The Serpent and the Rainbow

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
Director: Wes Craven
Cast: Bill Pullman, Paul Winfield, Cathy Tyson, Brent Jennings, Zakaes Mokae, Michael Gough
Memorable Line(s): "Beware, my friend, in Haiti, there are secrets we keep, even from ourselves."

Wes Craven is most famous for the Scream movies and creating Freddy Kruger of the Nightmare on Elm Street series, but Craven takes a dark and arcane tour into the mystic realm of voodoo with this movie. For those looking for the thrill ride of the former movies, they should look elsewhere, but someone wanting a deeper, more thoughtful scare, check out The Serpent and the Rainbow.

The Plot of The Serpent and the Rainbow
Dennis Allen (Pullman) is an anthropologist who looks into bizarre third-world rituals. After the culmination of one of his research trips, a huge drug company asks him to discover if there is truth in the voodoo myth of zombies and the search is on.

A globetrotter, Allen ends up in Haiti in search of a scientific reason behind the world of voodoo and if zombies or fact or fiction. In his search, Allen gets mixed up with a nightclub owner (Winfield) who is plugged into voodoo community and also teams up with a beautiful young psychiatrist (Merritt). Their search leads them behind the dark world of voodoo and during the search, Allen and the young psychiatrist become romantically involved. Throughout their investigation, Allen experiences re-occurring horrific nightmares with disturbing images which are a by-product of one his earlier adventures.

To add to the intrigue and mystery, he also finds that Haiti is falling apart around him as the government deteriorates. A cruel government thug (Mokae) wants to keep Haiti's secrets just that and does everything he can to keep mouths shut.

After the investigation stalls, Allen hooks up with a small-time shaman (Jennings) who promises to deliver a potion which will truly turn a man into a zombie. After testing each other, they finally get down to brass tacks. The questions are what is truth and what measures will people go to protect their ancient secrets?

The bigger question is how far Dr. Allen will go -- into the realm of death and beyond?

The Performances, Writing, and Direction of The Serpent and the Rainbow
This is not an easily accessible movie. The thrills and scares come obliquely at times and then sometimes straight at you, but even then they are not direct. Much of the imagery is flat-out disturbing and also quite effective.

Pullman's career was just getting started and sometimes some of his choices are the most obvious, but this is challenging part and Pullman does deliver. The movie hosts some wonderful character actors including Jennings and Zakaes Mokae who is particularily chilling as the corrupt and sadistic government official.

This movie is a little slower paced than most horror movies, but the most part, the pace serves the purpose of the movie with exception of a few times where the movie gets a little talky. Craven knows how to measure out the scares and the suspense in equal measure, but the ending seems to cop-out somewhat and devolves into more conventional territory which sort of detracts from the over all effect of the movie.

Summary Judgment on The Serpent and the Rainbow
Again, The Serpent and the Rainbow isn't conventional and that's what makes it stand apart. Craven seems to want to break from his traditional mold and for the most part, succeeds. This is a thinking man's horror movie and takes some time to settle in for the viewer. I recommend giving it a chance if you like horror and you will be rewarded.