Watching a horror film, you do so usually for one express purpose, namely to get your blood pumping a little and to make yourself frightened. Why people do as such is strange to be sure, but it does make you feel good in a way and the scarier it is, the better. Ultimately, that makes this film a bit of a disappointment as there was nothing that would even send a mild chill up your spine. It was probably not for lack of trying on the part of the director and everyone else who was involved and it was more than likely due to the small budget the film sported, but even so, there are movies that manage to do what this one failed at with even less money at hand. It was put together well and from start to finish, it did manage to hold your interest so that was a good thing, but there was not a whole lot to really love about it.

The movie essentially deals with a cult that worships snakes and one in particular that can transform into a woman and the lack of special effects hampered those scenes that dealt directly with these Lamians and kick-started the entire revenge plot thanks to some interfering Americans. Thankfully, the film did hold a bit of suspense and even a little bit of tension, just enough to keep your interest piqued and able to sit through it all. It also kind of made the film anti-climactic at times because there were instances you thought something big was about to happen and what you ended up seeing never lived up to your expectations. Due to the obviously tight budget the movie must have had, most of the action would take place off-screen and to that effect, the film did succeed in creating an air of mystery about it, if not very light horror. Part of this was due to Francis D. Lyon who directed the picture and Russell Metty on photography. They might not have been able to show a snake transforming on-screen, but as it was seeking out its victims, the use of a fish-eye type of lens worked quite well to make it slightly eerie.

The cast was good which included Faith Domergue, Richard Long, Marshall Thompson, Kathleen Hughes, William Reynolds, Jack Kelly, Myrna Hansen, David Janssen and Leonard Strong among their number and except for the women and the Lamians, all of the supposed protagonists of the film were quite unlikeable. When watching any film, if you cannot like the lead characters, there is not a lot of hope for anything else that might reside within. Looking at the posters for this film, they promise horror and sensuality, that seductiveness that women and snakes represent and as it is, the film was not all that bad, it simply was not all that good. A decent B picture for sure, but not one you will ever watch more than once.

2.5 out of 5