Search - Killer Snakes on DVD

One Great Film

Jonathan Schaper | London, Ontario Canada | 05/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"SNAKE PEOPLE is the only reason I give this set 5 stars. If you can afford Something Weird's Snake People/Rattlers double feature I would recommend that instead. But for the low price, even only getting one film that is this much fun is still worthwhile. The picture quality on Snake People is great; quite close to Something Weird's, so you know it couldn't possibly get much better. See my review for the Rattlers DVD for a description of the film itself.SNAKE WOMAN is the second best film in this collection. It concerns a woman who can turn herself into a snake getting revenge upon the villagers who tried to kill her when she was an infant. Not much goes on, but this is tolerable given the film's short running time of 1 hour. It is not unlike an episode of the original Twilight Zone or the Outer Limits. Unfortunately enjoyment is diminished by the picture quality. There is a slight ghostly double-image throughout the film rendering viewing uncomfortable.FER-DE-LANCE is a terrible TV movie from the 1970s about a submarine crew trapped at the bottom of the sea facing the additional problem of half a dozen deadly poisonous snakes slithering around on the loose. Way too long and boring despite being produced by Leslie (Outer Limits) Stevens. Good picture quality though for an old TV movie.Last and least is BLACK COBRA WOMAN. It is directed by "Joe D'Amato" and stars Laura Gemser, so people who like their Emmanuelle movies should enjoy this (I'm surprised it is not called something like "Black Emmanuelle and the Snakes"). I personally find this (and most of the Emmanuelle films) to be boring, unexciting sleaze. Basically, a bunch of people have affairs with each other and eventually start killing each other off with the help of Jack Palance's private collection of poisonous snakes. Not really a horror film, but there are "killer snakes" involved. Surprisingly, the film is letterboxed and appears to be the uncut version. The picture quality is okay (it is very watchable), but is not the cleanest, and does not have particularly sharp colours.Overall, this is one of Brentwood's weaker horror collections, but you still get a great print of one great film for less than what most single-movie DVDs cost. The extra disc could be used as a coaster."

Sssslitheringly Good Fun!

Bindy Sue Frønkünschtein | under the rubble | 10/15/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Disc #1- SNAKE PEOPLE- A cool movie with Boris Karloff about voodoo, zombies, cannibals, black magic, and of course, poisonous snakes. A brutal police captain decides to rid a carribean island of it's "superstitious" inhabitants by intimidation, torture, and finally, explosives. The voodoo folks strike back with curses, venomous snakes, and the "cannibal girls", a group of flesh-eating temptresses. I loved every minute! Next, SNAKE WOMAN- A boring, lifeless movie about a girl who can turn into a snake, seeking vengeance on those who tried to kill her as a baby. Zzzzz... Disc #2- FER DE LANCE- A 1970's TV flick about a submarine infested with (you guessed it) poisonous snakes. Scream! as Frank Bonner (aka: WKRP IN CINCINATTI's Herb Tarlick) brings death and destruction aboard the sub! Thrill! as David Jansen and Hope Lange lament their flickering careers! Gasp! as pearl divers save the day! A cheesey must see! Last and certainly least- BLACK COBRA WOMAN- A desperately dull snoozer about Laura Gemser's need to get naked every fifteen minutes. Oh yeah, there are poisonous snakes in this one too. I'm not against steamy scenes. I AM against movies that merely space out the sex scenes, with no decent plot or direction. This flick drug on and on. I found myself rolling my eyes and fast forwarding through the nudity! That's downright wrong! Unfortunately, it's just THAT monotonous. I still recommend this collection for snake lovers everywhere..."