Review by Jeff Hudson
Directed by: Wes Craven
Starring:
Bill Pullman/Dennis
Cathy Tyson/Marielle
Zakes Mokae/Peytraud
Brent Jennings/Louis
Plot:
Anthropologist Dennis Alan goes to Haiti in search of a mysterious voodoo powder that turns the living into semi-conscious zombies. But as Alan comes closer to unlocking the mystical drug, natives turn his life into a nightmare. He enlists the help of a doctor, but their smarts are hardly a match for the black magic they're up against.
Acting:
The acting in this movie was really good. Bill Pullman(Dennis) was a great lead that you could really get behind at times but at other times your like what the hell dude just give it a rest and go home. Zakes Mokae(Peytraud) was a real scum bag, I mean this guy was someone you could easily hate. Cathy Tyson(Marielle) was a fine leading lady and fit her role nice. We also get a nice side role from Brent Jennings(Louis) this guy added a little humor in such a serious movie.
Gore:
There wasn’t a lot of gore here but there was plenty of implied stuff that happened off camera that was very effective. We do get some torture scenes, a cut off head, a spike to the penis area and some supernatural stuff.
T & A:
We get one brief boob shot that was kind of creepy to say the least.
Directing:
Wes did a amazing job with the setting of the film in Haiti. The flick just flet dangerous and felt like something bad could happen at any time. The dream sequences were also shot great and very atmospheric.
Soundtrack:
The score was top notch with a lot of native drums and flutes, it felt very natural and organic to the setting of the Film. It was defiantly a huge part to the creepiness of the movie.
Final thoughts:
The Serpent and the Rainbow I feel is one of Was Craven’s best films. It feels different than most of his slasher stuff and I really wish he could have did more stuff like this. To approach the real side of zombies was something fresh at the time and has a lot of stuff to give you the creeps. The only things I can say I didn’t really like was the ending scene, stuff got a little too crazy and felt different compared to rest of the movie, but it didn’t me out that much. I would say this is a must see for any movie fan, even if didn’t like horror movies you could really get into this film. I give it a 8/10.
