Snake People (1971)

Isle of the Living Dead
Isle of the Snake People

Cast:

Boris "How the mighty have fallen" Karloff is Carl van Molder/Damballah
Julissa is Annabella Vandenberg
Carlos "AKA Charles East" East is Lt. Andrew Wilhelm
Rafael "AKA Ralph Bertrand" Bertrand is Capt. Pierre Labesch
Yolanda "AKA Tongolele" Montes is Kalea
Quintín Bulnes is Klinsor
Santanón is Dwarf

What the box says:

"Voodoo! Zombies! Cannibal Women!" exclaims the Chief of Police (Ralph Bertrand) after finding a mutilated corpse shortly assuming control of a mysterious island in the Carribbean. Also newly arrived to the island is Mademoiselle Wunderberg, the niece of mysterious Mr. Van Moulder (Boris Karloff) a plantation owner who conducts strange experiments with telekinesis involving his maid Kalea (Yolanda Montes), queen of voodoo.

Plot:

As map fu ensues. Various evil rites happen all over the world. That is Voodoo 101.

Apparently, ne’er do wells manipulate and use native girls for nefarious purposes.

The evil sharp toothed midget brings a chicken to the circle. A voodoo doll is readied. Crenshaw and the midget dig up a coffin

The midget gets to work on the chicken.

Somehow, the midget Colonel Sanders never caught on with his live chicken plucking act.

The coffin is opened, and the corpse is unmasked. It is an island girl. Crenshaw wants to get a little somethin’ somethin’ and doesn’t mind if the creepy midget watches.

The newly appointed Captain of the police department, Pierre Labesch, escorts Annabelle, the feminist and prohibitionist. Captain Pierre will clean up the police department. He storms into the precinct and inspects the cells. Lieutenant Wilhelm is lolling about. They’ll pay a visit to the plantation. Annabelle is the owner’s niece.

On the road, they stop to let a voodoo funeral procession past. Wilhelm explains how bodies are watched and guarded to keep them from being turned into zombies and forced to work the fields.

Narration about voodoo ensues. Some chick in a bikini starts to do the hula dance with a snake wrapped over her as the midget watches. Lots of weird camera angles assault us. Suddenly, it all stops. Dancing chick brings the snake to some guy. The midget is with the girl as the dance resumes. Snake fondling begins. Somebody is bit, and chanting ensues.

Suddenly, back on the road, did the previous scene just happen or was it a description of a voodoo ceremony?

Captain Pierre, Wilhelm, and Annabelle arrive at Van Molder’s plantation. The maid, Kallea, brings refreshments. Van Molder is happy his niece, Annabelle, is here with him. He learns that she is a prohibitionist.

Van Molder makes some small talk with Captain Pierre. The good captain was sent to investigate trouble on the island and rages against voodoo and immorality, etc…

Van Molder shows the guest his lab. Apparently, the island people have some sort of mental powers. Van Molder tries unsuccessfully to demonstrate telekinesis. Many people concentrating together could accomplish more; perhaps even a better world…Captain Pierre is quite skeptical of Van Molder’s work. Kallea demonstrates pyrokinesis. Van Molder warns the captain not to invade native customs. However, Captain Pierre is the law, and the law will be obeyed.

That night, Crenshaw has his dead girl in a bridal veil. How repulsive do you have to be to hit up a cemetery for romance? They are dancing when Kallea walks in. She goes Drew Barrymore on them and not in a good way…

Captain Pierre rants and raves against voodoo. Wilhelm tries to warn him not to go against the people. Pierre, the smug Frenchman, decides to stomp out the religion entirely.

During another voodoo ceremony, the cops crash or raid it and start smacking the natives around. Wilhelm seems to know about what is happening than he is telling. A few cops are left to guard the site.

The natives use blowguns to kill the police guards. The midget and the others return. A goat is brought, too. Crenshaw is present. The dancer is getting bull-whipped by the midget. The goat is taken to the inner circle.

The next day, the Captain finds the dead dancer. He will stop the voodoo practices. Apparently, a bunch of cannibals were munching on the dancer. The brave and noble El Capitan decides to capture the cult leaders and puts a curfew up, too.

Wilhelm tells Van Molder about the curfew. A bit more of the voodoo religion is explained about how the zombies are led by Baron Samdei. Van Molder explains that an act of “unspeakably evil” AKA a human sacrifice will bring the Baron.

Crenshaw reports to Van Molder about the plantation workers are getting worried.

The natives start to put a curse on the Captain. He’ll look the island down tight.

Police patrol led by Captain and Wilhelm. They hear drums.

Annabelle readies to go to bed. Kallea spies on her.

Patrolling continues. Some natives are able to whack a couple more cops.

Captain realizes he needs an informer in the cult. He appoints officer Red-Shirt to go undercover.

Kallea and the midget stand over the sleeping Annabelle. As some rite ensues, Kallea liberates Annabelle from her nightgown. A snake is to be used as well. Annabelle is having a nightmare.

In a cave, the night gowned Annabelle gets out of a coffin. She wanders around the dank cave before discovering another coffin with her doppelganger fondling a snake. Good Annabelle is being chased by her evil copy. Eventually, they lock lips as the snake wraps around both of them.

Kallea regowns Annabelle and leaves before the girl awakens.

Captain Pierre calls it a night. He sees a snake drop from a mirror and vanishes. The same snake randomly teleports about the room to freak the Frenchman out.

In a bar, the love-slave zombie girl hits on one of the police officers. Being such a smooth operator, he doesn’t realize this chick is light years out of his class. They head out of the bar to frolic.

Lip locking and spit swapping ensues, until she bites his lip. A number of women rush and eat him in a non-sexual way. He is eaten in more a cannibalistic meal way.

The ceremony, the midget is officiating. Red-Shirt is wearing a black hood. We see Kallea has taken the grave responsibility of the bikini hula dancing. People grab Red-Shirt, and a cannibalism feast ensues.

Wilhelm walks in on the good Captain torturing a native. If he can’t get the natives to talk one way, Pierre will terrify them into talking to learn who the leader is. Disgusted Wilhelm walks out.

Crenshaw calls his love-slave dead girl, Maria, to serve him. He brings her to the bedroom. Van Molder walks in and canes Crenshaw. Apparently, Crenshaw sicced the cult on the police. Kallea walks in and melts the love slave. Crenshaw mourns the loss of his lust spittoon.

Captain Pierre is hard a t work and meets with Crenshaw. Tonight’s ceremony will have a human sacrifice and is planned for tonight. Pierre is sure he’ll finally catch the leaders.

Wilhelm has another chat with Annabelle. He’s laying on the charm really thick sense he buttoned up his shirt. She explains about her uncle’s research: a process that can simulate death but leads to brain death. Well, the couple has to make out.

Some guy has a message that Wilhelm is to meet with Captain Pierre. Wilhelm leaves the plantation.

Annabelle is all twitterpated unaware of the natives around the mansion. They storm in and grab her.

Pierre and Wilhelm will take care of the cult once and for all. Captain has a stack of explosives to get rid of the zombies.

Van Molder gets out the Baron Samdei costume.

While Crenshaw robs the safe, a number of women catch him. Another cannibal attack ensues.

The midget is at work but is slowly killed by a masked man.

The voodooers gather. Kallea enters with her snake.

Now, you're a strunk-striped man-woman... More dancing ensues.

The masked man walks up. Annabelle is taken to Kallea. Snake caressing ensues as the Baron watches.

The disguised Pierre and Wilhelm sneak into the ceremony.

Kallea unmasks Pierre.

A guy starts ranting about how Baron Samdei is waiting. It is supposed to be Boris Karloff who is the cult leader. However, no one would be able to recognize it by the voice.

A gunshot rings out killing Van Molder. The mortally wounded Van Molder cries out for his and Annabelle’s blood to summon the Baron.

Wilhelm rescues Annabelle.

Van Molder falls into the bonfire. Captain Pierre falls into it as well. The Frenchman literally explodes with all the explosives he’s carrying.

Panic ensues as the explosions kill the voodooers. Wilhelm and Annabelle escape.

What I say:

Several movies have cult followings because of being the last movie of a certain star. Brandon Lee will forever be remembered for the Crow. Natalie Wood will always have Brainstorm. Errol Flynn was in Cuban Girls. Bela Lugosi is most acknowledged for the schlocky Plan 9 from Outer Space. Can this morbid intro really have much to do with this week's review? Under contract, Karloff made 4 movies that weren't released until several years after his death. So while other stars just have the singular final movie, Boris has 4. Snake People isn't known for except for one main reason: being one of the last movies of Boris Karloff. He only has a few scenes in these movies, and most of the scenes are him sitting around chatting.

You can easily tell at the end, it isn't Karloff reading the lines. Somebody is wearing a mask and possibly using one of the worst Karloff accents ever attempted. The lines are dubbed in and whoever read them is so awful, I thought, something was wrong with my ears at first. The best thing that could be said for the Lugosi impersonations is they are easier to do than Karloff's English accent. Surely, they would have at least tried to sound like Karloff. At first I didn't think Boris's character was not meant to be the masked Damballah.

At least, Karloff seems more dignified here than Lugosi did in Plan 9 From Outer Space. Although, both movies had to use stand-ins for some of the most famous horror icons. The climax has a guy wearing a black veil or mask to try to disguise it isn't the Karloff. What really is worse is hearing the dubbed voice. Marlee Matlin could recognize that is not the voice of Mr. Grinch.

That is one creepy chicken-killing, sharpened-teeth-to-a-point, voyeuristic midget. He makes the midget in Corpse Vanishes seem kind and lovable. Well, that is a slight exaggeration. Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town has one of the few heroic midgets after he quit working for the local mad scientist.

I never knew that hula dancing was so evil. I just thought hot Hawaiian chicks danced and passed out flower necklaces. I sure the hula dancing was to make the movie seem raunchier. After the nude scenes dark ceremonies in other movies like the Satanic Rites of Dracula, the dance scenes somehow make Snake People scenes seem very tame. Still Kallea looks a lot better if you ignored her face. Girl can swing some hips...

Voodoo movies seemed to have died out as zombies escaped from that genre into their own genre. White Zombie is one of the better voodoo zombie movies. Funny how one of Lugosi's better movie was the aforementioned White Zombie, while Karloff's foray certainly was one of his worst. At least, Boris Karloff was 81 and in failing health for this movie.

This is the only voodoo, zombie, cannibal movie I can think of off the top of my head. I know Night of the Living Dead graphically connected zombies with cannibalism. I can't really think that Snake People was even trying to steal from a bigger movie in that respect. This is one of the last voodoo-zombie movies with the more traditional background data. It has none of the genre stealing like the Italian zombie movies.

Captain Labesch is "ah how do you say French"? The only way he could be more French would be wearing a beret while digging the Magginott Line. To be fair, he isn't evil because he plays a Frenchman. He's evil because of wanting to torture the islanders and probably one of the biggest martinents in a cheap Mexican horror movie in decades.

The introduction mentioned that the island is in the South Pacific. Later, it is implied the island is in the Carribbean. Labesch is French and been sent by the colonial government to take charge of the police department. What confuses me is that Wilhelm is a German name, right? So why is a German guy being ordered around by a French man under orders from a colonial government to go to an island that is in the south Pacific and the Carribbean at the same time? Some of the dubbing is probably reason for these plot holes. I've seen other eviews that call the police military officers instead.

With as incompetent as the police seem to be, I can't understand why the natives don't revolt and liberate the island. They are able to ambush and kill practically every single police officer. I can only see why Captain Pierre is sent there as being the place where he could cause the least amount of damage.

I've mentioned how bad this movie is, and it is. The fault is not to be laid at the feet of the horror master Boris Karloff. The voodoo scenes are somewhat crepy if you get past the bikini hula dancers. The cannibal attacks are incredibly lame. I wasn't hoping for gore. Everyone has a number of women around a guy and looks like they're grabbing him as he screams. Snake People just sees so disjointed. Trying to make a movie when the lead dies is difficult enough, it is even harder when the lead is one of the most recognized stars of all time.

Quotable Dialogue
"It's a well founded organization that will change the world."
"It's a voodoo funeral."
"I hope we meet under more amusing circumstances."
"Tony, I think we're gonna get very, very drunk tonight."
"VOODOO! ZOMBIES! CANNIBAL WOMEN!"
"There were still a few cannibal women around her!"
"Baron Samdei is the dark messiah."
"Lieutenant, are you making advance towards me?"
Morals of the Story
Voodoo is a big in the South Pacific.
Midgets have evil laughs.
Midgets love to fondle guys.
The dead don't lead in dancing.
Fondling a snake will allow you to disappear at will.
Undead love slaves are excellent back scratchers.
Boris Karloff sounds like another person when standing a wearing a dark veil.