Horror and animals have a complicated relationship. Some of the best horror movies of all time are about when animals attack, and yet, in media people often sympathize more with the harm done to animals than to humans. Websites have emerged to warn moviegoers beforehand if dogs die, all the while CGI has given us the ability to effectively demonstrate what a bear who ate a bunch of cocaine might do, with a heavy emphasis on might. It seems that most draw the line at actual harm done to living animals, and that’s not really that much to ask in today’s cinematic world. However, there was a time when certain films favored authenticity at the expense of cruelty bestowed upon actual animals on film. Most notorious, is the recently departed RUGGERO DEODATO’s infamous CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST. More renowned for its vicious real-life animal butchering, albeit in the context of an actual indigenous tribe giving the first half of the film a gritty documentary feel further blurring the line between reality and fiction. This relationship between animal cruelty and horror is one that makes certain films less accessible. Such is the case with UNEARTHED CLASSICS’ CALAMITY OF SNAKES. A CAT-III film from the 80s whose title is quite telling. Is this calamity worth a spot on your shelves?

***TRIGGER WARNING - THIS REVIEW FEATURES WORDS AND IMAGES FROM THE FILM WHICH MAY INCLUDE SNAKES THAT HAVE BEEN HARMED DURING FILMING. IMAGES SOURCED COME FROM THE CRUELTY-FREE VERSION OF THE FILM INCLUDED ON THE DISC***

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

After a businessman kills thousands of snakes in a pit while they are building a new apartment building. The people living there soon become attacked by millions of snakes with a vengeance

HOW IS IT?

CALAMITY OF SNAKES is a film that a lot of people won’t watch out of principle. And they are absolutely entitled to that, so this review isn’t an effort to ask people to expand their minds beyond their comfort zones. What also should be said, is that UNEARTHED FILMS (and all of their sub-designation labels) are notorious for boundary-pushing transgressive cinema. This means that if you’re still reading this, you’re at least somewhat curious about what this film has in store. Well, putting aside the extremely excessive harm done to some snakes, CALAMITY OF SNAKES is peak audacious animal schlock and terror. And for those who are curious, but don’t want to see actual snakes get hurt, there’s a Cruelty-Free version of the film included on this disk!

The story is pretty straightforward and has a really uncomfortable and overlong scene of snakes being beaten. While it’s unclear if they all died on account of this (more on that later), what is clear is that they are pissed off and ready to take back their land! What ensues is a lot of almost caricature-esque performances, nothing new to this era of Chinese cinema, of ignorant wealthy people getting their ultimate comeuppance by way of slithering revenge. What makes this film so much fun, and downright outrageous, are the scenes when the snakes attack. Not only will this give folks with Ophidiophobia a stroke, but it is truly impressive to see just how many snakes were used in the filming. At some points people are covered in them, rolling around in them, having them fall onto them out of a closet. While there is retribution in this, it is at the expense of snakes getting wailed on as well.

To that end, some of the most memorable scenes involve a giant snake which I’m sure could not have been real as it faces off with a crony who knows kung-fu. If you enjoy Shaw Brothers style of excessiveness and silliness you are sure to find a lot of enjoyment over these scenes. I can totally understand people who refuse to watch this for some reasons mentioned above, but for those that do, I ensure that you are going to have a really good time with this one. It’s kind of like eating fast food when you’re supposed to be on a diet; you feel guilty doing it, even though you’re also enjoying it. Certainly not without flaws, CALAMITY OF SNAKES is a pretty silly premise on its own and as such, a lot of the execution isn’t really taken very seriously. So if you’re expecting high art, you may want to reconsider. That said, this is a high-recommend if you can stomach it, and a lot of fun with a group just to bask in the camp and carnage. One important reminder is that for those who want to skip the snake harm, there is a cruelty-free version of the film included. I did not watch it for this review, so I cannot attest to the contents suffice to say I trust it’s true to its word.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

UNEARTHED CLASSICS gives us two different versions of the film including both with matching specs. Both are presented with a 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio and seem to be sourced from readily available materials. There isn’t a lot of information on the transfer, and overall it's quite good in spite of some unavoidable source issues. With films like these, it can be difficult to get pristine copies based on what’s available and in what condition, but the best effort was made with a better-than-average outcome. Images from the disc are used throughout the review and are seen below (images used are from the cruelty-free version):

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

CALAMITY OF SNAKES has two separate spoken language tracks that are both presented in PCM 1.0 audio. Cantonese and Mandarin language options along with English subtitles and everything sounds clear given the limitations of the 1-channel medium. Par for the course of this film and during this era.

ANYTHING SPECIAL?

The special features included with this release are worth the cost of the disc even if you have no interest in the film. First, there is a feature-length documentary, From Sahw to Snakes: The Venom And Violence of Early Chinese Language Horror Cinema is approximately 75 minutes of dense coverage of the animal and insect horror genre in China. Not only does this cover more basic history it also offers up a slew of films to recommend as well as commentary on the challenging nature of these films and the ambivalence to violence against animals for the sake of cinema. These kinds of documentaries always fascinate me as they go into the context across cultures, and time-period to offer a diverse perspective of opinions in defense and against that don’t shy away from calling out the very real problem with the way these films were made.

The second special feature I took in was a 15-minute interview with one of the lead actors and stuntmen in the film, CHUI-YI CHUNG. In Reptillian Recollections: Lin Kuang-Yung in Conversation with Chui-Yi Chung, this short but informational interview talks about how they went about getting the snakes for the film and what they experienced with them on the set. Most of note is the interviewer, Lin Kuang-Yung, doesn’t let Chui-Yi Chung dodge questions about how snakes were treated, which leads to an interesting revelation. While it’s clear that a lot of snakes were hurt during the filming, according to Chui-Yi Chung not many died. And those that did were mostly eaten, along with being taken back to the Snake Expert to help home. This isn’t in defense of the film in any way, rather, it offers up an interesting insight into how things went and even why they didn’t use fake snakes for all of them. This again, won’t change anyone’s mind so much as it offers more understanding of how and why rather than assume. The full list of specials features for this release is listed below:

BONUS MATERIALS

Commentary from Nathan Hamilton and Brad Slaton
Full-Length Documentary: From Shaw to Snakes: The Venom And Violence Of Early Chinese Language Horror Cinema
Reptilian Recollections: Lin Kuang-Yung In Conversation With Chui-Yi Chung
Alternate Cut
Cruelty-Free Cut

LAST RITES

CALAMITY OF SNAKES is animal exploitation to the max, even if it is excessive, it is also wildly entertaining and a film one won’t soon forget. Not to mention, the special features and cruelty-free cut make this an easier recommend to most than normal, and a definite “buy” for those who are even marginally interested!

THE GORY DETAILS

Thank you to the fine fiends over at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy for the crypt! CALAMITY OF SNAKES is available NOW, and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT!

Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following MacabreDaily on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Featured

Nov 4, 2020

Matthew Orozco