Coil. Blu-ray Review: SSSSSSS (1973) If you wish more horror films came with onomatopoetic titles, I’ve got the movie for you. The plot is indescribably moronic, but simultaneously it's also an admirable throwback to the good old "Mad Scientist" horror movies from the 1940's and 1950's. So that can't be the reason, if Dirk or Heather had a problem with nudity, then they should either got another actor or just forgot the whole scene. My guess is that most of you have already seen it or at least know the story. And then it is more silly than Sci-Fi. Problems arise when the crazy doctor's unwary daughter Kristina falls in love with David and when the nearby police force comes to question him about his previous assistant who went missing. He’s got a few screws loose in the ol’ noggin. She payed Louisa in The Sound of Music (1965), but was also in Logan’s Run (1977-78), the TV movie Captain America (1979), and Piranha (1978). My Little Pony: Friendship Games Clip #2 (Shout Factory) Jonathanmills51. This was Benedict’s third acting credit but he went on to make a name for himself as Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica (1978-79) and as The Face in The A-Team (1983-87). The film deals a mad doctor(Strother Martin),his former helper has disappeared and he asks to University professor(Richard B. Shull)a student. It differs a bit in that the scientist at times is almost likable and shows regret for what he is doing, but he is clearly a mad scientist in that his theory and the reasons for his experiment are highly flawed and questionable. Striepeke has makeup department credits on a long list of Hollywood blockbusters, including Oscar nominations for Forrest Gump (1994) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards in 2004. I first saw this movie on TV when I was like 5 years old. I was really tempted to just copy+paste “Sssssss” until it filled up the page and have that be my review for this garbage, but I ultimately decided against it (and it almost went the other way). To this end, Stoner is attempting to create the first creature of the new evolution by transforming his unsuspecting student research assistants through a series of injections. Strother Martin is probably best known for his roles in Cool Hand Luke (1967), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), and a half-dozen John Wayne vehicles. Despite its lack of focus, it still delivers a cohesive whole and is certainly never dull. Sssssss is an enjoyable homage to countless monster movies of the 1950s that never takes itself too seriously. Medusa and other Snake Woman in movie. Sssssss is the 1973 cult sci fi horror classic that has developed a loyal following as a cheesy but entertaining piece of exploitation cinema. Because Dr. Stoner – splendid performance by Strother Martin – strongly believes that snakes are the only creatures capable of surviving the inevitable upcoming ecological holocaust, so basically he's doing mankind a favor by transforming us all into snakes! What we have here is a failure to....OH, wrong Strother Martin film. There really is not a whole lot going on in this one either, but they manage to have a full length feature at 99 minutes. But that’s just me. The movie was shot in the beginning of Dirk Benedict's Career, so his performance not as good as it became later, but he was a very talented and promissing actor. In the end, while it certainly has its flaws, Sssssss is a pretty enjoyable movie. This movie has it all! Jeff Mohr I first saw this when I was 8 or 9. 5 star 78% 4 star 11% 3 star 7% 2 star 1% 1 star 3% How are ratings calculated? In 1976, NBC acquired the rights to this film, and it became a sort of cult movie, growing stronger as VHS in 1997 and DVD in 2004 added fuel to the fire. 0:30. I have fond memories of watching this film as a kid. Several times, we see Strother Martin handling live snakes using the tools of a snake handler. Incidentally, Scream Factory has also announced a Blu-ray release of The Boy Who Cried Werewolf for July 26, 2016. 07/16/2018 There’s a great fight scene between Benedict and Brown where the beefy Brown literally hurls the smaller Benedict through the air. The script plods along, but screenwriter Hal Dresner She was also in Captain America with Reb Brown,who has a small part in this movie too! Seven S’s. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Chambers also created disguise kits for the CIA and was a key member of the team whose story was told in Argo (2012), in which he was played by John Goodman. At first I was put off by the sounds the snakes made, assuming they weren’t realistic and were added for dramatic effect. 1:57. Sssssss is the story of Dr. Stoner (Strother Martin), a herpetologist specializing in snakes. Later in his career, he played the title role alongside Heather Menzies-Urich in the 1979 TV movie, Captain America. Merchant Video . You might not be able to place the name, but I guarantee you’ll remember his face. Learn more. David’s “immunization” begins immediately when he is hired. Ging is one of those omnipresent character actors that has appeared in a long list of TV shows and movies. Audience Reviews for Sssssss. His solution is to create a composite creature from the DNA of a man and a king cobra that will be better suited for survival. Looking to watch Sssssss (1973)? When Kevin Smith released his now -notorious horror comedy Tusk, many reviewers took issue with the ludicrous premise in which a mad scientist takes … I would’ve rather seen the nudity but in the end, it only adds to the character and eccentricities of the production. It’s a great world we live in. A missing student named Tim, we later find, was a tragic victim of Stoner's experiments in "tampering" with evolution so that civilization would continue after mankind was long past(..he's paranoid with the fact that mankind, as we know it, is certainly on the verge of collapse and extinction which fuels his obsessions with his work). It takes a bit to get going, but once it does, it’s highly entertaining. My babysitter wanted to watch it, despite the fact that it scared me to death. Besides folks, the movie was released over 40 years ago. Not six S’s. Quite clearly we can all see were This movie is going. A doctor who specializes in snakes develops a way to turn a human being into a king cobra! User Ratings Actors know how to act and what to do, and that's very good for the movie. So this film has its good points, but a lot of bad points too. The feeling of horror is to be experienced, though it's a nice movie to watch and sometimes it's quite funny. A big part of that love has a lot to do with the people involved in its making, but more about that later. Why? The good doctor’s public persona is rather benign, but there’s a hidden motive to his fascination and research with snakes. Dr. Stoner believes that the downfall of mankind is nigh unless they are soon able to move to a new existence, a higher stage of development. ENTER CITY, STATE OR ZIP CODE GO. in This movie Chambers literally changes Benedict into a full living snake not for The squeamish I might add. This movie is more Sci-Fi than horror. There’s a great scene where Richard B. Shull, as Stoner’s academic nemesis, is trapped in a basement with a giant anaconda. Find out where Sssssss (1973) is streaming, if Sssssss (1973) is on Netflix, and get news and updates, on Decider. Much to the dismay of the doctor's young daughter... "SSSSSSS" is an interesting but ultimately too slow creature feature. statement. Sssssss slithery tale is about Dr. Carl Stoner’s quest to make the perfect species (the body of a snake, the mind of a man!) Over his career, he’s won a variety of awards for his makeup, including an honorary Oscar in 1969 for his work on Planet of the Apes (1968). I mean mad science— science that doesn’t just run counter to everything accepted by reputable practitioners in the field, but which also would serve no imaginable sane purpose even if it could be made to work the way it’s supposed to. Uncategorized. SSSSSSS is an awesome movie. So, when you watch a film like "Sssssss" and your reaction is to yawn, you know things are not working. I already had a fascination for, and a fear of snakes. The movie is great! I came upon "SSSSSSS" at the local video store and rented it. Stoner, however, has grown diabolical and will kill one male behind the death of his pet snake and another quack doctor/professor, behind the school's granting him the annual grant that keeps his career going, who understands what he's up to regarding David, becoming lunch to his pet boa. WHY he wants to do this is never fully explained. In terms of direction and storytelling, Sssssss is well-paced and the dialogue comes off as very natural. I also enjoyed the acting. Despite its faults, I give Sssssss a 4 out of 5 loudly hissing, king cobras. Throw in a catchy score, an actor I know I know but can't recognize, a hysterical bully, Harry the Lassie of snakes, and some cocktail party fodder science facts, and I am hooked! Some of the special effects are decent, but not enough to carry a movie. I think cobras are the coolest of any snakes, deadly as they are! Movie Review. There is two things that might have had nudity, one where they skinny dipped and they superimposed leaves and branches over everything, then after love making, they got out of bed and they superimposed a bed headboard. Second, I love this movie far more than it deserves. 0:30 . The two also conduct weekend shows open to the public, during which Stoner “charms” a king cobra and demonstrates venom milking while Kristina acts as emcee. Just for emphasis, we’re treated to a special shot of Shull’s foot as it disappears. If you're terrified of snakes, it will most likely scare the hell out of you. Nope, this movie came from a time when FX were cheap, shaky and down played but the movie was fun and exciting none the less. Customer Review: Sssssss [Blu-ray] See full review. What Stoner doesn't expect is that his daughter/assistant Kristina(Heather Menzies of PIRANHA fame)and David fall in love. We focus on the aptly named Dr Stoner, a herpetologist heavily engaged in research on snakes. The plot (almost scene for scene) was appropriated by Full Moon to make Curse of the Puppetmaster, so campy is definitely the word to use here. However, unbeknown to David, the treatment is actually a plan by the not so good doctor to turn him into a King Cobra! Rathe boring and silly. This movie shows what a mongoose does best. Well, Martin is the star of Sssssss(7 s's), and I must admit he is rather enjoyable to watch as a kindly, softspoken, insane, murderous herpetologist trying to save the human race by turning men into cobras. The definitive site for Reviews, Trailers, Showtimes, and Tickets So often those movies you enjoyed as a kid turn out to be trash when you watch them as an adult, but this was a rare case of a movie that managed to hold up. In Sssssss, he plays Steve Randall, a stereotypical dumb jock. Hence, his need for a new assistant, David, to replace his failure. The scale is obviously off, but it’s still a wonderful shot! David and Kristina have an obvious mutual attraction and begin to spend time together almost immediately. Second, the director is Bernard L. Kowalski. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing SSSSSSS near you. Online reviewers have written 45 reviews, giving Sssssss (1973) an average rating of 44%. Movie Reviews; Home For The Holidays; Awards Watch; Indie Movie Guide; Family Guide; House Of Screams; Weekly Ticket; My VIP Account. NEW My Reptilian Past – An Interview With Actor Dirk Benedict, NEW The Herpetologist’s Daughter – An Interview With Heather Menzies. … First, the executive producers are Richard Zanuck and David Brown, who went on to produce Jaws. It was 1973 PG, that time period brief nudity was allowed. Dr. Stoner is in need of a new student research assistant and hires David (Dirk Benedict) to join their happy home and snake farm. The litany continues with the three lead actors. No snakes were harmed during the filming of this movie. Movie Reviews; PG, 1 hr 39 min Tell us where you are Looking for movie tickets? And show those fangs. PLANET OF THE APES showed a bare butt and it was rated G! In his retrospective review he wrote, "Sssssss fails because it emulates the films that inspired it all too closely: the story moves forward at a laboriously slow pace, and its threadbare plot makes it all too easy for the viewer to pick apart its plot holes and implausible elements. FAQ This film is like numerous science fiction/horror films from the 1950's, 60's and 70's as it features a mad scientist with a bizarre experiment he wishes to conduct. Get your swag on with discounted movies to stream at home, exclusive movie gear, … Retrouvez toutes les dernières critiques sur le film Sssssss, réalisé par Bernard L. Kowalski avec Strother Martin, Dirk Benedict, Heather Menzies. Will he use this on the college student who has just became his new assistant? Horror...No. Insider Perks. Back in 1973, Universal Studios released both Sssssss and The Boy Who Cried Werewolf as a double […] Reply. Next Post. He also appeared in Howling II (1985) and Yor, the Hunter from the Future (1983). Metacritic Reviews. The effects were impressive, although, I would like to see a snake man with arms. for it's Time The movie delivers some Top notch special effects particularly in The make up. But this movie (Along with "Stanley") increased both the fear and the fascination, for me! A young man called David (Richard Benedict)looking for employment is hired by the scientific.The doctor works a secrets experiments on snakes.Meanwhile David falls in love with his daughter(Heather Menzies).Then the ¨mad doctor¨ injects him a serum into becoming a King Cobra snake causing a horrible transformation. Designed by John Chambers he had astounded movie audiences earlier with his work on The Planet Of The Apes movies. 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A brilliant doctor has the formula to help mankind survive the event of the holocaust and other cataclysmic proportions. An impressive cast that includes Tim O'Connor of Buck Rogers In the 25th Century fame and Dirk Benedict of Battlestar Galatica (original) and the A-Team fame. Presumably, the producers or studio wanted a PG rating, so the nudity was covered up by placing leaves and branches in the foreground after the scene was shot. First, there will be SPOILERS. OK, I was half in the bag watching this one. He takes in David Blake, a young student, as his assistant and promptly starts him on an "anti-venom" treatment. Pretty silly horror movie about Dr. Carl Stoner (Strother Martin) who has perfected a drug that turns men into King Cobra snakes. Sssssss was released in 1973 and has generally received mixed reviews. Dirk Benedict was 28 at the release of Sssssss but his boyish good looks fit perfectly as a 20-year-old college student. 4.6 out of 5 stars. The mad-scientist plot is actually the best part of the film, since you really witness Dr. Stoner transform from a patient and amiable elderly doctor into an obsessive and fanatic maniac who'll stop at nothing – not even murder – to complete his mission. Like most people of my generation, I only know Dirk Benedict as the Faceman in the cool 80's series "The A-Team", where he used his womanizing skills and good looks (hence the alias) to seduce a new gal in every episode. SSSS makes up in suspense and b-movie star power what it lacks in production values. Not surprisingly, the good doctor is convinced that this improved state of existence will include a mutually beneficial melding of snake and human DNA. The make-up effects are mostly superb – that circus snake man is genuinely creepy – and the cheesy'n'cheap 70's atmosphere is simply irresistible. It's not some unsung classic by any means, but it is a very engaging horror film. How to Get Your Book or Comic Reviewed on HNN? 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