HORROR DVD/BLU-RAY REVIEWS

An outcast loner loser, who can’t seem to connect with anyone, connects with snakes. And he uses them to gain revenge on those who did him wrong!

The Shaw Brother’s 1974 Chinese film The Killer Snakes is a tough flick to recommend to the masses. Sure, this will find its audience, but if this were shown to a captured group, I suspect 1 out of 20 might dig it. Why? Well, it’s a difficult sell; your classic story of the loner outcast who lives in a basement, has kinky sexual fantasies and possesses a kinship with snakes. Yes, who hasn’t heard of this? It’s like a dark combination of the Horse Whisper, the Pied Piper, and Taxi Driver. Only in China in 74. But while all those stories carried meaning and a message, I’m not so sure with The Killer Snakes. It’s more of an exercise in fear. Also, there’s some abuse of the animals in a number of different ways, including skinning and mutilation of real snakes. Something tells me PETA wouldn’t give an endorsement. Or the Woman’s League, as women are, well, abused. Badly. Very, very badly. But I’ll get to that.

The main character, Chen, is a hard dude to like. He’s utterly pathetic with zero social skills. He digs porn, especially bondage and whips, which he witnessed his parents getting into as a child. The outcast porn lover creates the first part of the Taxi Driver connection. Both characters, Chen and Travis Bickle, despise the world and want to make it suffer. They want revenge on the pimps who mock and degrade women. If Bickle had been allowed to explore his sexual desires, it might have turned into The Killer Snakes, as Chen allows his sick desires to take over. The difference, however, comes from Bickle never taking crap. He’s a loner, but no punk and believes he’s attempting to make the world better. Chen doesn’t believe that. He just wants to hurt, but only after he’s pushed to the brink and finally snaps. He gets revenge in horrendous ways, including a bound woman who gets a snake up into the most sacred of all places. Talk about torture.

So what’s good? Lots and lots of nudity with hot Asian women everywhere. With that said, there’s some decent gore and lots of sick snake action, which will no doubt please someone. The Killer Snakes also has awful dubbing and some of the most absolute worst clothing I’ve ever seen in a movie. Somehow, though, it made it more interesting. These elements only enhance the 70’s horror film experience.

Video: 2.35:1 Widescreen. It’s a little grainy, but looks good considering.

Audio: 2.0 Mono in both Mandarin and English, depending how lazy you are. Be prepared for bad dubbing.

Notta.

The Killer Snakes is a disturbing, sometimes unwatchable mix of horror, sex and violence, undone with lackluster pacing and bad, bad dubbing. However, any fan of 70’s horror needs to check it out. If this had been an American film, it’d be a cult classic for the level of graphic imagery. It’ll have fans. Not a lot, but fans. At least to watch some snakes slither.