The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

Angus Flint, a Scottish archaeologist, discovers a strange animal skull in the ruins of an ancient covenant he is excavating. Shortly thereafter Angus meets Lord James D'Ampton, who has recently inherited his family's land nearby the excavation site. D'Ampton tells Angus of the D'Ampton worm, a huge snake-like monster which was slain by one of James D'Ampton's ancestors. Incidentally, the tale is also conveyed through a catchy folk-rock number just prior to this.

Meanwhile Lady Sylvia Marsh returns early to her nearby mansion, known as Temple House. Local townsfolk begin to disappear inexplicably, and the skull is mysteriously stolen from Angus's room. Then the watch of a missing person turns up in a cavern which, according to legend, was home to the D'Ampton worm.

Further investigation leads them to the chilling conclusion that the D'Ampton worm lives on, and that a murderous and sexually depraved worm-worshipping cult, which Lady Marsh seems to be connected to, is operating in the vicinity.

The Lair of the White Worm mixes horror, thriller, and bizarre eroticism into a truly unique cocktail. The film is an adaptation of a book by Bram Stoker. I can't speak to the quality of the adaptation as I haven't read the book. The film doesn't feature a bunch of big name actors, with the exception of Hugh Grant as James D'Ampton. But this doesn't have to mean the acting is horrid and actually, in this case, it is not.

The special effects are campy, but they actually work for the movie. Particularly the psychedelic hallucination scenes which feature a tawdry assortment of sex, violence, and blasphemy, are not striking in terms of the quality of effects but certainly get the message across without looking cheap. The white worm itself is also not bad even if it is a bit reminiscent of that monster that swallowed the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars V.

The demonic cult members are simple in terms of make up and costume, but again are effective and are employed in enough jump scenes and occasional gory demises to keep things interesting. The characters are generally capable of being rooted for, even if Grant's character is a slightly snobby Lord. Apparently class conflict between workers and aristocrats can be put side in times of giant monster related crisis, although I'm not sure that theory has had the opportunity to undergo scrutiny in a test environment. There is also a definite sexism underlying the protagonist characters as well in that the female ones ultimately end up in the position of helpless victim and it is left up to the men to save the day, an arrangement that is actually not the norm in the majority of horror films but is common in monster flicks.

Overall, The Lair of the White Worm is actually an enjoyable and well made films though best avoided by those easily offended by the defilement of religious icons or by weird sex and giant pointy dildos. Sorry, you will have to watch for an explanation of that one because I'm not really clear on it myself.

3 hallucinogenic vampire vomits out of 5
Rated R: contains violence, gore, sexuality, nudity, language.