Venom (1981)

International terrorists attempt to kidnap a wealthy couples child. Their plan comes unstuck when, a deadly Black Mamba sent by mistake instead of a harmless snake, escapes,and the ... See full summary »

Director:

Piers Haggard

Writers:

Robert Carrington (screenplay), Alan Scholefield (novel)

Stars:

Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed, Nicol Williamson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Klaus Kinski	...	Jacques Müller
Oliver Reed	...	Dave Averconnelly
Nicol Williamson	...	Cmdr. William Bulloch
Sarah Miles	...	Dr. Marion Stowe
Sterling Hayden	...	Howard Anderson
Cornelia Sharpe	...	Ruth Hopkins
Lance Holcomb	...	Philip Hopkins
Susan George	...	Louise Andrews
Mike Gwilym	...	Det. Constable Dan Spencer
Paul Williamson	...	Det. Sgt. Glazer
Michael Gough	...	David Ball
Hugh Lloyd	...	Taxi Driver
Rita Webb	...	Mrs. Loewenthal
Edward Hardwicke	...	Lord Dunning
John Forbes-Robertson	...	Sgt. Nash

Storyline

International terrorists attempt to kidnap a wealthy couples child. Their plan comes unstuck when, a deadly Black Mamba sent by mistake instead of a harmless snake, escapes,and the terrorists and several hostages are trapped in the boy's London home. A tense evening is had by all as the snake creeps around the house picking off the various characters one by one.

---

Plot Keywords:

snake | hostage | mamba | kidnapper | belgravia london | 

---

Taglines:

The mystery of "The Birds", The danger of "Psycho", The evil of "The Omen", The terror of "Jaws", Now, the ultimate in suspense.

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 January 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Veneno

Filming Locations:

EMI Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morison Film Group, Venom Productions Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sterling Hayden's final acting role in a theatrical film.

---

Goofs

When Dr stowe is told to get up by Kinski, she anticipates the terrorist's action by grabbing the scarf before Kinsi wraps her hand in it.

---

Crazy Credits

The Producers wish to extend their thanks to David Ball, overseer of reptiles at London Zoo, without whose skill and courage in the handling of the deadly Black Mamba, this film could not have been made.

---

Connections

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

---

Soundtracks

"Our Song"
(uncredited)
Music by Roger Webb
Hudson Music Ltd

User Reviews

A powerful thriller

VENOM (1982) ***½ Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed, Nicol Williamson, Sarah Miles, Susan George. Even though this film is called "Venom" and features a snake, this is no "creature feature." Two English domestics (Reed and George), along with an international criminal (Kinski), conspire to kidnap their wealthy employers' ten-year-old son. The plan goes awry after the boy mistakenly receives a highly aggressive, super-poisonous black mamba (originally intended for a research facility), which kills one of the conspirators and transforms the attempted kidnapping into a tense armed standoff. A box-office flop in its day, American audiences were probably turned off by the film's stodgy English production values and – thanks to a misleading advertising campaign – probably felt duped once they realized it wasn't a killer snake movie. Still, a strong script and Kinski and Reed's explosive performances make this a powerful thriller. Highly recommended.