Because nobody likes spending an hour reading a movie review, I bring you Quick Horror Movie Reviews, a site offering to the point reviews of horror films from a guy who has seen thousands of them. From the classics to the hidden gems, the slashers to the creatures, the multi-million dollar blockbusters to the direct to video awfulness, it's all here! Read, enjoy, and for the best experience, go old school and view the desktop version!
Jennifer Baylor (Lisa Pelikan), a poor girl from West Virginia, attends Green View, an all-girls school overrun with snobs in both the student body and the faculty, and almost all of them pick on Jennifer. What they don't know about Jennifer is she has a special connection with snakes; she can handle and control them, a power she hates, but one her father (Jeff Corey) wishes she would embrace. Naturally, after taking the bullying for too long, Jennifer snaps, and gets her revenge in sweet, slithery fashion!
"ssssic 'em"
If you are a long-time reader, you know I often talk about watching horror movies with my Mom when I was a kid. There are many films that remind me of those days--Creepshow, Carrie, Sssssss, and Fright Night are just a few that come to mind, but more than those, and more than any other film, when I think of watching horror movies with my Mom when I was young, I think of Jennifer. I can recall waiting up at night for her to get off work--she would come home with a movie for us to watch, and many times, Jennifer was the choice. As the years went by, this movie became harder to find, and seemed to vanish from the face of the planet. I went many years without watching it, until my girlfriend found it on VHS on eBay several years ago and surprised me with it. I backed it up on DVD, and last night I went to watch it, only to find the DVD missing. Undeterred, I took the VHS (the last, and now only, VHS tape I still own) off the shelf, dug my VCR out from the back of the closet, hooked it up, and popped the tape in...it still plays great!
Here it is!
I am honestly shocked I have been doing these reviews for more than ten years now and I have never done a review of this movie. If you have heard of this film, there is a good chance you have heard it referred to as a ripoff of Carrie--this is a fair statement. I have no doubt whatsoever that movie inspired this one, but there is enough going on here to separate it from that classic as well. Pelikan's performance, in my eyes, is on par with Sissy Spacek's in Carrie. I am very surprised Pelikan did not go on to more stardom after this movie--while she did appear in a handful of movies and television shows over the years, she never did reach the level she had the potential to. Corey is also good as her father, and if you watch this and think to yourself "This guy seems like a cross between Harry Dean Stanton and Sam Elliot", you're not alone. Amy Johnston as lead mean girl Sandra is fantastic in her role, and she throws a little intertextuality at us--she mentions not being impressed with John Travolta when they met. Fans of the television show Welcome Back, Kotter will recognize Johnston as Cassy from the two-part "Barbarino In Love". Cassy had a failed relationship in that two-parter with the aforementioned Barbarino, played by, you guessed it, John Travolta.
This could have been you, Vinnie
One of the real strengths of this movie is the pace. It moves quickly, and the bullying doesn't become particularly repetitive as it does in many other movies. There are also several unexpected moments, including the bullies turning on one of their own. The music is shaky--there is an original song used for the opening, and it's...rough. If disco is your thing, there is a very catchy song playing during the club scene--it's not my cup o' tea, but my girlfriend loves the song. One thing that baffles me about this movie is the rating--I know things were different in the 1970's, but this one is rated PG, despite having plenty of profanity, a fair bit of nudity, and, you know, snakes killing people. I am certain this movie would get a solid R rating if it were released today, so keep that in mind. I don't know if this has ever been restored, but my VHS viewing experience was a film transfer, complete with scratches and cigarette burns, and I absolutely love this presentation. The ending feels a little rushed, and the bright lights everywhere are something I could have done without, but it is still wonderful, and you will cheer out loud for it. I will admit I hold some sentimental bias with this movie, but if last night was the first time I had ever seen this movie, I would still love it and give it a full recommendation.
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