Reviewed by: Gareth Drawbridge
Review made possible by: Empire Entertainment
Easter, and the impending winter months, is often a time when people start looking at staying indoors curled up on the couch.
It is also a time when many families squeeze out the last rays of summer sun on a camping weekend.
Unfortunately, after watching the psychological thriller/horror film Serpent, anyone planning a camping trip might want to reconsider before they pack their tent and head to the great outdoors.
For husband and wife, Adam and Gwynneth Kealy, a weekend camping trip (and possibly a chance to rekindle the dying flames of passion) turns into a deadly fight for survival when they find themselves held captive by a cold-blooded predator.
After setting up camp and spending some quality time together, the couple awake in the middle of the night and are horrified to discover a black mamba – one of the most venomous snakes in the world – has slithered inside their tent.
Unable to move, Adam and Gwynneth remain lying on the ground while the snake slithers between them, searching for a way out.
Trying not to make any sudden movements or aggravate the serpent in any way, Adam is able to grab Gwynneth’s cell phone, which can’t pick up any signal but still offers some source of light in the darkness.
Unfortunately, the phone doesn’t only allow Adam to look around the tent but it also provides him with a glimpse into his wife’s private life and, after unintentionally reading some of the messages coming up on the screen, Adam discovers Gwynneth has been having an affair.
Enraged by her betrayal, Adam turns on his wife and while the ugly truth threatens to tear their lives apart, the serpent moves in for the kill.
Written and directed by Amanda Evans, Serpent strikes but fails to sink its fangs in.
However, even though the storyline fails to grip the audience in its coils, the film has some interesting aspects which make it worth watching – the most notable being the fact that the fear on screen is genuine as real black mambas were used during production.
This in itself is impressive, especially if one recalls all the dreadful snake movies which have come out featuring unrealistic computer-generated serpents.
Also read DVD review: Kong: Skull Island
