The Killer Snakes
The Killer Snakes
| 01 January 1975 (USA)
The Killer Snakes Trailers

A young man who has been beaten, abused, humiliated and laughed at all his life finds that he has an unusual empathy with snakes. He can talk to them and they understand him, and eventually he finds that he can get them to do his bidding. He decides to use his newfound friends to take his revenge on everyone who ever did him wrong.

Reviews
StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
EVOL666 I don't typically dig too much on the pre-CATIII HK horror stuff like DEVIL FETUS, SEEDING OF A GHOST, CENTIPEDE HORROR, THE DEVIL, etc...but KILLER SNAKES is from what I've seen so far, the best of a bad genre. This one is grittier, sleazier, and plays more like one of the later CATIII entries than the 80's HK "animal-horror" films, and KILLER SNAKES was made several years before either of those genres really took off. Definitely a precursor of both good and bad to come from future HK horror/sleaze productions...Zhihong is a shy, reserved, kinda slow kid who live in a hole-in-the-wall (literally) that shares a wall with a snake shop. Apparently, part of Zhi's "problems" stem from some S&M abuse that he witnessed as a child, and his love for snakes at a young age. Because of his shy and timid nature, Zhihong is constantly a mark for the bullies and robbers in his neighborhood. His only solace is the friendship that he makes with the snakes from next-door, who Zhi can apparently communicate with kinda like a HK Dr. Doolittle or Willard or some sh!t. Anyway, Zhi finally gets up the courage to ask out the one person who's nice to him - local hottie Xiujuan - and she agrees, but then stands poor Zhi up (she had a good excuse though - her dad was dyin' and she had to go and be a hooker to pay his rent...). Zhi finally snaps and calls on his no-legged buddies to seek revenge on everybody that's done him wrong recently...KILLER SNAKES is a pretty solid early entry in the HK sleaze world. Some pretty twisted stuff going' on here, including snake-rape (unfortunately it's all "implied", but I guess it's still pretty out there for '75...) some flying snake attacks, some pretty hot rope-bondage action (but again, no full-frontal nekkidness - another disappointment...), and more real snake-slaughtering than you can shake a stick at - so PETA members and those that bitch about the animal deaths in CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST need not apply to this one either - but if ya dig sleazy HK films and can handle some snake-killing - THE KILLER SNAKES may be a good bet for ya - 7.5/10
HumanoidOfFlesh "The Killer Snakes" is surely one of my guilty pleasures.This incredibly sordid horror film mixes gore,perverse sex,torture and animal cruelty.Chen Zhihong lives a miserable existence in a rundown hovel next to a snake emporium(where the owner removes and sells the live animals' gall bladders as an aphrodisiac).His only friend is Xiujuan,a pretty and sympathetic girl who sells toys in the local outdoor market.One evening Zhihong receives a most unusual visitor who becomes his closest confidant.A mutilated reptile from the neighboring shop slithers in and allows the youth to nurse it back to health.Naming the snake Xiaobiao,Zhihong soon finds that he has gained the trust of several other reptiles as well.However,his troubles with humans continue unabated,as he is beaten,robbed and humiliated by a prostitute and her cohorts.Even his faith in Xiujuan is shattered when she stands him up one evening for a date(though,unbeknownst to Zhihong,it is for a legitimate reason).With the help of his snakes he decides to take a gruesome revenge on everybody,who humiliated him."The Killer Snakes" is an ugly little film with several unpleasant characters.The atmosphere is incredibly sleazy and there is plenty of nudity,bondage and perverse sex to keep fans of exploitation happy.9 out of 10.
rufasff This seventies Hong Kong import is about as unpleasant as it gets. An unsanitary, screwed up uber loser befriends some snakes to get back at everyone; for Everyone is mean, stupid and cruel in this film. Except his virginal girlfriend of course, and well, don't ask.I thought it was interesting that you are never really sure if this guy has trained the snakes, or if they just feel sorry for this miserable soul. At any rate, when he's not using live snakes to rape his tied up whores, he is not above zapping them with a Kamoto dragon. It's a fun filled frolic for the whole family! Some of the trained Cobras are impressive to watch. The letterboxed print from "Something Weird" is awful, blotched and stained all the way through. If you want to see this, however, you better go for it, I don't think Criterion will get to this one for awhile.
Casey-52 For those looking for a good example of Asian horror that isn't too over-the-top to start with, KILLER SNAKES is probably the best one to seek out. Available on video from Something Weird and letterboxed to boot, KILLER SNAKES is pretty memorable.A pathetic man who overhears his mother's sadistic affairs as a child grows up with snakes as his only friends. He is beaten up by pimps and prostitutes, has his heart broken by the girl of his dreams, and loses his job. He finally gets sick of the humiliation and torment and sets his king cobras on his enemies.KILLER SNAKES has a great plot, despite being similar to both WILLARD and STANLEY. I actually preferred this to both of those films, as it has a great Hong Kong atmosphere and better acting by the entire cast. The snakes are used to better advantage and the city of Hong Kong is a wonderfully sleazy setting for such an effective film. Sleaze fans take note of one scene in particular: the man ties up a prostitute in an S&M sling and sets snakes loose on her naked body after feeling her up. REALLY sick stuff! But amazingly effective.KILLER SNAKES is highly recommended by me, as it is highly entertaining and is a great introduction to the world of outrageous Asian horror. Next on your list should be BLACK MAGIC 1 & 2, CENTIPEDE HORROR, or SEEDING OF A GHOST.