An anthropologist goes to Haiti to research a drug that makes someone appear dead by suspending all vital signs.An anthropologist goes to Haiti to research a drug that makes someone appear dead by suspending all vital signs.An anthropologist goes to Haiti to research a drug that makes someone appear dead by suspending all vital signs.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Jaime Pina
- Julio
- (as Jaime Piña Gautier)
Kimberleigh Aarn
- Margrite
- (as Kimberleigh Burroughs)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDue to political strife and civil turmoil in Haiti during the production, the local government informed the film crew that they could not guarantee their safety for the remainder of the shoot. The crew subsequently relocated to nearby Dominican Republic to complete filming.
- GoofsAt about the 1:05 mark a computer screen shows the word "specimen" misspelled as "speciman".
- Quotes
Dennis Alan: Don't let them bury me! I'm not dead!
- Crazy credits[Opening card] In the legends of voodoo the Serpent is a symbol of Earth. The Rainbow is a symbol of Heaven. Between the two, all creatures must live and die. But because he has a soul Man can be trapped in a terrible place Where death is only the beginning. The following is inspired by a true story.
- Alternate versionsUK video and DVD versions are cut by 5 seconds by the BBFC to remove shots of cock-fighting (illegal animal cruelty).
- SoundtracksMadame Marcel
Performed by Le Roi Coupe Cloue
Courtesy of Chancy Records
Featured review
One of Wes Craven's best, "Serpent and the Rainbow" is as much a psychological thriller as a horror movie. Some horror fans may find it too slow (it takes its sweet time to come to a climax) but it's worth it... the journey is entertaining and interesting. This is a polished, professionally filmed movie with higher production values than the average for its genre.
I've never seen a film before that went quite so in-depth into the subject of voodoo. Filmed on location in Haiti, this movie goes into a lot of detail about various voodoo practices and introduces the voodoo versions of the good and evil magician, the houngon and the bocor. If you have any interest at all in this subject matter (or the supernatural in general), I recommend the movie on that basis alone.
Acting is uniformly solid throughout, if nothing really outstanding. We do not come to care very deeply about these characters, so their trials, tribulations and deaths do not bother us much... but Craven's attention to detail really shows, and there isn't a moment of this movie that lacks entertainment value. 7/10.
I've never seen a film before that went quite so in-depth into the subject of voodoo. Filmed on location in Haiti, this movie goes into a lot of detail about various voodoo practices and introduces the voodoo versions of the good and evil magician, the houngon and the bocor. If you have any interest at all in this subject matter (or the supernatural in general), I recommend the movie on that basis alone.
Acting is uniformly solid throughout, if nothing really outstanding. We do not come to care very deeply about these characters, so their trials, tribulations and deaths do not bother us much... but Craven's attention to detail really shows, and there isn't a moment of this movie that lacks entertainment value. 7/10.
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $7,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $19,595,031
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,848,700
- Feb 7, 1988
- Gross worldwide
- $19,595,031
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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