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IMDb > The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
The Serpent and the Rainbow
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The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) More at IMDbPro »

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The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) -- An anthropologist goes to Haiti after hearing rumors about a drug used by black magic practitioners to turn people in zombies.

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Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   5,819 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Wade Davis (book)
Richard Maxwell (writer)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Serpent and the Rainbow on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 February 1988 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Don't bury me...I'm not dead!
Plot:
An anthropologist goes to Haiti after hearing rumors about a drug used by black magic practitioners to turn people in zombies. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(8 articles)
King Diamond – Voodoo reissue (Musick Review)
 (From Fangoria. 26 November 2009, 11:59 AM, PST)

Donna Davies' 'Zombiemania' documentary on Starz! Tonight!
 (From pretty-scary. 13 October 2009, 2:00 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
An entertaining, detailed thriller more (56 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bill Pullman ... Dennis Alan
Cathy Tyson ... Marielle Duchamp
Zakes Mokae ... Dargent Peytraud
Paul Winfield ... Lucien Celine
Brent Jennings ... Louis Mozart

Conrad Roberts ... Christophe
Badja Djola ... Gaston
Theresa Merritt ... Simone
Michael Gough ... Schoonbacher
Paul Guilfoyle ... Andrew Cassedy

Dey Young ... Mrs. Cassedy
Aleta Mitchell ... Celestine
William Newman ... French Missionary Doctor
Jaime Pina Gautier ... Julio
Evencio Mosquera Slaco ... Old Shaman
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Wes Craven's Serpent and the Rainbow (Australia)
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Runtime:
98 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The CD Soundtrack to this film is extremely rare, as it was pressed in limited quantities. Part of this was due to the film's poor release and the fact that the market was transitioning from LP to CD as a mass format, meaning that the number of copies is much smaller than an average soundtrack album run. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: At Captain Peytraud's first meeting with Dr. Alan, Peytraud wears his full Haitan Tonton Macoute uniform including a row of several award ribbons. All of these ribbons are in fact United States armed forces decorations - clearly visible are the Vietnam Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Air Force Overseas Ribbon, and the Army Good Conduct Medal. more
Quotes:
[Doctor Allen is straped in a chair about to be tortured]
Dennis Alan: I'm a U.S. citizen! Think about that!
Dargent Peytraud: I don't see the Ambassador here, do you?
more
Soundtrack:
Madame Marcell more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
25 out of 26 people found the following comment useful.
An entertaining, detailed thriller, 27 July 2000
7/10
Author: The_Core from Seattle, WA. USA

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.

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more (56 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Wes Craven---was that the briefest nude scene in film? Linda_S
Miscast ghtygh2001
One of Craven's greatests, but... JackForrester
ANyoen know where i can find this film? DevilsAndDragons
Anybody been to Haiti? gurgledog
20th Anniversary DVD??????????? From_Dusk_Til_Shaun
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