FIRE SERPENTS, SAND SERPENTS, AND A SERPENT KING – A TRIO OF CRYPTO-CREATURE FEATURES UNCOILING ON-SCREEN!

Publicity posters for Fireplace Serpent, Sand Serpents, and Basilisk: The
Serpent King (© John Terlesky/CineTel Movies/Kandu Leisure/Outrage
Productions/Premiere Bobine/S.V. Scary Movies/Sci-Fi Channel/Lionsgate House
Leisure // Jeff Renfroe/Media Professional Footage/Muse Leisure/SyFy/RHI
Leisure // Stephen Furst/BUFO/Curmudgeon Movies/Sci Fi Footage – all
three posters reproduced right here on a strictly non-commercial Truthful Use foundation for
instructional/evaluation functions solely)

It is all the time a pleasure to observe creature
options by which the monsters in query are far faraway from the same old cinematic
stereotypes (e.g. ferocious man-beasts, werewolves, sea monsters, gargantuan
bugs, prehistoric survivors), and the three examples showing within the trio
of monster films reviewed by me right here, courtesy initially of ShukerNature’s sister weblog, Shuker In MovieLand, are positively out of the strange, that is for certain!
They show a vermiform similarity, however their respective origins couldn’t be
extra dissimilar – forged right down to Earth from the scorching floor of the solar, rudely
awoken from deep subterranean desert dreaming, and resurrected from a really
prolonged petrified previous.

 

A second publicity poster for Fireplace Serpent (© John Terlesky/CineTel Movies/Kandu Leisure/Outrage
Productions/Premiere Bobine/S.V. Scary Movies/Sci-Fi Channel/Lionsgate House
Leisure – reproduced right here on a strictly non-commercial Truthful Use foundation for
instructional/evaluation functions solely)

FIRE SERPENT

My film watch on 25 August 2022 was a
extremely authentic sci fi/monster film entitled Fireplace Serpent.

Directed by John Terlesky, created by
celebrated Star Trek actor William
Shatner, and initially screened in 2007 by the Sci-Fi Channel, Fireplace Serpent has as its central idea
the notion that sometimes all through historical past, certainly one of these eponymous
fire-embodied serpentine entities is shot forth by way of photo voltaic flares from the solar’s
scorching floor right down to Earth, the place it commits all method of mayhem,
inducing large-scale blazes, forest fires, and so forth in its seek for gasoline to
revitalise it.

In so doing, this ophidian flame-spreader
will even take over people in its bid to destroy anybody who stands in its path
earlier than incinerating them internally but with out leaving a mark on them
externally. For sure, spontaneous human combustion immediately involves
thoughts right here, however sadly – and surprisingly – this extraordinary but still-unexplained
fiery phenomenon is neither talked about by identify nor included in any approach
inside the film.

The existence of fireside serpents is thought
to the US authorities however is saved a closely-guarded secret till maverick
firefighter Dutch Fallon (performed by Randolph Mantooth), whose girlfriend was
killed by certainly one of these flying furnaces, decides to plan a way of destroying
them. This doesn’t go down effectively with one mysterious authorities agent in
specific, nonetheless, a spiritual fanatic and covert arsonist named Cooke
(Robert Beltran) who believes that they’re fiery angels despatched by God to cleanse
the world by fireplace to be able to renew it.

Can Dutch and a few semi-believing
associates put a cease each to the hearth serpents and to the fire-preaching maniac
Cooke who seeks to harness them in his mad bid for catastrophic world
conflagration?

The CGI fireplace serpents are effectively executed,
and, as I say, this film’s theme is uncommon sufficient to maintain even a hardened
seen-it-all creature characteristic fan like me and entertained.

In the event you’d care to gaze from the
flame-retardant security of your couch on the coruscating creatures featured in
this incandescent film, be sure you click on right here
to observe an official Fireplace Serpent
trailer on YouTube that will not go away you feeling sizzling beneath the collar!

 

Shut-up of a large sand serpent in
Sand Serpents (© Jeff Renfroe/Media
Professional Footage/Muse Leisure/Syfy/RHI Leisure – reproduced right here on a
strictly non-commercial Truthful Use foundation for instructional/evaluation functions solely)

SAND SERPENTS

On 29 June
2022, my film watch was the crypto-themed Canadian movie Sand Serpents.

Directed
by Jeff Renfroe, and launched on the Syfy Channel in 2009, Sand Serpents is certainly one of many higher entries within the
long-running made-for-TV ‘Maneater’ collection of sci fi/horror creature options
produced by RHI Leisure for Syfy and launched from 2007 onwards.

Suppose Tremors, however set in Afghanistan
(though filmed in Romania), Sand
Serpents centres upon a small US particular forces army squad led by Lieutenant Richard
Stanley (performed by Jason Gedrick) and searching for to
elude the Taliban, but additionally dealing with a good deadlier and much more sudden foe
– 60-ft-long predatory worms disturbed from their subterranean realm by a
large explosion and now looking down and devouring or destroying something
that betrays its presence to them by way of loud sounds or different vibrations. Not even
helicopters flying overhead are secure from these voracious vermiforms that rear
up into the sky and swallow the whirlybirds in a single gulp. Gulp!

The
squad’s solely hope is to make its approach by a collection of underground tunnels to
a location the place one more helicopter will try to rescue them, however the
worms appear intent upon selecting them off, one after the other… Just remember to watch
this film proper to the very finish, as a result of the closing scene comprises a really dramatic
and sudden albeit considerably pointless twist.

For a
low-budget film, its CGI mega-worms are glorious, with Sand Serpents a worthy homage to the Tremors franchise, and an equally worthy addition to my
crypto-cinema assortment.

Furthermore, if
what I’ve learn in numerous opinions of it elsewhere is true, this film’s
portrayal of the US army in motion in Afghanistan is an honest, comparatively correct
illustration (although apparently there are numerous authenticity points
in regards to the troopers’ outfits and insignia – as somebody not well-informed on
army issues, nonetheless, I could not say).

For a spectacular
taster of what to anticipate down deep within the desert the place the enormous sand serpents
dwell, be sure you click on right here
to view a trailer of sand serpent excerpts from this film on YouTube.

 

A French publicity poster for Basilisk: The Serpent King (© Stephen
Furst/BUFO/Curmudgeon Movies/Sci Fi Footage – reproduced right here on a strictly
non-commercial Truthful Use foundation for instructional/evaluation functions solely)

BASILISK: THE SERPENT KING

Seen on the UK’s Horror [now renamed
Legend] TV Channel, my film look ahead to 18 June 2022 was the creature characteristic Basilisk: The Serpent King.

Directed by Stephen Furst, filmed in
Bulgaria, and launched in 2006 on the Sci Fi Channel, Basilisk: The Serpent King opens with a modern-day discovery within the
Center East of what seem on first sight to be a collection of stone statues of
troopers relationship again two millennia. These are introduced again to the States by the
archaeological workforce that has found them, led by Dr
Harrison ‘Harry’ McColl (performed by Jeremy London), along with their most
extraordinary discover there – specifically, what once more appears to be a stone statue, however
this time of an infinite serpentine dragon, plus a really ornate
serpent-ornamented sceptre containing a good looking valuable stone.

Nevertheless, it is not lengthy earlier than the terrifying
reality emerges – these ‘statues’ are literally petrified people. Furthermore, when
the enormous serpentine dragon ‘statue’ is placed on show within the Colorado college
museum sponsoring Harry’s archaeological dig, and sensationally involves life throughout
a serious reception there for the museum’s rich patrons by way of an sudden
photo-reaction involving the sceptre and a photo voltaic eclipse, it seems to be a
basilisk, which spits forth a lethal white liquid that when activated by its
incandescent gaze promptly turns to stone a good few of its awe-struck
viewers. Not solely that, it is pregnant! (Not a lot a Serpent King as a Serpent
Queen, due to this fact, or are there facets of basilisk replica that I’ve but
to study??)

Anyway, a lot mayhem outcomes, particularly when
the basilisk lays waste to a multi-story indoor procuring centre (whose property
& contents insurance coverage is unlikely to cowl wholesale destruction brought on by a
legendary mega-monster!), and the U.S. military is introduced into play in a determined bid
to nullify this Medusa-mouthed Center Jap mall-wrecker.

In the meantime, Harry and mates (certainly one of
whom, Carlton, is performed by director Furst) no much less desperately try to regain
possession of the sceptre that has been stolen by a wily and rich albeit
decidedly wacky villainess named Hannah (Yancy Butler). She plans to make use of it to
uncover a priceless cache of treasure, uncaring that it additionally occurs to be the
solely object in existence that may counter the basilisk.

However its ostensibly incongruous,
spindly little legs (though some conventional basilisk depictions do certainly
provide it with limbs), the CGI basilisk may be very acceptable, and whereas there
is an emphasis upon wisecracks and goofy characters, this monster film nonetheless boasts
its fair proportion of thrills alongside the best way too. Basilisk: The Serpent King was a movie hitherto unknown to me however one
that I actually loved, and in addition recorded to be able to add it to the crypto-themed
part of my film assortment, as I’ve up to now been unable to find it on
DVD.

By the way, for the good thing about zoomythology
zealots, I have to level out two intrinsic discrepancies between this film’s basilisk
and conventional ones. Firstly: though the basilisk is certainly referred to in classical
legends because the king of the serpents, it’s often represented as being fairly
small, actually nothing remotely as sizeable as this movie’s gargantuan
consultant. Secondly: and in accordance as soon as once more to legends, ought to a
basilisk direct its gaze or its venom upon anybody (or another dwelling factor),
the latter is immediately killed, not turned to stone – that extra specialised slaying
skill is as an alternative reserved for the trio of  gorgons in Greek mythology.

However, right here and right here, to petrify you, however, fortunately, not in a gorgonesque method, are a few Basilisk: The Serpent King clips on
YouTube.

A
shut encounter of the basilisk selection in Basilisk:
The Serpent King(© Stephen Furst/BUFO/Curmudgeon
Movies/Sci Fi Footage – reproduced right here on a strictly non-commercial Truthful Use
foundation for instructional/evaluation functions solely)