The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

Director: Wes Craven

Starring: Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae

An anthropologist goes to Haiti after hearing rumors about a drug used by black magic practitioners to turn people into zombies.

Based on a true story, this might seem too fantastical. But keep in mind a big portion of what you see on screen, is merely a visualization of the hallucinations and perceived by the characters as real, and not necessarily what actually happened.

This film certainly is full of surprises and very unpredictable. The photography is very effective, making you at times feel you are part of the action. I’ve said this before, I enjoy the 80s films for their use of practical effects instead of CGI. It makes everything more believable, for the actors as well, as they have something to interact with. I therefore found the film much more believable.

Bill Pullman is really good and one can’t help but root for him. The film draws you into a nightmare world of voodoo and deception. Note this is not about flesh eating zombies, as is the general association with zombies. This is about people in a zombie state, or rather living dead, but not hostile.

The film is based on the life of Clairvius Narcisse, who believes he was turned into a zombie. A second film based on his experiences, ‘Zombie Child’ was released in June 2019.

‘The Serpent and the Rainbow’ was a modest hit, earning nearly $20 million on a $7 million budget.