The Serpent and the Rainbow
| release date | December 5 1988 |
| studio | Universal |
| director | Wes Craven |
| writer | Wade Davis |
| starring | Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson |
| rating | R |
| tagline | Don't bury me...I'm not dead! |
| site | imdb.com/title/tt0096071/trailers |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
1 Comments
This movie is pretty good. It really does carry alot of the same type of feel of movies of this time dealing with voodoo or witchcraft or some sort of religion gone bad. The movie has pretty decent acting and a really good story. The idea is scary in itself and the movie while not as scary as the idea is really entertaining and keeps you in it. I recommend this to anyone who likes evil religion type movies.
Well acted, a unique story, truly creepy…It has it all. Very good!!
The only good movie out there about voodoo and such. This was a very good film. If you havent heard o it check it out. Its one of those hidden gems that you need to see.
A very under rated film by Wes Craven and one of his best. The story of a man’s search for a mythical zombie powder in Haiti which bring the dead back to life is a very intruiging one since it is based on a non fiction book by the real Wade Davies. A very good cast headlined by Bill Pullman do a great job bringing this tale of voodoo and black magic to life but this also has great scenes of voodoo induced hallucinations and horror which make you realise your still watching a Wes Craven film. Fans of the director should seek this out if you haven’t seen it already.
The best movie about voodoo ive ever seen, no doubt.
a great Wes Craven film, one of his most underated and lesser known films, I dislike the usual dvd cover art to this film because they try to market it as a straight up horror film but it’s really not that at all. there are elements, sure, but he took a more intellegent take on the voodoo/black magic film. highly recommended.
This beeing my first review, I had to pick a really outstanding movie.
It was 1988 when the movie came out. I believe the mistery and tension envolving the viewer all the time were pretty good.
UGH well I probably should have watched this before I read the book. I had to do a large research paper and compare the two… There are so many issues with this movie. Based on a true story my ass…yeah
I just don’t get what everybody likes about this movie.
cool movie.
One of the best classic horror film I’ve seen.
This film to me is Wes Cravens best film. Better than Scream (Which was fucking Terrible), The Hills Have Eyes and other films. The Story is great and the ending is Fucking SUPERB!!!! I love this film and it really stands out in the Horror genre. Little Gore but the film is one hell of a great film. When it mentioned about zombies i first thought about George A. Romero zombies but this was different. This is a must see for all Craven fans!!!!! FANTASTIC!!
Wes Craven is probably the only modern filmmaker, other than Lucio Fulci, to make a zombie flick and set it in the world of voodoo, which is pretty much what all zombie stories were about before Romero came along.
This is a very creepy movie, with a palpable sense of dread throughout.
I saw this when it first came out on video. I really enjoyed it.
Ride the snake and get zombified!
I’m not a fan of Wes Craven, but he hit his stride in this voodoo flic, intertwined with a bit of zombie reality.
i have always liked this movie. the idea of being buried alive is kinda fucked up. i have never liked Pullman, but he does a good job here. who knows, maybe this IS the origins of the zombie.
A interesting, well made supernatural chiller..not Craven’s best but an all around solid effort
Wes Craven’s horror films have always had a way of drawing me in. This is why I watch them; and this is why I even like a couple of them. While “Scream” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” are still the man’s best films, “The Serpent and the Rainbow” sees him on a particularly good day.
Maybe I say this because “The Serpent and the Rainbow” is a horror movie that worked well for me. I openly acknowledge the fact that not everyone will like it, but there’s plenty about it that I admired and enjoyed. The film covers familiar grounds, and tells its story with simplicity, but that ends up working out fine for the movie itself. It moves around nicely, and contains impressive, sometimes surreal imagery. It is another fine showcase of Craven’s love for nightmares, and it is a fine, perhaps even beautiful mess.
Bill Pullman plays an anthropologist who is sent on a mission to Haiti, in order to investigate a mysterious drug which is said to be connected to zombification. People claim that the drug has allowed the dead to rise and prosper once more. The drug, however, is only used in Voodoo religion. Thus, Pullman’s character must adapt to the culture and practice, while earning the trust of some locals. But who can be trusted, and who can be feared?
Throughout his exploits, things both fascinating and terrifying occur. Pullman finds a man who can create the drug for him, and he tries it on himself. It is dangerous; it is peculiar. Pullman suffers from nightmares of zombies in bridesmaid gowns, serpents, and blood-filled coffins. There are some memorable sequences of visual perfection to be found here, and Craven introduces us to bizarre and macabre images. For example, there is a scene where a man dies, and a scorpion emerges from his mouth. There’s something surreal and abrupt about the scene, although I can’t quite put my finger on it. But maybe, just maybe, that’s why I liked “The Serpent and the Rainbow”, warts and all.
Bill Pullman plays a convincing part; as a genuine hero character. There’s nothing special about the performance, but the actor brings enthusiasm and undeniable dedication to the role, so its undeniably entertaining and enjoyable in equal doses. The real performer here might be Craven; who understands ever-so-well that some of the best horror comes from the places where we can go, or might have been. “The Serpent and the Rainbow” incorporates realism into its story, even if sometimes it comes off as preposterous. That seems to be the point; and it makes it all the more fun to watch this movie. I liked it, I was entertained by it, and while it’s no classic or masterpiece, it’s worth watching.
I was most surprised by the way the film’s story treated Voodoo. The film is based, or inspired by the novel of the same name by Wade Davis. I am told that the book is not a work of fiction; and there really was a drug that could, presumably, bring back the dead. There was criticism about the accuracy of the novel, but anyways…that’s besides what I’m covering. I appreciated the film’s approach to Voodoo because it is all about the practice/religion. It’s not like a roadside attraction, as it would be in many other films. Craven respects the existence of Voodoo; and his film is interesting enough in its exploration of the subject. It’s nice to see Wes Craven make a good movie that’s not a slasher film, and his home is still horror, but he likes making films like this one, and man, he’s damn good at it. For Pullman’s solid performance, Craven’s fantastical imagery, and the intelligent approach to Voodoo religious practices, I say you should see “The Serpent and the Rainbow”.
Don’t let the cheesy cover imagery fool you – this is actually a smart, realistic (for the most part) take on ‘zombie’ horror. Almost more of a thriller or drama than a horror, this film still had some great scenes to make any horror buff smile. Good film when you’re in a more thoughtful mood.