The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

Scottish archaeologist Angus Flint discovers an odd skull amid the ruins of a convent that he is excavating. Shortly thereafter, Lady Sylvia Marsh returns to Temple House, a nearby mansion,... See full summary »

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

Ken Russell (screenplay), Bram Stoker (novel)

Stars:

Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Amanda Donohoe	...	Lady Sylvia Marsh
Hugh Grant	...	Lord James D'Ampton
Catherine Oxenberg	...	Eve Trent
Peter Capaldi	...	Angus Flint
Sammi Davis	...	Mary Trent
Stratford Johns	...	Peters
Paul Brooke	...	P.C. Erny
Imogen Claire	...	Dorothy Trent
Chris Pitt	...	Kevin
Gina McKee	...	Nurse Gladwell
Christopher Gable	...	Joe Trent
Lloyd Peters	...	Jesus Christ
Miranda Coe	...	Maids / Nuns
Linzi Drew	...	Maids / Nuns
Caron Anne Kelly	...	Maids / Nuns

Storyline

Scottish archaeologist Angus Flint discovers an odd skull amid the ruins of a convent that he is excavating. Shortly thereafter, Lady Sylvia Marsh returns to Temple House, a nearby mansion, far earlier than expected. At a party in the village, Angus meets Lord James D'Ampton, who has just inherited his family's land right next to Temple House. Angus learns of the D'Ampton Worm, a huge dragon-snake that an earlier D'Ampton killed by cutting it in half. (There's a pretty catchy rock-folk song that tells the D'Ampton Worm legend.) As people begin disappearing and acting strangely over the next few days, the skull is stolen from Angus's room, and the watch of a missing person is found in a cavern that was the legendary home of the D'Ampton worm. Angus and James discover that there was an ancient cult that worshiped the worm as a god, and they theorize that the creature somehow survived its destruction, but it was trapped inside the cavern. The remainder of the movie shows Angus, James, ...

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Plot Keywords:

worm | temple | cavern | skull | archaeologist | 

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Maldição da Serpente

Filming Locations:

Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,189,315 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

White Lair

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The mouth of the White Worm (Dionin) seen in the tunnel towards the end of the movie was actually a painted over Volkswagen Beetle hood that bears an uncanny resemblance to the mouth of a snake.

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Goofs

Lord James searches through a collection of ancient 78-rpm shellac discs. Although he plays one of the discs on a modern-day turntable that is capable of playing them, the music heard is electronic-based and has excellent fidelity. However, shellac records had notoriously low sound quality and were discontinued decades before synthesizers were used regularly in music production.

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Quotes

Lady Sylvia Marsh: [as Lady Marsh places the game of Snakes and Ladders into the fireplace] Rosebud!

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Connections

Edited into Bride of Monster Mania (2000)

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Soundtracks

"The D'Ampton Worm"
Arranged and Performed by Emilio Perez Machado and Stephen Powys
Violinist Louise Newman

User Reviews

Alluring,sensuous, witty and Ken Russell.

Of all the Ken Russell films this is my favourite. I found it extremely sensuous and the snake imagery a 'classic'. This is also one of the best Hugh Grant movies out considering he has become hopelessly typecast these days. Russell uses three different versions of the legend of the "Dampton" worm and this includes that written by Bram Stoker. The other two based on stories within Britain. And surprisingly enough the tale is closer to them than Stoker. Amanda Donohoe was simply stunning as Sylvia and she delivered her lines with charm and wit, and her costuming was slithering skintight scrumptiously slinky. I even bought a snakes and ladders set just like the one "Rosebud" that she threw into the flames. The worm was brilliant and deserved an Oscar for his role as he arose from the depth of the cave. I also love the song played in the beginning too. My only irk is that Catherines voice appears to be dubbed by someone else. One of the high points for me was when Sylvia sprayed venom over the cross. My reason for voting this movie so high is because it delivers on so many levels and it is a 'classic' in my book.