Sssssss (1973)

A college student becomes lab assistant to a scientist who is working on a serum that can transform humans into snakes.This film is far from perfect. It could use a few more horror or science fiction elements, perhaps. Where it excels is with the use of real snakes and the knowledge that the professor has. I am not a herpetologist, and would not claim to be any sort of snake expert. But when the professor is explaining different things about snakes, it sounds very real, like he really knows what he's doing. So, well done on the script.The premise is a bit silly, but not overly so. This seems like the sort of thing that might be in a 1950s movie rather than a 1970s film from Universal. Director Bernard Kowalski (1929-2007), perhaps not surprisingly, is a veteran of such Roger Corman-produced films as "Night of the Blood Beast" and "Attack of the Giant Leeches". (Kowalski was director on both, but you can imagine that Corman had his fingers in the pie.)

With a distinctive and risky title like "Sssssss", this proved to be a surprisingly effective shocker about an unethical doctor(Strother Martin) who devises a serum that can turn people into king cobras(really), which he already has tried once unsuccessfully on a former assistant, but will now try again on another(Dirk Benedict). Heather Menzies plays his sheltered daughter, who falls in love , but it all leads to tragedy...Good direction by Bernard Kowalski, and well-written script(story in itself is nothing new, but that doesn't matter) and impressive use of real snakes make this quite memorable, with a truly downbeat ending that will be hard for the viewer to forget...

Wonderfully photographed and directed with a very clever attention to detail and realism, this killer-snake thriller is highlighted by the on-camera dangerous handling of venomous reptiles such as black mambas, king cobras...etc, but ultimately it becomes a mess due to its ridiculous and disappointing climax and conclusion.Strother Martin is good as Dr. Carl Stoner (who is quite likable at first), a mad scientist who recruits inquiring student, Dirk Benedict to act as a human guinea pig for his radical experiments dealing with snake venom in turning the human race into super-evolved, intelligent reptiles. With the help of naive daughter, Heather Menzies, who eventually falls for her obsessed daddy's lab-rat, Dr. Stoner plans on making poor Dirk the first of the species. The characters are likable (including some of the snakes), the stylish Patrick Williams piano music adds suspense, and scenes involving the slithering serpents are brilliant. (Including real snake-bites and venom extractions), and there's a suspenseful revenge subplot involving a cocky jock and a vicious black mamba. This begins to fall apart when Dirk starts turning into the creepy-looking "snake-man", and Dr. Stoner's actions and intentions become incredibility vague and unreasonable. The well-developed relationships between the characters are sadly thwarted, and there is a most nonsensical scene where a python swallows an entire man. This is worth seeing especially for reptile enthusiasts, and it fits prominently in with the rest of the "natures' killer animals" genre flicks of the 1970s. All in all, this little film definitely does have some "bite".

A doctor who specializes in snakes develops a way to turn a human being into a king cobra! Will he use this on the college student who has just became his new assistant? Sssssss (love that campy title, that's seven S's folks) is an above-average man-becomes-creature horror film. The film is very well made and despite its seemingly cheesy premise actually creates itself an effectively serious tone. The story is intriguing, thanks largely to the likable and well-rounded characters, and builds to some terrifically chilling scenes as well as a nice show-down finale. The makeup effects are solidly created and genuinely creepy. The lovely music score by Patrick Williams is also a highlight.The cast is definitely one of the films best features. Veteran actor Strother Martin is excellent as he balances his performance between fatherly teacher and sinister scientist. Young Dirk Benedict is charming as Martin's young assistant and attractive Heather Menzies delivers a sincere performance as Martin's daughter, and Benedict's love interest. Also Reb Brown makes for a good bully.So, you don't have to like snakes to enjoy this intelligent old-fashioned horror tale. It's definitely one of the best of its kind and well worth catching for fans of old school B horror.*** 1/2 out of ****