Reviews
‘Lair of the White Worm’ Review: A Cult Folk Horror Classic
I’m not going to say Ken Russell’s Lair of the White Worm is a film that “couldn’t have been made today”, because I find that largely a reductive and ignorant statement. However, it is a perfect example of a film that could only really exist in one very specific context.
It’s the product of a dead genre meeting an incredible director, who chose very specific means to tell an adaptation of a terrible novel in a completely off the wall way; thank you for bearing with that sentence, it’s as condensed as I could get the thought. It’s a raunchy, grotesque, offensive, funny, and just outright bizarre film that is, in my opinion, a quintessential piece of horror comedy.
How a Dead Genre Spawned Lair of the White Worm
An English archaeologist named Angus (Peter Capaldi) makes an incredible find while excavating the front yard of a Scottish bed-and-breakfast: a completely intact skull of a massive, snake-like creature, unlike anything he’s ever seen. When Angus meets up with local socialite James (Hugh Grant), the sitting Lord of D’Ampton Manor, a picture starts to form: the skull might belong to the D’Ampton Worm, a snake-like monster of legend. But the mysterious Lady Sylvia Marsh (Amanda Donohoe) has plans for the skull, uncoiling a horrific plot of witchery and wily snake-people who attempt to raise the beast, taking lives and stealing minds in the process.
How Folk Horror Influenced Lair of the White Worm
When I say Lair of the White Worm is the product of a dead genre, you have to keep in mind the history of what it’s parodying: folk horror, specifically the European folk horror boom of the ’60s and ’70s. While it’s all the rage now, with some of the best horror today being folk horror out of Europe, by the ‘80s, the subgenre that had once been so popular thanks to the likes of The Blood on Satan’s Claw and Witchfinder General was effectively deader than disco.
The production of these films had dried up, and the filmmakers who made the era what it was had, by and large, moved on to different endeavors. I should also mention that only a few years before Lair of the White Worm came the advent of the Video Nasties list in the United Kingdom, which affected pretty much all horror in the British cinema landscape. It certainly feels like director Ken Russell’s decision to adapt Bram Stoker’s novel in an exceptionally edgy and sexed up fashion was at least partially a spit in the eye of the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association, but I do feel this movie comes more from a place of appreciation for folk horror than anything else.
When an Adaptation Only Barely Adapts the Source
Lair itself is an adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel of the same name in only the loosest of ways. Russell harvested much more from the folk horror, and exploitation horror, of the decades before it to make it the experience it was.
The Hammer horror classic The Reptile and the aforementioned The Blood On Satan’s Claw are most noticeable as influences; The Blood’s plot involving a monster skull being unearthed and awakening a blasphemous cult is taken wholesale from Piers Haggard’s film. Lair’s villain Sylvia, bears more than a passing resemblance to Jacqueline Pearce’s character in The Reptile, with both being raven-haired bombshells going snake mode and biting people.
Night of the Eagle, Witchhammer, and Curse of the Crimson Altar are among the other suspects Lair shares similarities with, and Russell even references his previous diablerie in the incredibly controversial The Devils. They’re all tonal touchstones for him, movies he variably emulates and makes fun of with his absolutely bonkers cinematography (facilitated by frequent collaborator of Russell’s, Dick Bush).
Ken Russell’s Over-the-Top Direction Defines the Film
Lair of the White Worm turns the melodrama of these folk horror frights to an 11, and the camera work reflects that with lots of odd angles, zooms, and just the right amount of lingering shots that in any other context would spell how dire the situation is, but here just punctuate some incredibly good gags.
Russell displays a phenomenal grasp of photography, with lighting and framing that always fit the kind of vibe (or gag) he’s playing at in a scene. Lair also has genuinely some of the funniest editing in any comedy, with an exceptional sense of timing that emphasizes how ridiculous the premise is when it’s played straight. Even the primitive, 80’s music video blue screen artifacting in the film has an appeal to it, especially when it’s to show you some of the weirdest hallucination sequences of all time.
Amanda Donohoe Delivers a Scene-Stealing Performance
When he isn’t directing to inject silliness into every frame, he’s also directing to get a great performance out of the film’s leads. It’s no contest that Amanda Donohoe as Sylvia Marsh soaks up all the limelight and is the most memorable part of the entire film. She has a rare energy to her, matched only by Billy Zane in Demon Knight, managing to have a genuine animal magnetism and allure, and then flipping it on a dime to play a cartoonishly amusing villain. Her slimy snake mannerisms are as simple of an approach as an actor could take, but the irreverent nature of it all makes it especially fun.
A Strange but Loving Tribute to Folk Horror
While it might be a cliché at this point, Lair of the White Worm is the best kind of love letter to folk horror. In parodying the subgenre, Russell still ended up creating one of the must-see folk horror films. Blending juvenile humor and a simple countryside tale of terror into an iconic entry in his repertoire, it’s clear that despite how it approaches the plot, he had a lot of love for folk horror that was bleeding out.
Sometimes you don’t need a film to be a masterpiece to become an essential part of a subgenre. Sometimes you don’t need a filmmaker to “revive” a subgenre and bring it to a new golden age. Sometimes, it’s just enough to reminisce, to poke fun at, and to show appreciation for the past. And Lair of the White Worm certainly does that in spades, which makes it very worth watching.
Most people find that stretching their dollar still barely gets them by in today’s economy. I am very particular about what I spend my spare money on regarding extracurriculars. And no one likes to feel like their money is wasted. Madame Morbid Trolley Tours wasn’t an experience I had been familiar with. Maybe that’s because I’m chronically offline for most of my life. So this leads to the perfect question: in today’s turbulent economy, is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours worth the price? The short answer is unquestionably, yes. But it’s more than just a simple yes.
My wife and I arrived at the designated meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. A handful of minutes later, a gorgeous, e-candle-lit trolley pulled up to the side of the road. We were greeted by impeccably on-brand Allison Chase, our tour guide, and trolley driver ‘Mad’ Matt Zaller. The wonderfully cheery duo invited us on the trolley, and the tour was set to begin.
400 Years of Death, Destruction, and Infrastructure
After a welcoming video intro from someone who knows a thing or two about busting ghosts, we set off on the inaugural Madame Morbid Trolley Tour in its ninth year of operation. From the Brooklyn Naval Yard all the way to Dumbo, and more, this tour magnificently chronicles 400 years of history, the good and the bad, expertly. No matter how much you think you may know about Brooklyn history, I can bet there will be something new learned within the first 15 minutes of the tour. From the first-ever plane crash to one of the worst theater fires in history, this tour covers tragedies that the greatest horror writers couldn’t conceive.
The Deadly [Charming] Docent
Allison Chase led the fascinating tour in character from the moment we stepped on the trolley until our departure. But Allison’s character was not forced or fake; you could feel Allison’s passion for not just morbid history, but the accuracy of it. Some of the stories we heard were steeped in historical context, and it was not boring for a single second. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is not your standard full-talking tour. It’s a mixed-media adventure of some of Brooklyn’s darkest moments.
During “downtime” (the times between locations), we were edutained by mini documentaries (that were quite funny). Some of the “downtime” was filled with traffic trivia (I won a needle pen!). And other times were show-and-tell-like, with objects passed around for us to examine. But there was never a moment of silence that wasn’t purposeful. All in all, Allison’s knowledge and passion shone like the luminosity of a full moon.
Is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours Worth It?
The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour was not just a fun night out for my wife and me, but it was a delightfully dark night of edutainment. It should also be noted that ‘Mad’ Matt’s driving skills were fantastic. There was a time when I had become enamored with how Matt handled the narrow streets of Brooklyn before realizing that I needed to refocus my attention on Allison. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is an exceptionally fun evening of horror and history that will make you think twice next time you walk down the streets of Brooklyn. It is worth the money, and then some. There’s no better activity for a cold, dark October night than the Madame Morbid Trolley Tour.
For more information on Madame Morbid Trolley Tours, and to get your tickets, click here!
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should have watched the Stephen King adaptation Cujo a million years ago. First of all, I was a voracious King reader in middle school. The other thing I was obsessed with during those years was Friends. You know, the show that hinges a major episode’s subplot on Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) watching Cujo for the first time. Whatever the reason was, I never got around to it, but I’m rectifying that oversight now.
What is Cujo About?
Cujo tells a relatively simple story. Donna Trenton’s (Dee Wallace) a housewife who’s cheating on her husband Vic (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) with local handyman Steve (Christopher Stone). There’s no accounting for taste, because Vic is 10 times hotter and Steve doesn’t own a bed frame. Look, Donna. I know Vic has that awful David Hasselhoff hair, but I promise the 1980s will end sooner or later. It’ll be OK.
Donna’s attempted termination of this affair ultimately leads to its discovery. Amid this drama, her car breaks down at a mechanic’s isolated farmhouse, trapping her and her son, Tad (Danny Pintauro). You see, the mechanic’s dog, Cujo, freshly christened with rabies, is patrolling the area and attacking everything in sight.
Dee Wallace Is Cujo’s Not-So-Secret Weapon
It would be impossible to start a worthwhile review of Cujo without praising Dee Wallace. The woman is a genre icon, naturally. Think about this: She had only appeared in seven theatrical movies before starring in Cujo. Four of those movies are The Stepford Wives, The Hills Have Eyes, E.T., and The Howling. But this woman didn’t become an icon simply by accidentally stumbling into some iconic titles. She is simply terrific as Donna, using her darting eyes and taut expression to deliver oodles of subtext. You instantly get the sense of how trapped she feels by marriage and motherhood without her uttering a single word.
A good performance is vital, here. Because there’s a hell of a lot of drama to get through before she’s trapped in that damn car. But Wallace instantly shoves you into Donna’s perspective, whether you like it or not. This makes it all the more potent when she is menaced by Cujo. Her desperate attempts for survival, also impeccably performed, have true weight because she seems like a real person. She is also given an incredible scene partner in Danny Pintauro. The future Who’s the Boss? star, who was only six when shooting Cujo, has a perfect everychild quality. His innocence heightens the peril. But so does that fact that he is just as irritating as every six-year-old you’ve ever met.
This movie truly captures how annoying it must be to be stuck in a life-and-death situation with a child. This is a compliment, I swear! Donna is worn down by every aspect of the situation, including her own son’s inability to cope with it. And this ratchets up the tension even further, to an almost unbearable degree.
Cujo Is a Mixed Bag, But Worthwhile Overall
The movie doesn’t work if Cujo himself doesn’t work, and at first I was real worried that he wouldn’t. In the first half, the St. Bernards that play Cujo onscreen are often shown to be wagging their tails in delight. Which kind of undercuts the reality of the situation, I’d say. But the editing and the special effects step in to fix what animal training couldn’t. The attack scenes in the second half are constructed with quick cuts that never let you get too much purchase. It’s a good approach for keeping viewers off-kilter.
Also, Cujo becomes less and less recognizable as a cuddly canine the further the movie gets. It’s a simple trick, really. He ends up getting coated with more and more slime. Saliva, pus, blood, and what have you. This is good for making him feel like a true movie monster. Plus, it’s a good mirror for the sliminess inside the car as it gets covered in sweat, blood, and grime.
The second half of the movie ultimately works like gangbusters. It’s a shame that Cujo is too cowardly to get Donna and Tad in the car before the halfway point. This decision is somewhat faithful to the book’s structure as I remember it. However, it diminishes the weight of the long days that they spend in the car. We really need to feel that crushing stretch of time, and we don’t. When Tad is suffering from dehydration, it’s not a gut punch. Honestly, I just found myself asking, “Already?” It’s good that they gave the movie a happier ending, because the classic grimdark Stephen King finale wouldn’t have landed.
Is Cujo Worth Watching in 2026?
At the end of the day, Cujo is a solid movie and I’m glad I finally watched it. However, it’s not such a stone-cold classic that I’m not at least a little intrigued by that upcoming Netflix remake…
