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The Serpent and the Rainbow

Play trailer Poster for The Serpent and the Rainbow R 1988 1h 38m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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The Serpent and the Rainbow

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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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Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety Sep 25, 2007
Offers a few good scares but gets bogged down in special effects. Go to Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Sep 25, 2007
Genuinely frightening. Go to Full Review Derek Adams Time Out Feb 9, 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. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Jul 7, 2023
.5/4
...a mostly worthless piece of work that’s a strong contender for Craven’s very worst film. Go to Full Review Cheryl Eddy io9.com Sep 14, 2022
The Serpent and the Rainbow still makes for a mostly satisfying horror-viewing experience... Go to Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Jun 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] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Oct 3, 2026 This is a *3* star Movie! See more Justin T @RT08580778 Jun 23, 2026 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. See more K G @KatyG-S Jun 1, 2026 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". See more Tim M @tgmacman Feb 11, 2026 The Serpent and the Rainbow has plenty of cultural intrigue, but its procession of frights feel more disparate than intentional. See more Richard W. @rdwoolf Oct 4, 2025 In my opinion, The Serpent Snd The Rainbow is one of Wes Craven’s best films. See more Maria Q @MariaQe Sep 7, 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. See more Read all reviews
The Serpent and the Rainbow

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Cast & Crew

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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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The Serpent and the Rainbow

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) A scene from "The Serpent and the Rainbow." A scene from "The Serpent and the Rainbow." A scene from "The Serpent and the Rainbow." A scene from "The Serpent and the Rainbow." A scene from "The Serpent and the Rainbow." View more photos

Movie Info

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)
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