransom.
The movie soon turns into a hostage drama set in the confines of a townhouse after being surrounded by police, giving it a sense of tense atmosphere. And to top it all off, there’s a snake on the loose – a deadly black mamba, to be exact – which happens to be trapped inside the same house, preying on its victims. The combination of a psychological thriller with snake-themed horror work well without cancelling each other out, and it helps with an above-average cast all around, bringing in their solid performances.
Fangs (1974)
Fangs may sport a generic title for a snake movie, but Art Names – in his only directorial feature to his credit – approaches the film in a distinctly strange, grindhouse-style B-movie vibe. The story follows Snakey Bender (Les Tremayne), an eccentric old man who loves snakes and likes to show off for the children. When he’s not around with the snakes, he spends time with his friend Burt (Richard Kennedy) for their John Philip Sousa concert every Wednesday night. But when Burt decides to bail on their weekly routine in favor of spending more time with his newlywed wife, Snakey doesn’t feel all happy about it.
Interestingly, the snakes aren’t the villains here since Fangs is leaning more into the dark and even weird side of human nature. Here is a movie not only dominated by odd characters like Snakey, but also others such as the beautiful schoolteacher Ms. Williams (Bebe Kelly), who has a fetish for snakes, while the Palmer siblings (Alice Nunn’s Sis and Bruce Kimball’s Bud) are grocery store co-owners who enjoy asserting dominance over Williams. There is also a revenge plot revolving around Snakey’s quest for vengeance against whoever has wronged him.
Calamity of Snakes (1982)
Certainly not for the squeamish, and especially those with ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) might want to steer clear of Calamity of Snakes. Because this Taiwan and Hong Kong co-production under the direction of Chi Chang a.k.a William Cheung Kei doesn’t shy away from the in-your-face brutality and violence associated with snakes. The movie even goes as far as eschewing special effects commonly seen in such genre movies in favor of using real, live snakes for authenticity.
The story is pretty much a morally bleak, nature-goes-amok tale following an arrogant real-estate developer who refuses to call in the fire department to get rid of a den of snakes crawling beneath the pit of his construction site. Instead, he kills all of them using an excavator with the help of his construction workers. It’s the beginning of the end for whoever is responsible for massacring the snakes, resulting in a series of cruel retributions. In other words, the snakes are out for vengeance against them. The kills are gory and violent, and at one point, Chi Chang embraces the exploitative B-movie approach during a showdown between an old snake wrangler and a giant python.
Jennifer (1978)
A teenage outcast regularly being subjected to bullies at school, a fanatically religious parent, elements of supernatural powers, and a revenge plot. That’s Carrie, Brian De Palma’s 1976 seminal horror classic starring the unforgettable Sissy Spacek. Then comes the blatant rip-off, a little-seen supernatural horror called Jennifer, released two years later. But instead of telekinesis, the titular character, played by Lisa Pelikan, possesses a psychokinetic ability to use snakes as weapons.
Director Brice Mack may have lacked the panache seen in Brian De Palma’s film, but he still manages to bring out the best in Pelikan, who does a good job playing the meek and quiet Jennifer, while Amy Johnston nails the role of a notorious school bully who loves to pick on the titular character. Like Carrie, this movie is deliberately structured to address Jennifer’s ordeal suffering from constant bullying issues before it’s only a matter of time when she reaches a breaking point. And that is, a climactic third act ended with Jennifer finally embracing her supernatural powers to kill everyone who wronged her by manipulating the snakes.
Curse II: The Bite (1989)
Despite the Roman numeral in its title, Curse II: The Bite has nothing to do with the first Curse that was released two years prior. It’s more of a brand strategy, and the story bears no relation or direct connection with the predecessor whatsoever. The story centers on a young couple (J. Eddie Peck’s Clark and Jill Schoelen’s Lisa) as they take an ill-advised shortcut while journeying across Arizona. That shortcut in question turns out to be a seemingly deserted road that cuts through an abandoned nuclear test site filled with deadly snakes. Not just any snakes, but rather radioactive creatures.
The movie’s turning point arrives when Clark ends up being bitten by one of the snakes in the hand, which slowly transforms into a hideous monster. Director Frederico Prosperi a.k.a Fred Goodwin deserves praise for establishing the ominous tone right from the get-go, and while the pacing tends to be erratic, the movie still benefits from Screaming Mad George’s impressively revolting special effects. This is especially true with Clark’s gradual transformation into a snake-like creature.
Spasms (1983)
Believe it or not, this is the second time Oliver Reed was cast in a snake movie – the first one being Venom. And both movies are just two years apart. Coincidence? That pretty much sums up that life is stranger than fiction. Here, Reed plays a wealthy billionaire, Jason Kincaid, who somehow developed a psychic ability linked to the giant serpent. It’s silly, but director William Fruet embraces its campy B-movie style wholeheartedly, going as far as depicting the aforementioned serpent as a physical manifestation of a demonic entity. The movie also pairs Reed, who hams it up with his unhinged performance, with Peter Fonda. The latter plays a psychiatrist and ESP expert, Dr. Tom Brazilian, who assists Kincaid in dealing with the matter.
The overall story may have been uneven, but the on-screen pairing of Reed and Fonda brings the kind of contrasting personalities that help elevate the movie. Not to forget, the legendary Dick Smith for his gruesome bladder makeup effects. In the meantime, the presence of the giant serpent is kept to a bare minimum, obviously due to the budget restraints.
Rattlers (1976)
Rattlers focuses on herpetologist (Sam Chew’s Dr. Tom Parkinson) being brought in for an investigation about the snakes’ unusual aggressions terrorizing the small-town residents. Together with photographer Ann Bradley (Elisabeth Chauvet), they soon find out it has to do with an experimental nerve gas nearby the army base that drastically changed the snakes’ behavior.
A B-movie cheapie that may have been mediocre when it comes to acting performances, including a flat lead role from Sam Chew, director and co-writer John McCauley manages to overcome its shortcoming with some effective scares. This is especially true with the ominous presence of the snakes being established as early as the opening scene, and at one point, a scene where a woman in the bathtub being attacked by a bed of crawling serpents.
What are your favourite snake movies? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
