Venom (1981)

Director:

Piers Haggard

Writers:

Robert Carrington (screenplay)
Alan Scholefield (novel)

Release Date:

29 January 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

The mystery of "The Birds", The danger of "Psycho", The evil of "The Omen", The terror of "Jaws", Now, the ultimate in suspense.

Plot:

International terrorists attempt to kidnap a wealthy couples child. Their plan comes unstuck when, a...

Plot Keywords:

Snake | Hostage | Black Mamba | B Movie | Terror

Cast

Klaus Kinski	...	Jacques Müller (Jacmel)
Oliver Reed	...	Dave Averconnelly
Nicol Williamson	...	Cmdr. William Bulloch
Sarah Miles	...	Dr. Marion Stowe
Sterling Hayden	...	Howard Anderson
Cornelia Sharpe	...	Ruth Hopkins
Lance Holcomb	...	Philip Hopkins
Susan George	...	Louise Andrews
Mike Gwilym	...	Det. Constable Dan Spencer
Paul Williamson	...	Det. Sgt. Glazer
Michael Gough	...	David Ball
Hugh Lloyd	...	Taxi Driver
Rita Webb	...	Mrs. Loewenthal
Edward Hardwicke	...	Lord Dunning
John Forbes-Robertson	...	Sgt. Nash

Runtime:

93 min | USA:92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:12 (re-rating) (2004) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:MA (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

EMI Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Morison Film Group

Trivia:

Final film of Rita Webb.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Gives new meaning to the phrase: "Trouser Snake."

Okay, this movie isn't THAT bad. But let's get real here - it ain't that good either. But I'll watch anything with the Late Great Klaus Kinski in it simply because chances are good that, even if the film sucks, he'll make it fun to watch somehow. He doesn't disappoint here.

The plot is pretty straightforward. The Nanny of a young British boy is plotting to kidnap him for ransom. Her partners in crime include the bleary-eyed Oliver Reed and Kinski as the Big Bad Guy In Charge. There's only one problem: on the day that the kidnapping is supposed to take place, the spoiled, asthmatic little brat slips away from his nanny and goes to the pet store with grandpa to pick up his new pet snake. Oops! The pet store accidentally boxes up and hands over a black mamba, one of the most bad-tempered and deadly snakes in the world. Geez, did no one check the label on the crate first? The snake goes home, gets loose and snaps its ugly mouth closed on nanny Susan George first, who dies a horrible, foamy, convulsing death. After that, the snake is loose in the air vents of the house, and the kid, the grandpa and the kidnappers are trapped inside.

There's some good snake POV shots, the best of which comes when Oliver Reed opens the door of a liquor cabinet (ooh, big surprise there) and the nasty serpent lunges out at his face. The most tense and creepy scene comes as the mamba slowly slides up Reeds pant leg, slithering inexorably up towards his crotch...but I won't ruin the rest for you. Kinski hams it up like he always does, smiling smugly and bugging his freaky eyes out at anyone who irritates him. His BIG FINAL SCENE scene is ridiculously overlong and should have earned Kinski an Oscar for Best Scene Chewing Moment.

It moves a little slow sometimes, but the cool looking mamba makes up for that. There are some genuine jump moments and the cast is actually really good: Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed, Susan George and Sterling Hayden (as the grandfather) all turn in great big huge performances which seem almost too big for a little film like this...and I mean that in a good way. The plot is almost so ludicrous that it somehow manages to become totally believable. Fans of Kinski will want to catch this one: Kinski is at his most arrogant here, and fans of his smarmy, ego-ridden brilliance will love every minute of it. 7 out of 10 stars.