The Serpent and the Rainbow

Play trailer

The Serpent and the Rainbow

R

1988

1h 38m

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

In a time of social and political unrest in Haiti, anthropologist Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) travels to the torn country to study a Voodoo drug used in religious practices to turn victims into living zombies. With the help of a witch doctor (Brent Jennings) and a fellow researcher (Cathy Tyson), Dennis pieces together the deadly mystery. But as Dennis uncovers the secrets behind the mysterious powder, he must evade the Haitian authorities who view his research as a potential threat.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Although it's occasionally overwhelmed by excessive special effects, The Serpent and the Rainbow draws on a chilling atmosphere to deliver an intelligent, politically informed story.

Read Critics Reviews

Variety Staff

Variety

09/25/2007

Offers a few good scares but gets bogged down in special effects.

Go to Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

09/25/2007

Genuinely frightening.

Go to Full Review

Derek Adams

Time Out

02/09/2006

Unfortunately, the political parallel between the ideological repression of Baby Doc's regime and the stultifying effects of the zombifying fluid is only sketchily developed, leaving us with a series of striking but isolated set pieces.

Go to Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

07/07/2023

.5/4

...a mostly worthless piece of work that’s a strong contender for Craven’s very worst film.

Go to Full Review

Cheryl Eddy

io9.com

09/14/2022

The Serpent and the Rainbow still makes for a mostly satisfying horror-viewing experience...

Go to Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

06/28/2022

Lethargic due to its incoherence, while the only thing that truly instills fear is Bill Pullman, the Apollonian protagonist with the worst acting I think I've ever seen in a professional film. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Justin T

@RT08580778 Jun 23

That was some hot sex right there. I loved the story and setting and found it so engrossing. It’s so beautifully made with excellent production design. It’s quite a strange film, more of a thriller than a horror and probably the best voodoo film ever. The finale is excellent.

See more

K G

@KatyG-S Jun 1

A strange story but not everybody wanted to know of. Given that it is based upon a true story, the camera quality of its time could actually hold up to modern days since it felt like a documentary so you could be convinced that it was real. Documentaries tell real stories. The originality of the movie would not age well if it aged today - when we were given "Paranorman" in 2012 about seeing the dead come to life & the dead must be brought back to the dead. A similar case happens hear & there were no meanings to all the revived people fading into a bunch of skeletons. Not everything was meaningful & that could be intentional - could you see anything meaningful between the man & the woman who lost Cristophe? Possibly not. Now, I am going to watch another movie from Wes Craven - "The Nightmare on Elm Street".

See more

Tim M

@tgmacman Feb 11

The Serpent and the Rainbow has plenty of cultural intrigue, but its procession of frights feel more disparate than intentional.

See more

Richard W.

@rdwoolf Oct 4

In my opinion, The Serpent Snd The Rainbow is one of Wes Craven’s best films.

See more

Maria Q

@MariaQe Sep 7

A mix of horror and psychological thriller, we become enmeshed in Pullman's struggle, and as things get worse for him, the audience stays invested and hopeful he will overcome the horrors surrounding him.

See more

Gina R

@Ginarousey 06/19/2025

A mix of horror and psychological thriller, we become enmeshed in Pullman's struggle, and as things get worse for him, the audience stays invested and hopeful he will overcome the horrors surrounding him.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Wes Craven

Director

Bill Pullman

Dennis Alan

Cathy Tyson

Marielle Duchamp

Zakes Mokae

Dargent Peytraud

Paul Winfield

Lucien Celine

Brent Jennings

Louis Mozart

Tales From the Crypt Presents Demon Knight

45%

65%

Tales From the Crypt Presents Demon Knight

Watchlist

Tales From the Crypt Presents Bordello of Blood

14%

31%

Tales From the Crypt Presents Bordello of Blood

Watchlist

Phantasm II

31%

57%

Phantasm II

Watchlist

Child's Play 2

53%

54%

Child's Play 2

Watchlist

Child's Play 3

19%

40%

Child's Play 3

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

In a time of social and political unrest in Haiti, anthropologist Dennis Alan (Bill Pullman) travels to the torn country to study a Voodoo drug used in religious practices to turn victims into living zombies. With the help of a witch doctor (Brent Jennings) and a fellow researcher (Cathy Tyson), Dennis pieces together the deadly mystery. But as Dennis uncovers the secrets behind the mysterious powder, he must evade the Haitian authorities who view his research as a potential threat.

Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Doug Claybourne, David Ladd
Screenwriter: Richard Maxwell, Adam Rodman
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.0M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings