Dr. Carl Stoner (Struther Martin) is a herpetologist who, along with his daughter (Heather Menzies), runs a sort of roadside reptile zoo. They put on shows for gawking crowds, where Stoner encounters a huge king cobra, and extracts venom from its fangs. Stoner needs an assistant to work in his laboratory.
Enter young David Blake (Dirk Benedict), who is the perfect candidate for the job. Unbeknownst to David, the good doctor has secret plans for him involving a cobra, and a certain transgression against natural laws.
SSSSSSS is a rather dark story full of mad science and cool snake sequences. Martin is great in his unhinged role, and Benedict is better here than in any of his TV appearances. Ms. Menzies is divine. She's sort of like Jane Fonda in glasses! Watch for Reb Brown as the loathsome jock who has an unfortunate shower "accident".
Everyone who sees this movie always remembers the carnival "snake boy" scene. It was shocking in its day, and still holds up well...
