Considering the fear of snakes is one of the most common animal phobias on Earth, its ironic there isnt a single decent movie where these slithery serpents are the star attraction. Anaconda? Puh-lease the CG title creature was only marginally more convincing than the toothy Pac-Man critters in The Langoliers. You might state a case for Snakes On A Plane, but does anyone - man or beast - really stand a chance fighting with Samuel L. Jackson for screen time? For some reason, snakes have always been more effective as co-stars, the reptile equivalent of Harry Dean Stanton. He wasnt the star of Repo Man or Escape From New York, but just try to imagine those films without him. Now try to imagine Raiders Of The Lost Ark without the iconic scene halfway through, when Indy and Marion are trapped in a tomb with thousands of poisonous snakes, and seemingly no way out. Not only is this one of the more exciting scenes, its easily the most cringe-worthy, especially when one of the larger serpents slithers from a skulls mouth. If you didnt suffer from ophidiophobia before, that shot alone just might have you recoiling from these reptiles for the rest of your life.
D.M. Anderson works and lives in Portland Oregon. He is the author of two young adult novels (Killer Cows & Shaken) and a collection of dark tales (With the Wicked). He has also published several short stories which have appeared (or will appear) in various anthologies and magazines such as 69 Flavors of Paranoia, Night Terrors, Trembles, Encounters, Implosion, Strange Fucking Stories, Perpetual Motion Machine. He documents his adventures in the dark on on his movie site, Free Kittens Movie Guide
