Review of The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) by Sean C — 13 Oct 2008

In this intense thriller inspired by a non-fiction book by Wade Davis, Bill Pullman plays Dr. Dennis Alan, who travels to Haiti in search of a mysterious white powder that is supposed to have powers of resurrection. While there, he hooks up with attractive local doctor Marielle Duchamp (Cathy Tyson) and locks horns with nasty, psychotic villain Dargent Peytraud (Zakes Mokae).

For me, "The Serpent and the Rainbow" is one of those rare scary movies that thoroughly engrossed me. It's a heart-pounding, solidly acted (particularly by Mokae), elaborate movie with lots of local flavour since the film-makers had the good sense to film it on location in Haiti. The atmosphere is so heavy that it's palpable. I would consider it to be one of the better Wes Craven pictures which I have seen. It's probably not one of his better known films - I think that most of them get kind of over-shadowed by the original "Nightmare on Elm Street" and the "Scream" trilogy. But I would suggest that interested viewers seek it out. It takes Dr. Alan and the viewer on an interesting if morbid journey.