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Wes Craven went to Haiti and brought back actual nightmares.
TMDB
64
Rotten Tomatoes
62
Audience Score
57
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The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

voodoo fever dreamcolonial guilt trippharmaceutical horror

Overview

HorrorThriller

A Harvard anthropologist is sent to Haiti to retrieve a strange powder that is said to have the power to bring human beings back from the dead. In his quest to find the miracle drug, the cynical scientist enters the rarely seen netherworld of walking zombies, blood rites and ancient curses. Based on the true life experiences of Wade Davis and filmed on location in Haiti, it's a frightening excursion into black magic and the supernatural.

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Content warning
based on novel or bookhallucinationzombificationsurrealismboston, massachusettscemeterynightmarespidervoodoojungle+5 more

Standout Aspects

Practical Effects

That coffin scene will live rent-free in your amygdala forever.

Direction

Craven at his most restrained and therefore most disturbing.

Sound

The snake rattling score that sounds like your nervous system.

Best for:Solo: Late night when you want to question reality itself.·Streaming: Pause frequently to Google if zombification powder is real.·Rewatch: Catch all the hallucination clues you missed first time.
Heads up:Disturbing: Graphic torture scenes including nail insertion and burial alive.·Triggers: Animal cruelty including spider attack and snake imagery.
Wes Craven

Director

Wes Craven

ReleasedFeb 5, 1988
Runtime1h 38m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensityhigh
Tonedark
Feelheavy
Budget$11M·Revenue$19.6M
Universal Pictures

Top Cast

Bill Pullman

Bill Pullman

Dennis Alan

Cathy Tyson

Cathy Tyson

Marielle Duchamp

Zakes Mokae

Zakes Mokae

Dargent Peytraud

Paul Winfield

Paul Winfield

Lucien Celine

Brent Jennings

Brent Jennings

Louis Mozart

Conrad Roberts

Conrad Roberts

Christophe

Badja Djola

Badja Djola

Gaston

Theresa Merritt

Theresa Merritt

Simone

Michael Gough

Michael Gough

Schoonbacher

Paul Guilfoyle

Paul Guilfoyle

Andrew Cassedy

Dey Young

Dey Young

Mrs. Cassedy

Aleta Mitchell

Aleta Mitchell

Celestine

William Newman

William Newman

French Missionary Doctor

Ask about The Serpent and the Rainbow

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Wade Davis, the real anthropologist this is based on, hated the film for turning his research into a horror movie and called it 'one of the stupidest movies ever made.'

Cultural

The Haitian government actually banned this film for years, not for the zombie stuff but for its depiction of the Tonton Macoutes and political violence during the Duvalier regime.

YouTube

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) - Official Trailer

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) - Official Trailer

Gallery(15 images)

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