Review of The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) by D M — 13 Jun 2012
A film which was more or less inspired by the best-selling book of the same name. A Bostonian anthropolgist, ably played by Bill Paxton (*Homer: Thatâ(TM)s Bill Pullman*), searches the Hatian countryside for zombie medicine.
Wes Craven (Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, Swamp Thing, etc) directs this supernatural tale with more than a few scares. The movie captures the corrupt nature and alienness of the country very well.
The good anthropolgist befriends a semi-hot mulatto (of course, this is Hollywood!) doctor who helps him navigate the odd, dangerous culture. During his hunt for zombies and zombie-makers, Billy is tormented by nightmares which sometimes mix with reality (such as when the police bust him, naked, sweaty, in bed with a zombie).
The opportunity to interject some levity in the form of lampooning these backward, violent people was missed, which would have boosted this films quality. Their sliminess and innate superstitiousness (brought with them from Western Africa) was demonstrated, though (because this is Hollywood) they were also shown to be more connected to the earth than the White man.
This film can be watched as a segue between the zombie classics (White Zombie [1932], I Walked With a Zombie [1943], etc) and cannibal-themed jungle zombie flicks (Zombi 2 [1979], Zombie Apocalypse [1980], etc).
The name of the movie sucks. The end of the movie kinda does also.
This review of The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) was written by D M on 13 Jun 2012.
The Serpent and the Rainbow has generally received positive reviews.
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