The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

When an archeologist uncovers a strange skull in foreign land, the residents of a nearby town begin to disappear, leading to further unexplainable occurrences.

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

Ken Russell (screenplay by), Bram Stoker (adapted from the novel by)

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	...	Maid / Nun
Linzi Drew	...	Maid / Nun
Caron Anne Kelly	...	Maid / Nun

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:

scantily clad female | female exploitation | cult film | cleavage | topless female nudity | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lair of the White Worm

Filming Locations:

Thor's Cave, Manifold Valley, Staffordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,155, 23 October 1988

Gross USA:

$1,189,315

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,189,315

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

Tilda Swinton was originally cast as Lady Sylvia Marsh, but she turned it down, and Amanda Donohoue was cast instead.

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Goofs

After excavating the skull Angus says that the ancient Romans missed the dinosaurs by 25 million years. While it's in fact 66 million years.

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Quotes

Lord James D'Ampton: But only nutty pot-holers go down there. It's supposed to be dangerous as hell.
Eve Trent: I know that!
Lord James D'Ampton: Do you want me to drive you over?
Eve Trent: [shakes her head] There's no point now. Besides, it's too late, we'll never catch up with them. I'll just have a lie down until they get back.
Lord James D'Ampton: Right. Yeah, I'm a bit tired myself. How could you keep me up all night?
[kisses her neck]
Lord James D'Ampton: Dancing, for God's sake.
[she smiles]

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Connections

Featured in A British Picture (1989)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

I've gotta find a copy....

Wow, I can't believe this movie is actually in here....I first saw it when I was 15, drunk at a buddy's house, and afterwards I thought I hallucinated the whole affair. A lot has been said about the horrendous production values (that huge snake in the pit??? WTF?) and the overobvious sexual imagery (I have the image of that dildo scarred on my mind forever), so all I'll say is this: even though this movie ranks in the lowest of my faves, the sheer entertainment value in watching it can't be beat. Definately a high camp classic....