The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

.. that is probably getting a bit of renewed attention because Peter Capaldi was in it.The plot is that a Scottish Archaeologist finds the skull of a dragon like beast on the site of an old convent. Meanwhile a Noblewoman is in charge of a cult that runs the local castle, while the descendant of knight who slew the worm in the middle ages fights her.The film was made on the relative cheap, but had a lot of quality. Donahue, Hugh Grant (pre-Scandal) and Capaldi (Pre- Malcolm Tucker/Doctor Who) all ham it up appropriately without quite chewing the scenery.Awesome amounts of nudity you'd never see in a movie today. Yes, we have become more prude, and it's not a good thing. Some freaky dream sequences.

The Lair of the White Worm is not going to please everybody, people will be thoroughly entertained throughout, others will find it ineptly done. Very like the controversial opinions for director Ken Russell too. For all its faults I fall into the former category. The special effects are not very good, the worm looks laughable and doesn't seem that much of a threat. Sammi Davis is embarrassingly bad too, veering towards both shrill and disengaged. And the ending is very abrupt, in all honesty though so was the book's ending. Even with those flaws, The Lair of the White Worm still improves hugely over the book. Odd to the point at times of incoherence and overly wordy with an ending that suffers from the cutting down the book got, it was a shock that Lair of the White Worm(Bram Stoker's least well-known book and for a reason) was from the same author who wrote Dracula, one of the most iconic pieces of horror literature. People will disagree with this though and that's fine. Back to the film, the locations are beautiful and atmospheric, it's decently shot and even the costumes are not bad at all, Donohoe's actually were pretty amazing. The music will entice even the least slithery of snakes, the dialogue is smart and hilarious(a campy element to it but considering this is a Russell film that shouldn't come across as too much of a shock) and the story is briskly paced with the fun factor rarely diminished. There are a lot of components brought in, but not in a muddled way thankfully like Lisztomania and Gothic were. Lair of the White Worm is not a scary film, but there is the odd moment that will make you jump. Russell's direction pulls no punches with a sense that he was having fun while knowing what he was aiming for, and the trademark excessive imagery is in abundance, luckily though apart from the rape scene- which will leave people disgusted- these images are not distasteful. The acting is not great but it's not that bad either apart from Davis. Peter Capaldi and Stratford Johns fare the best in support while Catherine Oxenberg is charming and even Hugh Grant in an unlikely role acts in a way that is not out of kilter. Best of all is Amanda Donohoe, whose brilliantly sexy performance is what makes the film. In conclusion, Lair of the White Worm not a great film but an enjoyable one while not pleasing all. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Ken Russell is an acquired taste at best, but here his patented over- the-top religious hysteria finds an appropriate muse with Amanda Donohoe as the last member of a snake cult who kills passers-by to feed her pet Reptile God. Hugh Grant and Catherine Oxenberg co-star as a young couple caught up in her web. Hugh is charming and atypically serious, with none of the stammering, gibbering silliness that later became his trademark, and Amanda Donohoe shifts gears beautifully from evil seductress to seemingly innocent neighbor, creating great comic moments when accidentally caught between gears. The movie has a great dreary look thanks to its setting in rural northern England, which creates a wonderful visual contrast to Amanda's exotic, white marble vampire's nest. The movie deftly mixes scary visuals and winking silliness as the movie's twin horror plots start to entwine one another (like snakes in a caduceus) - locals go on the hunt for the monster snake, while victims of Donohoe's bite start turning into undead zombies! Kooky fun; this is a very unusual movie that can be watched again and again and still enjoyed.

This was simply a delightful trinity of comedy, horror, and Christian blasphemy. Ken Russel's deviation from the norms of humanity are a treat as this almost campy flick only gets better with age. The actors are all in on the gag, making the humor that much more gut-wrenching. Production values are pretty weak, but this is somehow transmogrified into one of this flick's strengths. The story itself is pretty solid, with maybe a hole here and there, but the viewer can hardly be bothered with such things. Being horribly sexy and funny, this wonder will occasionally shock its audience with a poison-laden psychedelic journey that will surely offend our Christian friends. If blasphemy is not too offensive then this flick is probably for you. Late.Evil Eye Reviews