King of Snake: Blue Underground Unleashes Venom

The mystery of “The Birds”
The danger of “Psycho”
The evil of “The Omen”
The terror of “Jaws”

Now, the ultimate in suspense.

That is how 1981 marketed Venom. It had been a while since we were victim to another snake film: “Stanley” in 1972, “Night of the Cobra Woman” 1972, “Sssssss” in 1973. Okay, we did have “Snakes and Ladders” come out in 1980, but Venom dove into the genre in a unique way, and consciously or subconsciously, studios were churning out snake films in the early 1980s, all surrounding this film: “King Cobra,” “Jaws of Satan,” and “Spasms.”

Venom is like two films into one. On one end, it’s a hostage film. International criminal Jacmel Müller, played by Klaus Kinski (“Aguirre, the Wrath of God”), and his girlfriend Louise Andrews, played by Susan George (“Straw Dogs,” “Jigsaw Man,” etc.) plots to kidnap Philip Hopkins, portrayed by Lance Holcomb, the grandson of Howard Anderson, a wealthy owner of a hotel chain.

The film begins with Louise working as a maid for Philip’s mother. With a wink and nudge to the chauffeur, Dave Averconnelly (Oliver Reed), we discover that she has seduced him into helping carry out the kidnapping. They kidnap the boy along with his grandfather but not before Lance picks up a new snake for his family of pets he keeps in his room.

Let’s stop for a moment and acknowledge the fact that Sterling Hayden plays the role of the grandfather. A seasoned actor, Hayden appeared in countless film greats including “Johnny Guitar,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Godfather,” “Asphalt Jungle,” and so much more. For him to join the cast of Venom is victory enough. To play alongside Kinski is dimensional.

The other side of Venom is the angle of a suspense horror film thanks to Lance picking up the wrong snake. The snake he got was supposed to go to toxicologist Dr. Marion Stowe (Sarah Miles). Instead, Lance brought a black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the world. Naturally, it gets loose and as events unravel, the villain (snake) becomes the hero.

Kudos to the film crew for acquiring actual black mambas from South Africa for the film. During filming of the snake footage, which was heavily controlled and mostly shot behind enclosed plexiglass between the camera with emergency vehicles waiting in case something went wrong, they captured 10 hours of footage. Only three minutes of that footage was used in the film. The rest was substituted for rubber props and stand-ins including an expensive mechanical mockup that barely saw the light in celluloid.

Venom is surprisingly satisfying and holds up well. What drives this film is the story and how it all unfolds not by effect but by causality. It may not be a nailbiter, as demonstrated by critics of the time, but it’s a fun tug of war between the terrorists and a killer snake.

For a child actor, Holcomb does a remarkably convincing job throughout the film. It’s unfortunate that his time in Hollywood was spent working on a few low-end horror films and a quick resurgence in the mid-2000s. What could have been a total schlock film gets neutralized by decent acting. Hell, Kinski turned down being a nazi in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” for this film, citing Spielberg’s creation as “moronically shitty.” Although the bigger star was “Raiders,” Kinski retains the right to be one of Hollywood’s greatest villains.

From Tobe Hooper to David Sherwin, the British scripter responsible for writing “If” (1968) and “O Lucky Man!” (1973), the making of Venom was riddled with setbacks. Fueled by frustration, Sherwin had an emotional breakdown leaving the project while Hooper resigned 10 days into filming because of a family emergency or creative differences with producer Martin Bregman.

For those who have been allured by the casting of this film or the niche devout following that surged when “Snakes on a Plane” was a thing, will appreciate the lofty Blue Underground edition that features audio commentaries galore, interviews galore, and a fun essay that frames the history of the film.

Whether a date night selection or an add-on to your Kinski collection, Venom is worth the addition to your horror collection.