Lair of the White Worm (1988 film)
Summary
Loosely based on a Bram Stoker novel of the same name. A young archaeologist discovers a large and inexplicable skull on a neighboring farm, which he soon deduces belonged to the D'Ampton Worm, a mythical beast supposedly slain generations ago by the ancestor of the current Lord D'Ampton. The predatory Lady Sylvia Marsh soon takes an interest, hinting that the vicious D'Ampton Worm may still live.
Details
- Release Date: 1988
- Country/Language: UK, English
- Genres/Technical: Horror, Fantasy, Comedy? (camp)
- Runtime: X min
- Starring: Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg
- Director: Ken Russell
- Writer: Bram Stoker (original story), Ken Russell (screenplay)
- Producer/Production Co: White Lair
- View Trailer: (link)
Ratings
MPAA Ratings
- Rated: R (Violence, Sexual Content, Violent Sexual Content, graphic Nudity)
Tentacle Ratings
A rough measure of how "Lovecraftian" the work is:
- SS___ (Two Tentacles: Barely Lovecraftian; could be a very loose adaptation)
Allegedly based on the Bram Stoker novel, which I've never read, this film, amidst is weird and campy sexual content, has weird vampire-snake-people pagan cults, giant albino snake-dragon-worms, human sacrifices, cavern temples, and more. Because I've never read the (reportedly terrible) novel, it's hard for me to tell how much of Stoker's content was lifted by Lovecraft for stories like "The Shadow Over Innsmouth (fiction)", and how much of Lovecraft's fiction was lifted for the film, but when you have degenerate snake people named "Marsh" living in "D'Ampton" leading a cult to a monstrous dragon-worm-thing, it's hard not to point to some "Lovecraftian" DNA in this film. I find it more than a little reminiscent of similarly over-the-top sexualized and gory horror films based on Lovecraft stories made in roughly the same era, such as Dagon, From Beyond, and Re-Animator; fans of those films will probably enjoy this one for similar reasons....
Note: This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.
Reviews
Review Links:
- Wes R. at Oh The Horror, (link) - "...If you can get past the slightly muddled motivations and the occasional camp, I think most who are willing will find themselves charmed by Russell’s film. Ancient pagan gods and the like are more the territory of H.P. Lovecraft than Bram Stoker, and with a more serious tone, this one could have been a scary, horror classic. As it stands, there’s nothing really wrong with the film that isn’t wrong with at least dozens of other mid-late 80s flicks...."
Synopsis
Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)
A young archaeologist discovers a large and inexplicable skull on a neighboring farm, which he soon deduces belonged to the D'Ampton Worm, a mythical beast supposedly slain generations ago by the ancestor of the current Lord D'Ampton. The predatory Lady Sylvia Marsh soon takes an interest, hinting that the vicious D'Ampton Worm may still live.
Notes
Comments, Trivia, Dedication
Associated Mythos Elements
- Fiction: Bram Stoker, Lair of the White Worm
- Race: Serpent People
- Creature: D'Ampton Worm
- Deity: Dionin
- Family: Marsh
- Artefacts and Tomes: dragon skull, the Weird Sex Toy of Yig, sacrificial daggers, and various other tomes and oddities
Keeper Notes
See Also
Films with similar tone and content:
