Hannah

Been watching a ton of spooky movies with my friends throughout October, and I haven't really posted about any of them, but I need to tell you about The Lair of the White Worm. This weekend was Ken Russell weekend, a filmmaker I was entirely unfamiliar with before now. But let me tell you, this guy fuckin' gets me.

The Lair of the White Worm is a... it's a horror movie, but it's also a little bit silly. Ok, it's a lot silly, and it knows it. It's based on a Bram Stoker novel, and it's a very vampire-esque story, if vampires were actually snakes. I don't want to say too much, because it's so much fun to be surprised by the frequently absurd directions the story takes. It's played pretty straight, but the director is clearly having a blast.

More than anything, I want to talk about Lady Sylvia Marsh. She's the main antagonist, and possibly the perfect woman. Immortal snake vampire, refined lady of taste, seductress, murderer, hypno domme, board game enthusiast. All of these are facts. Ken Russell understood exactly how hot this character was, and played it up the whole time. Amanda Donohoe gives the role the exact correct amount of ham, and the score gives her sexy-times saxophone backing music more than once. Like, you don't understand how much she hit all of my buttons. I would let this woman ritually sacrifice me.

Anyway. Lair of the White Worm is riveting, for more reasons than just Lady Sylvia. Extremely well executed gothic vampire snake film. Cheesy where it needs to be, intermittently brutal, and hot as hell. It's nearly as good as the 1992 Dracula movie, and probably had a quarter of the budget. Easy 10/10. Go watch it before spooky month is over.