Woodyanders Review of Black Cobra

Black Cobra (1976)

A truly strange and hence enjoyable slice of Italian exploitation sleaze

[8/10 · 10 July 2013]

Eccentric wealthy playboy Judas (Jack Palance in fine freaky form) lives as a near reclusive in a posh apartment in Hong Kong that's filled with all kinds of snakes that he treats like his children. Judas becomes smitten with sultry exotic dancer Eva (the ever-luscious Laura Gemser) after he sees Eva's nigh club act that involves dancing with a large snake and invites her to stay at his place. However, Judas' depraved and duplicitous brother Jules (a deliciously slimy portrayal by Gabriele Tinti) wants Eva for himself. Writer/director Joe D'Amato relates the engrossingly weird story at a steady pace, maintains a suitably seamy and off-kilter tone throughout, and, most importantly, delivers oodles of tasty undraped distaff skin and sizzling soft-core sex (Gemser as usual bares her delectably slender figure with pleasing frequency, with a massage parlor session and a shower shared with a slim blonde rating as the definite steamy highlights). Moreover, Judas' bizarre fixation on slithery reptiles gives the picture a super peculiar charm while the exotic Hong Kong locations provide an extra tangy flavor (and only D'Amato would include a scene with two hot babes happily eating freshly cooked snakes!). Better still, one guy ultimately winds up having a snake put where the sun doesn't shine and the surprise downbeat ending packs a startling grim punch. Kudos are also in order for Piero Umiliani's smooth groovy score and D'Amato's glossy cinematography. Good outré trashy fun.