Silent Predators (1999)

A small town deals with an invasion of rattlesnakes.

Director:

Noel Nosseck

Writers:

John Carpenter (teleplay), William S. Gilmore (teleplay) (as William Gilmore)

Stars:

Harry Hamlin, Shannon Sturges, David Spielberg

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harry Hamlin	...	Vic Rondelli
Shannon Sturges	...	Mandy Stratford
David Spielberg	...	Mayor Parker
Patty McCormack	...	Vera Conrad
Beau Billingslea	...	George Mitchell
Phillip Troy Linger	...	Dr. Matthew Watkins
Jack Scalia	...	Max Farrington
David Whitney	...	Ken
David Webb	...	Sheriff Howell
Carolyn Bock	...	Anita Young
Beth Champion	...	Karen
Sandra Bell	...	Laura Holden
Kirsty Boden	...	Tammy Holden
Darce Florio	...	Anita's Friend
Paul Tassone	...	Stranded Motorist

Storyline

In 1979, a delivery truck makes its way up a lonely southern California highway in a storm, bound for the San Diego Zoo with a deadly tropical rattlesnake as cargo. When the truck suffers a blowout, the driver loses control and hits a tree, shattering the snake's aquarium in the back and the window separating the snake from the driver. The snake slithers into the front of the truck, kills the driver with its bite and then moves off into the forest. Flash forward to 1999. The small southern California town of San Vicente has grown from 6,000 to 30,000, and the rattler, which escaped nearby years ago, has bred. There are now 25,000 of these hybrid rattlesnakes, and they are slowly making their way downhill into the town, attracted by the movement of the blasting as the town paves its way toward progress. Progress, in this case, brings terror, in this tale originally penned by John Carpenter.

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Plot Keywords:

town | rattlesnake | snake | small town | roadblock | 

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Taglines:

The hunt is on. You're the Prey.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 June 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Angriff der Klapperschlangen

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Von Zerneck Sertner Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was based on "Fangs", a script John Carpenter did back in the 1970s when he wrote as a gun for hire. In the original, according to Carpenter himself, there were scares and jumps all over the place. One scene included a man who hears a rattle, thinks it's his infant, and finds a rattlesnake in the crib.

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Goofs

After the flower buying scene, the woman driving her minivan home can be seen obviously driving the wrong way down a one way street. She also appears to be in the turn lane for the street.

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Connections

Referenced in Best of the Worst: Night Beast, Trick or Treat, and Skull Forest (2013)

User Reviews

Haven't I seen this movie before?

"Silent Predators" uses every single cliche from countless other horror movies which have "nature vs. the greedy interests of capitalism" as a theme e.g. "Empire of the Ants" Although this formula is tired, sometimes two big heaping scoops of banality is just what the doctor ordered. Rating: 6 out of 10