The Lair of the White Worm

The Lair of the White Worm (1988)
Movie rating:	7/10
DVD rating:	7/10
Release Date:	August 19, 2003
Running Time:	1 hour 33 minutes
Rating:	R
Distributor:	Artisan
List Price:	$14.98

Disc Details
Special Features:	Widescreen anamorphic format Chapter selection
Video Format:	Anamorphic Widescreen (1.77:1) [SS-SL]
Languages:	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Subtitles:	English for the hearing impared.
Captions:	Yes
Casing:	1-Disc Keep Case

Review

Ken Russell's "The Lair of the White Worm" is one of my guilty pleasures. I have always enjoyed Russell's gonzo approach to filmmaking. "Lair" is far from his best work. Based on a minor story by Bram Stoker, "Lair" pits Lord D'Ampton and friends against Lady Sylvia Marsh (Amanda Donohoe), a serpentine vampire.

Amanda Donohoe as Sylvia Marsh is a kinky delight in this Ken Russell trashfest. She is an adherent to an ancient pagan snake religion. When archeologist Angus Flint (Peter Capaldi from Local Hero) unearths the skull of a long dead dragon, Lady Sylvia shows up to reclaim the skull and resurrect her god. Along the way she seduces and bites a number of the locals. Hugh Grant and Catherine Oxenberg provide support as the hero and the virgin sacrifice.

Director Russell is known for his crazed religious symbolism. "Lair" has several set pieces showing off Russell's bizarre vision. There are naked crucified nuns and an erotic stewardess cat fight. Sit back and enjoy. It isn't a great horror film, but once seen, it is hard to forget.

The Disc

Kinky fun film. Good picture and sound. No extras. Perfect vanilla DVD price.

Picture Quality: 7/10
There are some big delineation problems during the darker scenes. Otherwise the picture is fine. Excellent flesh tones. Lots of flesh. Have fun watching Amanda Donohoe bite a boy scout.

Sound Quality: 7/10
The sound is a bit flat on the high end. No loss of dialogue. I had to put on the closed caption to get through some of the heavy accents.

Easter Eggs:
No Easter Eggs found during review.

Extra Features: 0/10
No extras. Priced to reflect the lack of extras.

The Final Word:
Fans of Ken Russell will love this one. A kinky romp through the world of snaky vampires.