In 1890 England a doctor, in order to cure his wife's "sick mind", injects her with snake venom. She later gives birth to a daughter the villagers begin to call "The Devil's Baby". They soon... Read allIn 1890 England a doctor, in order to cure his wife's "sick mind", injects her with snake venom. She later gives birth to a daughter the villagers begin to call "The Devil's Baby". They soon burn the family's house down. Years later a Scotland Yard detective is sent to the villag... Read allIn 1890 England a doctor, in order to cure his wife's "sick mind", injects her with snake venom. She later gives birth to a daughter the villagers begin to call "The Devil's Baby". They soon burn the family's house down. Years later a Scotland Yard detective is sent to the village to investigate a rash of deaths that are caused by snakebite.
- Dr. Murton
- (as Arnold Marle)
- Shepherd
- (as Stevenson Lang)
- Villager in Pub
- (uncredited)
- Villager with Torch
- (uncredited)
- Villager
- (uncredited)
- Darrow
- (uncredited)
- Villager in Pub
- (uncredited)
- Villager
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe tune which Charles is miserably trying to play on the flute is Bizet's Carmen Overture.
- GoofsAlthough set in the village of Bellingham, Northumberland, all of the local characters speak with distinctive Yorkshire, Scottish and London accents.
- Quotes
Martha Adderson: [Martha is in bed. The doctor approaches with a loaded hypodermic needle] No!
Dr. Horace Adderson: Now, Martha, there's no sense in your carrying on like this and it's no use screaming. Now, let's get this over so I can return to my work.
Martha Adderson: No, I won't let you.
Dr. Horace Adderson: But Martha, you're not making sense. You've administered this dozens of times without all this nonsense.
Martha Adderson: All that snake poison in my blood, for months, for years. You don't know, nobody knows what it will do.
Dr. Horace Adderson: Of course I know what it will do. I know what it's done. It gave you back your mind when they all said you were hopelessly insane.
Martha Adderson: I know that but...... .
Dr. Horace Adderson: Other investigators have employed snake venom in the treatment of hemophilia, epilepsy, rheumatism, hypertension, even cancer. But it is Horace Adderson - your husband - who is the only herpetologist to have cured a sick mind with snake venom.
Martha Adderson: But what about the baby?
Dr. Horace Adderson: The baby?
Martha Adderson: That snake poison flowing through my blood, what will it do to my unborn child?
Dr. Horace Adderson: So that's it!
Martha Adderson: Under your microscope, doesn't all new life look the same? Plant, fish, human even serpent!
Dr. Horace Adderson: That's true but...
Martha Adderson: Life is such a miraculous, delicate thing, what if this poison were to upset the balance and instead of a normal, healthy child, ours were to be born a...?
Dr. Horace Adderson: That's ridiculous! Don't you see that it just shows that your mind is slipping away again? Now Martha, just relax... .
- ConnectionsFeatured in Aweful Movies with Deadly Earnest: The Snake Woman (1967)
Scenes of dialogue and plot development feel unwieldy and a tad forced, and at other no few times the pacing seems to lag. I do appreciate the art direction, the cinematography, those stunts and effects that are employed, and the loving shots of snakes that we routinely get. With some exceptions, by and large the cast give solid if unremarkable performances. And, well, then there's the remainder of Orville H. Hampton's screenplay, accordingly rewritten in part by filmmaker Furie. The plot leans on a conflict between modern science as represented in investigator Prentice, and the haphazard kluge of invented superstitions cobbled together to conjure midwife Addie, the credulous townspeople, and the titular curse. We viewers are supposed to see the Snake Woman of 'The snake woman' as the villain, an evil to be feared, maligned, and defeated, yet in reality she's the most sympathetic character here. After all, throughout the length we see the townsfolk reacting violently to innocent animals, and to people whose only crime is that in some way they don't fit in with everyone else; even that one character who seems to come closest to "Getting It" is only partway there. True, maybe Hampton and Furie intended this inversion after all, but the film isn't built that way.
In the very least this 1961 feature boasts a more earnest air of horror about it than some other contemporary fare. Some thoughts woven in here, in one manner or another, contrast sharply with the whole in their ill-fitting insincerity, yet by and large the ideas on hand are firm foundation for a tale of folk beliefs and a town beset by death. I think those ideas could have been strengthened with a stronger and slightly different focus, and in turn there would be greater atmosphere, tension, and suspense. With some revision, the movie could have gone from being only "okay," somewhat middling mid-century filler to being something genuinely rich and compelling. For all that, I don't think 'The snake people' as it exists is bad. However, it's only a fraction of the picture it might have been, and it's readily apparent that only enough care went into its creation to make it stand on its own two feet, and not enough to make it resonate and endure. I think this flick is passably enjoyable and worthwhile, though certainly something for a light, lazy day and far from a must-see; would that it had been shaped more mindfully from the start, in which case it could have been more meaningful and satisfying.
- I_Ailurophile
- Oct 11, 2023
Details
- Runtime1 hour 8 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1