The Snake Isn’t the Only Villain Here

Read Time:5 Minute, 34 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Venom [4K UHD + Blu-ray]
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Genre: Horror, Thriller
Year Released: 1981, Blue Underground 4K 2025
Runtime: 1h 32m
Director(s): Piers Haggard, Tobe Hooper
Writer(s): Alan Scholefield, Robert Carrington
Cast: Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed, Nicol Williamson, Sarah Miles, Sterling Hayden, Cornelia Sharpe, Lance Holcomb, Susan George, Michael Gough, Mike Gwilym, Edward Hardwicke
Where to Watch: Available now. Order here: www.mvdshop.com or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: When a movie hinges on a reptile and two actors who hate each other, the results can either feel electric or combust into pure chaos. This one doesn’t blow up, but it never quite fully strikes. Sitting between high-concept thriller and creature feature chaos, VENOM starts with a premise that sounds like a studio executive’s fever dream—kidnappers, a dangerous snake, and a tense siege all unfolding inside a London townhouse. It’s the kind of setup you expect to tip over into absurdity, and somehow, it both restrains itself and spirals off the rails simultaneously.

The hook is undeniably wild: a child’s pet is mistakenly swapped out for a black mamba—one of the world’s most dangerous snakes—just as a team of criminals attempt a kidnapping. The hostage plot and the reptilian wildcard collide almost immediately, forcing everyone into an impromptu standoff as the snake weaves through vents and shadows. Instead of going all-in on the horror or suspense, the movie keeps an oddly subdued tone. That calm veneer sometimes works, especially when the police strategy plays out parallel with the increasingly anxious criminals inside, but other moments just feel undercooked.

VENOM had no chance of ever just working, especially once its behind-the-scenes drama started spiraling out of control. Originally placed in the hands of Tobe Hooper, a director known for his genre work, the project shifted abruptly when Hooper was removed after only a few days. What followed was a whirlwind: Piers Haggard took over with barely enough time to blink, let alone shape the project creatively. What we get on screen feels like a tug-of-war between vision and salvage. That chaos isn't just backstage folklore; it bleeds into the editing room, and you feel it in the script’s uneven tone.

It’s the kind of film that dangles conflict right before you, then decides not to chase it. The real potential here wasn’t just the snake. Still, the clash between its two criminal leads—played by Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed—two combustible personalities in real life whose animosity on set was reportedly intense. That friction barely registers in the final cut, a major missed opportunity. There’s tension, sure, but it’s diluted as if the filmmakers backed away from letting their stars truly implode on screen.

Kinski plays the cool, calculated criminal type with his usual intensity, and Reed counters with brute-force unpredictability. However, the two rarely share the kind of scenes that might elevate the material. You keep waiting for their characters to unravel in ways that fuel the tension, but instead, their conflict simmers quietly, never quite spilling over. For a movie that spends so much time building to a boiling point, it’s odd how hesitant it is to get there.

The supporting cast brings more stability. Sterling Hayden delivers a grounded performance as the elderly figure trapped in the middle of the chaos, while Susan George and Lance Holcomb bring just enough to their roles to make the stakes feel personal. Nicol Williamson stands out in the law enforcement subplot, adding some procedural credibility that helps anchor the story.

Michael Kamen’s music does what it can to heighten suspense. This was early in his career, and the score pulls some anxiety through the film’s slower stretches. Still, music alone can’t solve the movie’s larger problem: it feels like two movies fused without enough connective tissue. One side wants to be a grounded thriller, the other a man-versus-nature horror flick, and the compromise between them ends up feeling uncertain.

One element that deserves more scrutiny is how the snake seems to follow a suspicious moral compass. Its presence feels tailored to the plot more than any kind of natural behavior—it strikes only when narratively convenient, targeting villains while sparing the innocent. This might be interpreted as thematic irony or even dark humor, but it isn’t handled carefully enough to make it feel intentional. Instead, it reads as lazy plotting.

VENOM’s biggest flaw is that it holds back. With this cast, this setup, and even the production chaos behind it, it had all the ingredients to become something wild and unforgettable. Instead, it plays things safe. There are moments when you see the potential peeking through—when the snake appears unexpectedly or when Kinski and Reed finally clash—but they’re too brief, controlled, and clean.

There’s a weird charm in balancing the absurd and the grounded, and the concept alone keeps it interesting, even if the execution stumbles at times. There's something to chew on here for fans of offbeat thrillers or those interested in films with behind-the-scenes lore more captivating than the finished product. VENOM doesn’t hit every note right, but it has enough curiosity, tension, and vintage genre energy to warrant a watch—just don’t expect it to bite with full force.

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[photo courtesy of BLUE UNDERGROUND, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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