Editorials
Celebrating 30 Years of Wes Craven’s ‘The Serpent and the Rainbow’
Looking back through Wes Craven’s filmography, the realization of just how ambitious he was as a director and artist hits hard. While his voice was always distinct, he consistently sought to try something new and different. From the grimy exploitation of The Last House on the Left to the self-referential teen horror classic Scream, Craven’s clear pulse on the ever-changing horror genre continues to make his loss immeasurable. Perhaps one of his most ambitious projects ever was The Serpent and the Rainbow, released 30 years ago in theaters on February 5, 1988.
The opening card describes the Serpent as voodoo symbolism for the Earth and the Rainbow as Heaven, which means everything living exists between the two. It’s an ironic parallel for the film as a whole; Wes Craven’s film exists in a strange in-between of horror and adventure. Released between directorial efforts Deadly Friend and Shocker, The Serpent and the Rainbow was far more serious in tone. Craven also didn’t intend for it to be a horror film at all. Based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Wade Davis, and adapted for screen by Richard Maxwell and Adam Rodman, Universal Pictures pressed for more horror based on Craven’s usual work. The result is a sort of a grim Indiana Jones-like adventure narrative set against the tense backdrop of deep political unrest with a lot of brilliant gruesome horror moments and imagery. The plot is simple; an archaeologist heads to Haiti to get to the bottom of rumors that there’s a drug used by Voodoo practitioners that turns people into zombies.
While the political unrest of Haiti played prominently in the story, it existed simultaneously during filming as well. While the cast and crew initially began filming there, the government let them know they couldn’t guarantee their safety during the shoot, and so they had to relocate to the Dominican Republic. Because they filmed on location, there’s a lot of authenticity in the film, especially where the extras are concerned. Much of the scenes featuring Voodoo practitioners are real; the behind the scenes featurette on Scream Factory’s fantastic special edition release reveals that the scene that features a woman eating broken glass was a legit practitioner in a trance.
The insane setting during filming and the realism of the Voodoo practitioners used on screen was further enhanced by the father and son FX duo Lance and Dave Anderson. The creepy ghost bride with the snake in her mouth, the decimation of protagonist Dennis Alan’s few allies, and the surrealistic nature of Alan’s nightmares were bolstered by fantastic practical effects crafted by the Andersons, with Craven taking a hands-on approach in their work for the film.
The Serpent and the Rainbow is the type of film made better by happenstance; Davis originally sold the rights to his book on the condition that Peter Weir helm the project and that it star Mel Gibson as hero Dennis Alan. When neither happened, the film shifted into something else entirely when Craven signed on. Dennis Alan likely became a much more endearing, likable character in the capable hands of then-newcomer Bill Pullman. Pullman turned out the type of committed performance that made Alan an intelligent fish-out-of-water that played well to the narrative, whereas it’s easy to imagine that Gibson would’ve turned the character into another ‘80s action hero.
Between the stunning locations, the commitment for realism in hiring actual Voodoo practitioners, the gorgeous work by cinematographer John Lindley, Craven’s desire to turn out a much more sophisticated film, the great effects work, and a stellar cast, The Serpent and the Rainbow is an underrated masterpiece that endures the test of time. As with most things that Craven worked on, studio interference that he add flourishes more on brand with his name, i.e. horror, meant a very different film than what he originally set out to do. Yet, he took those studio mandates and applied them in a way here that meant a much more refined film than what Universal likely expected from the director of Deadly Friend.
It’s bittersweet now to watch The Serpent and the Rainbow, whose entire premise hinges on a zombification drug and cheating death, and think of Craven. A true master of horror with a long roster of films that worked, regardless of style of tone, because of his absolute sincerity given to each and every one of them. Very few directors have many films in their roster that stands up to time well, and Craven is one of them. The Serpent and the Rainbow is still just as effective as it was 30 years ago, and here’s to 30 years more.
Editorials
‘Bloodstone: Subspecies II’ Revisited: A Bigger, Bolder Follow-Up to Full Moon’s Vampire Cult Classic
Horror sequels are a peculiar thing. In most cases, follow-ups to scary movies tend to retread the same formula with different victims and more over-the-top scares. This is because audiences tend to be more interested in the antagonists of these pictures than anything else, with even main characters becoming disposable when the time comes to produce a sequel.
That’s why some of the most memorable horror sequels are the ones that actually manage to hold onto interesting survivors from previous films while also pushing the story forward instead of having the same thing happen again to a different group of people. From Scream 2 to Dream Warriors (and arguably even The Exorcist III: Legion), there are quite a few of these innovative sequels to go around.
However, if there’s one franchise that deserves more attention when discussing bigger and better continuations that make the most of episodic filmmaking, it has to be Ted Nicolaou’s Subspecies.
The Full Moon classic spawned an indie horror icon, but bizarre sequel Bloodstone: Subspecies II is even more beloved than its predecessor.
Building a Bigger Vampire Saga
While the film itself takes place almost immediately after the events of the first movie, Bloodstone only entered production a couple of years after the release of the original as both Charles Band and Nicolaou weighed the pros and cons of returning to Romania to continue the series. In an effort to maximize efficiency, the team decided to invest in a trilogy where parts II and III, now fully written by Nicolaou, would be filmed simultaneously over the course of a single grueling shoot.
Much like the first Subspecies, Bloodstone’s low budget meant that the filmmakers once again had to cut corners and re-use as many of their resources as possible. Thankfully, the process was much easier this time around as Nicolaou, with the help of Romanian cinematographer Vlad Paunescu and his wife Oana, became more acquainted with local customs and made new friends. Shooting abroad still came with its own unique set of challenges due to a lack of translators and the occasional safety concerns, but the crew managed to make things work by filming things guerrilla-style and setting up shop in abandoned caves and real medieval ruins.
The director’s newfound contacts, coupled with the relative success of the first movie, meant that he was basically given free rein over an assortment of shooting locations usually considered off-limits for indie horror. That’s why Bloodstone features insanely ambitious lighting and effects work even during scenes shot in the middle of a bustling Bucharest. The filmmakers went so far as to project Radu’s Nosferatu-like shadows over local monuments as if he were a Romanian boogeyman, an idea that was actually encouraged by local cinephiles.
In fact, many of the more elaborate scenes here had originally been planned for the first movie before being discarded due to the lack of available resources. It was only with the support of Romanian fans and filmmakers that Bloodstone was able to give Radu a chance to be even more menacing the second time around.
Michelle’s Transformation Takes Center Stage
However, when it came to the American part of the crew, not everyone was able or willing to return for another round of Romanian adventuring. That’s why Radu’s human-loving half-brother Stefan (Michael Watson) is unceremoniously killed off at the beginning of the film while the role of Michelle had to be recast. Denice Duff took over for Laura Mae Tate, with the character now being joined by her sister, Rebecca, played by Melanie Shatner (yes, that Shatner).
In the finished film, we follow Michelle as she awakens to her new life as a vampire and discovers that Radu has murdered her lover. Struggling with grief and her newfound bloodlust, Michelle contacts her sister overseas, with Rebecca soon travelling to Romania on an ill-advised rescue mission. Meanwhile, Radu (Anders Hove) reaches out to his undead Mummy (Pamela Gordon, underneath heavy layers of impressive makeup effects) and promises to deliver her the coveted Bloodstone artifact while also making Michelle his eternal consort.
Revisiting the movie, I was impressed with how introspective this story is when compared to the original. The sequel assumes that you’re already familiar with the previously established characters, so the story wastes no time in exploring the immediate aftermath of the previous film’s events. From Michelle’s reluctant transformation into a creature of the night to Radu’s obvious mommy issues, Nicolaou is way more interested in pushing these characters into new and uncharted territory rather than recycling existing plot points.
Practical Effects and Gothic Atmosphere Still Impress
Yet, much like the first film, it’s Romania itself that makes the movie worth watching. The ruins of Castle Vladislav are even more majestic now, and visiting the moody streets of Bucharest with its surprisingly punk-rock nightlife made for a nice change of pace when compared to the original film’s quiet village setting. Once again, the abundance of interesting locations makes the movie feel much more expensive than it really is, with the filmmakers surrounding our characters with a living, breathing environment that would be impossible to recreate in a studio.
The increased freedom also allowed Nicolaou to flex his filmmaking muscles and tackle more ambitious blocking/composition in the sequel. The low budget and tropey script mean that the visuals don’t always work, but it’s consistently clear that this neo-expressionist style could only come from a passionate team attempting to pay homage to the shadowy horror classics of yesteryear. If the retro atmosphere isn’t enough for you, there’s enough practical gore here to satisfy even the most demanding of horror hounds!
Radu himself is also far more interesting now that Hove is more comfortable working alongside an international crew, with the actor having gone on record explaining that, while he spent more time drinking vodka than working while shooting the first movie, the sequel was a much more creatively satisfying experience for everyone involved. The character’s relationship with his abusive Mummy is also a highlight of the expanded mythology, especially since the practical effects that bring her to life are just as freaky now as they were back in ’93.
My only real gripe with the horror elements of the picture comes from the glaring absence of the diminutive stop-motion minions from the first film, though I guess the surprisingly entertaining addition of Professor Popescu (Michael Denish) and his archeological antics mostly make up for that.
Bloodstone: Subspecies II is obviously the middle chapter of a trilogy, with the ending feeling a lot less definitive than its predecessor as several plot threads are left to dangle in the wind, but I appreciate how the flick explores new ground while remaining faithful to nearly all the ideas that made the original such a good time. While I don’t think it’s as big of an improvement over the first movie as some fans make it out to be, Bloodstone is definitely worth revisiting if you’re a fan of old-fashioned vampire yarns.
Tune in next time for the thrilling conclusion to this initial trilogy, Bloodlust: Subspecies III!
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