A look at nine of the finest flicks with ‘snake people’ in them
Vampires get a lot of ink in the horror press, but another long-toothed monster that’s owed its share of the spotlight are snake people. Yes, those scaly, venomous villains are just as sexy and deadly as their vampire brethren, which is why we created a list of The 9 Best Snake People Movies, which you can check out in the gallery below!
Our list coincides with Vestron Video‘s recent Blu-ray release of director Ken Russell‘s cheeky 1988 film version of The Lair of the White Worm, based on the novel of the same name by Dracula creator Bram Stoker. As with all Vestron releases, the film looks like a brand-new movie thanks to a gorgeous restoration, and is packed to the gills with special features including examinations of the movie’s wild special effects, as well as a raucous commentary track by the late Russell.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Lair of the White Worm on Vestron Blu-ray!
Which of these snake people movies is your favorite? Is there another good one we left off? Let us know in the comments below!
The 9 Best Snake People Movies
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Clash of the Titans (1981 and 2009)
Stop-motion legend Ray Harryhausen's depiction of Medusa in the '81 original was a great capper on a sterling career in special effects. The CG version in the remake was not without its charms either, but pales in comparison to the skill on display in the first.
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The Lair of the White Worm (1988)
Ken Russell's sexy, contemporary take on the Bram Stoker tale features Amanda Donohoe as the alluring and deadly Lady Sylvia Marsh, who at one point uses her poisonous snake teeth to bite a young man's, er, member. Also features a young Hugh Grant and a pre-Doctor Who Peter Capaldi.
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Beetlejuice (1988)
Tim Burton's 1988 haunted house comedy classic is full of his trademark surreal humor and Edward Gorey-ish production design, and the most memorable moment might be when Michael Keaton's "ghost with the most" inexplicably transforms himself into a fearsome snake creature. The scene was actually a re-shoot, since they shot another version of the scene before Keaton was cast and wanted to redo the snake with the signature look.
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Dreamscape (1984)
An underrated thriller from Joseph Ruben, Dreamscape was pretty much the Inception of its day. Dennis Quaid plays a psychic who joins a program that allows him to enter others dreams, including that of a young boy with nightmares of a sinister "snakeman."
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Conan the Barbarian (1982)
John Milius crafted the perfect R-rated fantasy epic telling of Robert E. Howard's classic character. At one point James Earl Jones's villain Thulsa Doom transforms into a wicked cool snake creature courtesy of effects man Carlo Rambaldi.
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Sssssss (1973)
Battlestar Galactica's Dirk Benedict plays a young man who takes a job assisting a college professor, only to become the subject of one of the mad doc's evil experiments that slowly (and painfully) transforms him into a snake. Recently featured on Svengoolie!
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Isle of the Snake People (1971)
Boris Karloff's final set of horror films were four low budget flicks made by Mexican producer Luis Enrique Vergara. The sickly Karloff couldn't travel to Mexico, so he filmed all his scenes in LA under Jack Hill's direction, including for this voodoo movie featuring a snake charmer that lures police to their doom.
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The Reptile (1966)
A doctor harbors his own daughter who has been transformed into a snake creature by a cult, even as she begins murdering people. A Hammer Films classic.
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Cult of the Cobra (1955)
Another Universal Pictures B-movie entry featured on Svengoolie, this one follows six American G.I.s who witness a snake cult ritual. When they return to civilian life they start dying off one by one, just as one of them gets a mysterious new girlfriend...
