Review of The Lair of the White Worm (1988) by Kai82 — 24 Feb 2022

This movie is fascinating, enjoyable and unique. It is also strange and cheesy and I can see why other would rate it as garbage. It is the kind of movie you have to watch as reviews cant grasp it entirely but I will do my best.

It is said to be based on a book by legendary Bram Stoker with the same name but I did not read the book and even more did discover this fact only recently. They use also the legend of the Lambton Worm which is a folklore legend from the United Kingdom for set up.

The story is set in modern times and stars Angus Flint who is an archaeology student in Durham Scotland. It starts when he discovers a skull at an excavation side that appears to belong to a giant unknown species of snake.

He believes to have found the truth behind the legend of the Lambton Worm. He tells this the current lord of the Lambton estate who is a descendant of the hero who defeated the worm back then. There is also the mysterious Lady Sylvia who takes a lot of interest in this.

Here I stop to avoid spoilers. Like I said the story is fascinating, cheesy, maybe in the so bad is good category but I could not turn it off as it was too entertaining. The actors work good enough but I must mention there are some cheesy scenes too which I cant blame them for.

We have Hugh Grant as Lord D’Ampton. He works well and it is one of his first movies. The star is Amanda Donohoe as Lady Sylvia. She is incredible and a highlight. Then there is Peter Capaldi as Angus Flint.

Today he is famous as “The Doctor” and here he does a convincing job. Catherine Oxenberg and Paul Brooke round up the cast. Again like I said a good performance with some cheesy moments. The special and practical effects are mixed.

Some are really bad, some entertaining and some really good considering the time and budget. I must warn you that there are some disturbing images in this movie but those are not inserted for outrage or effects.

Those are fitting into the story and narrative. Director Ken Russel is famous for this and a bit controversial. Overall this was a unique and fascinating experience. While I generally shy away from the phrase “Not for everyone” it is valid here.