The Serpent and the Rainbow

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The Serpent and the Rainbow

R

1988

1h 38m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In a time of social and political unrest in Haiti, anthropologist Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) travels to the torn country to study a Voodoo drug used in religious practices to turn victims into living zombies. With the help of a witch doctor (Brent Jennings) and a fellow researcher (Cathy Tyson), Dennis pieces together the deadly mystery. But as Dennis uncovers the secrets behind the mysterious powder, he must evade the Haitian authorities who view his research as a potential threat.

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Critics Consensus

Although it's occasionally overwhelmed by excessive special effects, The Serpent and the Rainbow draws on a chilling atmosphere to deliver an intelligent, politically informed story.

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Variety Staff

Variety

09/25/2007

Offers a few good scares but gets bogged down in special effects.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

09/25/2007

Genuinely frightening.

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Derek Adams

Time Out

02/09/2006

Unfortunately, the political parallel between the ideological repression of Baby Doc's regime and the stultifying effects of the zombifying fluid is only sketchily developed, leaving us with a series of striking but isolated set pieces.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

07/07/2023

.5/4

...a mostly worthless piece of work that’s a strong contender for Craven’s very worst film.

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Cheryl Eddy

io9.com

09/14/2022

The Serpent and the Rainbow still makes for a mostly satisfying horror-viewing experience...

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

06/28/2022

Lethargic due to its incoherence, while the only thing that truly instills fear is Bill Pullman, the Apollonian protagonist with the worst acting I think I've ever seen in a professional film. [Full review in Spanish]

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Justin T

@RT08580778 Jun 23

That was some hot sex right there. I loved the story and setting and found it so engrossing. It’s so beautifully made with excellent production design. It’s quite a strange film, more of a thriller than a horror and probably the best voodoo film ever. The finale is excellent.

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K G

@KatyG-S Jun 1

A strange story but not everybody wanted to know of. Given that it is based upon a true story, the camera quality of its time could actually hold up to modern days since it felt like a documentary so you could be convinced that it was real. Documentaries tell real stories. The originality of the movie would not age well if it aged today - when we were given "Paranorman" in 2012 about seeing the dead come to life & the dead must be brought back to the dead. A similar case happens hear & there were no meanings to all the revived people fading into a bunch of skeletons. Not everything was meaningful & that could be intentional - could you see anything meaningful between the man & the woman who lost Cristophe? Possibly not. Now, I am going to watch another movie from Wes Craven - "The Nightmare on Elm Street".

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Tim M

@tgmacman Feb 11

The Serpent and the Rainbow has plenty of cultural intrigue, but its procession of frights feel more disparate than intentional.

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Richard W.

@rdwoolf Oct 4

In my opinion, The Serpent Snd The Rainbow is one of Wes Craven’s best films.

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Maria Q

@MariaQe Sep 7

A mix of horror and psychological thriller, we become enmeshed in Pullman's struggle, and as things get worse for him, the audience stays invested and hopeful he will overcome the horrors surrounding him.

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Gina R

@GinaG 06/19/2025

A mix of horror and psychological thriller, we become enmeshed in Pullman's struggle, and as things get worse for him, the audience stays invested and hopeful he will overcome the horrors surrounding him.

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Wes Craven

Director

Bill Pullman

Dennis Alan

Cathy Tyson

Marielle Duchamp

Zakes Mokae

Dargent Peytraud

Paul Winfield

Lucien Celine

Brent Jennings

Louis Mozart

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Synopsis

In a time of social and political unrest in Haiti, anthropologist Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) travels to the torn country to study a Voodoo drug used in religious practices to turn victims into living zombies. With the help of a witch doctor (Brent Jennings) and a fellow researcher (Cathy Tyson), Dennis pieces together the deadly mystery. But as Dennis uncovers the secrets behind the mysterious powder, he must evade the Haitian authorities who view his research as a potential threat.

Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Doug Claybourne, David Ladd
Screenwriter: Richard Maxwell, Adam Rodman
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.0M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)