The Serpent And The Rainbow Review

Serpent And The Rainbow, The
Scientist, Dennis Allan, finds more than he bargained for when researching a paralysing drug and its connection to the Zombie myth in the turbulent atmosphere of revolutionary Haiti

by Mark Dinning |
Published on
Release Date:

11 May 1988

Running Time:

98 minutes

Certificate:

18

Original Title:

Serpent And The Rainbow, The

Wes Craven enjoyed something of a return to form with this chilling - albeit bitty - take on ancient voodoo mythology. Given his Elm Street track record, it comes as no surprise that the film's strength lies in its increasingly surreal dream/hallucination sequences.

Ultimately though, the combination of some wayward casting (Bill Pullman fails to convince -even when having his scrotum nailed to a chair) and a "shock" ending that can be seen coming from the 20 minute mark, take the sheen off what is otherwise solid horror hokum.

Entertaining and ambitious horror hokum, slightly tarnished by a disappointingly obvious "shock" ending
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