The Serpent and The Rainbow Review

Reviewed by David Savage

Starring: Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Paul Winfield
Director: Wes Craven
Certificate: 18
Running Time: 94 minutes
Format: DVD / Blu-ray
Release Date: 20 April 2015

Wes Craven’s The Serpent and The Rainbow in a horror film based on the book and true life experience of ethnobotanist Wade Davis in Haiti.

In 1985 anthropologist from Harvard, Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) is sent to the small Caribbean county of Haiti to find the mysterious herbal powder that reportedly brings humans back to life.

The cynical scientist doesn’t believe such a powder exists or that the dead rise and walk the earth as zombies. He soon finds himself in a world of voodoo, black magic and indeed the supernatural walking dead.

Overall, The Serpent and The Rainbow is a good old fashioned horror zombie film. Loosely based on true experiences, Wes Craven has created a terrifying glimpse into the world of black magic and voodoo. One scene involves the sceptical scientist getting his scrotum nailed to a chair by the chief of the secret police when he starts asking too many questions.

A horrific and gruesome mix of real life experiences, ancient rituals, superstitions and fantasy based on Haitian folklore.

Definitely much better than today’s so called horror films. One to watch.

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £9.99 (DVD) / £14.99 (Blu-ray)

Available to buy from Amazon here.