The Lair of the White Worm is not going to please everybody, people will be thoroughly entertained throughout, others will find it ineptly done. Very like the controversial opinions for director Ken Russell too. For all its faults I fall into the former category. The special effects are not very good, the worm looks laughable and doesn't seem that much of a threat. Sammi Davis is embarrassingly bad too, veering towards both shrill and disengaged. And the ending is very abrupt, in all honesty though so was the book's ending. Even with those flaws, The Lair of the White Worm still improves hugely over the book. Odd to the point at times of incoherence and overly wordy with an ending that suffers from the cutting down the book got, it was a shock that Lair of the White Worm(Bram Stoker's least well-known book and for a reason) was from the same author who wrote Dracula, one of the most iconic pieces of horror literature. People will disagree with this though and that's fine. Back to the film, the locations are beautiful and atmospheric, it's decently shot and even the costumes are not bad at all, Donohoe's actually were pretty amazing. The music will entice even the least slithery of snakes, the dialogue is smart and hilarious(a campy element to it but considering this is a Russell film that shouldn't come across as too much of a shock) and the story is briskly paced with the fun factor rarely diminished. There are a lot of components brought in, but not in a muddled way thankfully like Lisztomania and Gothic were. Lair of the White Worm is not a scary film, but there is the odd moment that will make you jump. Russell's direction pulls no punches with a sense that he was having fun while knowing what he was aiming for, and the trademark excessive imagery is in abundance, luckily though apart from the rape scene- which will leave people disgusted- these images are not distasteful. The acting is not great but it's not that bad either apart from Davis. Peter Capaldi and Stratford Johns fare the best in support while Catherine Oxenberg is charming and even Hugh Grant in an unlikely role acts in a way that is not out of kilter. Best of all is Amanda Donohoe, whose brilliantly sexy performance is what makes the film. In conclusion, Lair of the White Worm not a great film but an enjoyable one while not pleasing all. 7/10 Bethany Cox