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The Serpent and the Rainbow

1988 · 98 min

A sweaty, hallucinatory descent into political terror and black magic, where every shadow feels like a threat and reality keeps slipping.

Directed by
Wes Craven
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Starring
Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae
Tagline
Don't Bury Me...I'm Not Dead!
Overview
A Harvard anthropologist is sent to Haiti to retrieve a strange powder that is said to have the power to bring human beings back from the dead. In his quest to find the miracle drug, the cynical scientist enters the rarely seen netherworld of walking zombies, blood rites and ancient curses. Based on the true life experiences of Wade Davis and filmed on location in Haiti, it's a frightening excursion into black magic and the supernatural.

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Rent in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Wes Craven
Genres
Horror, Thriller
Starring
Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • eeriestrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • obsession
  • power
  • corruption
  • survival
  • fate
Places
  • countryside
  • big city
  • wilderness
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore strong
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action5
Horror8
Humour2
Realism6
Romance3
Tension8
Darkness8
Complexity6
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store
  • YouTube
Buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
horror, thriller
Directed by
Wes Craven
Written by
Adam Rodman, Richard Maxwell
Starring
Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae, Paul Winfield, Brent Jennings, Conrad Roberts, Badja Djola, Theresa Merritt
Music
Brad Fiedel
Cinematography
John Lindley
Runtime
98 min
Country
United States of America, Haiti, Dominican Republic
Languages
French, English, Spanish

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