Sssssss (1973)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Load of rubbish!!

Best movie of this year hands down!

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

It's not too bad of a film - for a B horror it's decent, kinda keeps me interested. Warning: If you have a huge fear of snakes then this film is NOT for you! They use real snakes in the making of this film.Dr. Stoner seems to have it in his head that snakes and humans become one they will rule the planet - outlasting plagues, viruses, natural disasters, holocausts, and other things of this nature. He slowly transforms humans into the snake/human crossbreeds.The ending could have been better: I mean David was, or looked like, a full-on King Cobra and not part human so why or how did Kristina know that snake was David? She couldn't even see his eyes because the mongoose was on the snake David. Otherwise it's a fairly decent 1970s B horror film that can entertain to a degree.6/10

With a distinctive and risky title like "Sssssss", this proved to be a surprisingly effective shocker about an unethical doctor(Strother Martin) who devises a serum that can turn people into king cobras(really), which he already has tried once unsuccessfully on a former assistant, but will now try again on another(Dirk Benedict). Heather Menzies plays his sheltered daughter, who falls in love , but it all leads to tragedy...Good direction by Bernard Kowalski, and well-written script(story in itself is nothing new, but that doesn't matter) and impressive use of real snakes make this quite memorable, with a truly downbeat ending that will be hard for the viewer to forget...

Demented herpetologist Dr Carl Stoner (Martin) develops a serum capable of transforming human beings into King Cobras, whilst ostensibly conducting neurotoxin research for the local university. With his research grant under threat from rival academic nemesis (Shull), Dr. Stoner must take matters into his own hands to secure the birth of his penultimate mutation – arousing the suspicions of his somewhat bookish daughter (Menzies) who has fallen for his unfortunate intern cum guinea pig.Taut little shocker succeeds with marvellous make-up effects (courtesy of John Chambers), convincing action sequences, and, particularly good characterisations from the versatile cast. Martin is superb as the reclusive, brilliant but ultimately disturbed scientist, spellbound by his King Cobra's majestic superiority, and possessed to find the formula to transform man into snake. Benedict (future "Battlestar Gallactica" and "The A-Team" star) is also good as his ill-fated assistant, while veterans Jack Ging and Richard B.Shull provide contrasting characterisations amply in support.Whilst the film's climax requires a fair amount of creative latitude to be appreciated, it's the gradual transformation and constant obstacles that generate the most interest throughout the film. Benedict's character suffers from a major case of minor hero worshipping of the eminent snake doctor, leading him to almost blindly accept painful inoculations that cause strange abnormalities to emerge with each lethal injection. With his naïve assistant plagued by severe, chronic dermatitis and deformation of the facial features, the spectre of being discovered becomes too intense for the usually mild-mannered doctor, and he employs his deadly black mamba to full effect on those who threaten the success of his deranged experiments.Made on a b-grade budget, the sets are simple but realistic, the outdoor shots garish, with a truly seventies surrealist hallucination scene, intelligent dialogue and memorable music. Overall, if you can suspend disbelief for an hour-and-a-half, you'll be well entertained with "Sssssss".

Okay, let me start with the title... Sssssss? Who came up with that!? You can't expect me to talk to a friend and go like: "Hey I saw a movie last night." "Cool, which one?" "Sssssss" "Excuse me?"It just doesn't work!Okay enough about that... Let's talk about the movie itself. I honestly don't know what to say about it. Well okay, it is rather unique. It's part horror, part drama, part creature feature, part mystery.The story is about a doctor who is an expert when it comes to snakes. He lives in a house with his daughter, who helps him in his experiments. I won't spoil the main plot, because it's what makes this movie what it is. The acting is okay and the story develops at a steady pace with a few strange twists. They used real snakes in this movie. They have the guts to say so right at the start of the movie. I respect the movie and the actors for working with the real deal.Just for that reason I'm giving this movie 5 stars. Gonna add 1 more star for the creativity.Sssssss is a strange, unique movie that's worth a watch when you get your hands on it, but don't expect an amazing masterpiece. It's an enjoyable film, but nothing more.