I reviewed this a long time ago back when I had a fanzine. I first saw it on one of those old “Horrible Horror” DVD collections of Crown International movies that Rhino put out. I apparently gave it One Star and called it an “ecological yawnfest”. I think I must’ve only given it such a low rating because it just didn’t stack up next to the likes of Horror High, Point of Terror, and Don’t Answer the Phone. I watched it again recently and although it’s far from perfect, I didn’t mind it too much this time around.
Yes, it’s Willard with snakes. That is both a feature and a bug. If that’s exactly what you want from a ‘70s revenge/horror/When Animals Attack movie, then it should fit the bill. However, the problem really lies with the third act when it tries to turn our hero into a villain. Willard also had the same problem in the third act. Only here, the main characters’ switch is much more contrived. It just feels out of step with the rest of the movie and lands kind of wobbly.
The snake attack scenes work though, which will be the main draw for most people. The scenes of Chris Robinson taunting his victims with his pet snake Stanley before ordering it to strike are fun. The highlight is the great freeze-frame moment when the Big Bad Alex (The Godfather) Rocco (who is clearly having fun chewing the scenery) jumps off a diving board and into a swimming pool full of snakes. It’s a real audience pleaser, and if the movie ended here, it easily would’ve received three stars. Sadly, it plods on for another fifteen minutes.
Director William Grefe basically remade this a few years later as Mako: Jaws of Death but swapped out the snakes for sharks.
AKA: Snakes.
No comments:
Post a Comment