Cult of the Cobra (1955) User Reviews

Great, But For the Wrong Reasons

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 22 May 2011]

American G.I.'s who trespass in on a forbidden Hindu ceremony are relentlessly hunted down by a beautiful woman who has the power to metamorphose into a snake.

While the film gets a bit slow in the middle, the end is exciting and so is the beginning. What made this film great, for me, was the talented snake dancer from the cult. Her face is obscured, but her body is capable of amazing bends and twists.

One of the only really big drawbacks to the film is that the audience knows what is going on from the very beginning. We see the men try to solve a mystery we already know. The urge to yell "you are so stupid" is hard to suppress. And they really are not that stupid -- they simply have not reached the illogical conclusion we already know to be true.

The Curse of the Cobra

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 30 August 2018]

In Asia, six airmen from the American Air Forces break in a secret cult of Lamians that worship a cobra goddess. However they are found in the temple and need to flee from the ceremony. They are cursed by the priest that sentences them to die, one by one. Back in New York, Sergeant Paul Able (Richard Long), who will marry the actress Julia Thompson (Kathleen Hughes), and G.I. Tom Markel (Marshall Thompson), who also loves Julia, are best friends and roommates. When Tom stumbles upon the mysterious Lisa Moya (Faith Domergue), they immediately fall in love with each other. Meanwhile their friends are dying and soon the coroner discovers snake venom in their blood.

"Cult of the Cobra" is an entertaining horror film with the storyline of a group of arrogant American G.I.s that breaks in a cult without any respect and are cursed by the priest to die. The gorgeous and exotic Faith Domergue is a goddess with the ability of turning into a cobra that travels to New York to revenge the worshippers. The negative point of the story is that she falls in love with one of the trespassers. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Maldição da Serpente" ("Curse of the Snake")

CULT OF THE COBRA (Francis D. Lyon, 1955) **1/2

[Bunuel1976 · 6/10 · 23 January 2010]

On paper, this was arguably the least promising entry among Universal's second exclusive "Sci-Fi Collection" – but it turned out to be quite enjoyable in its unassumingly campy way, lying somewhere between the exotic fancy of Universal's earlier COBRA WOMAN (1944) and the cautionary Gothic of Hammer's THE REPTILE (1966). Director Lyon generally cut his teeth on a variety of Western oaters and, while not exactly inspired by the material at hand, elicits a very good performance from his leading lady Faith Domergue – a former protégée' of the legendary Howard Hughes. The story starts at the tail-end of WWII where six G.I. buddies, looking for some kicks before leaving Asia for home, attend a clandestine ceremony held by the titular sect where no reptiles are actually worshipped – instead we have a woman painted like one who comes out of a large vase and crawls around on the floor! Suspicious Richard Long, embittered (and incredulous) Marshall Thompson and a carefree David Janssen comprise half of the band of infidels who incite the wrath of the cultists by their irreverent presence (foolishly, one of them photo-graphs the ceremony, even if he had been repeatedly warned beforehand not to); needless to say, the proverbial curse is invoked on them by the High Priest which is subsequently enforced when they return to the United States. In quick succession, four of them get offed (including bowling alley owner Janssen who expires in a fairly spectacular car crash) after having a close encounter with a cobra; their demise coincides with Thompson's meeting with his sensuous but enigmatic neighbor Domergue. There are virtually no transformation scenes (or, rather, only in silhouette and via a quick dissolve to boot!) and we only get a good look at the large cobra during its last attack backstage in a theater, where it eventually receives its come-uppance by being pushed out a high window by Thompson (for whom the conflicted Domergue actually almost jeopardized her mission!)...and which is just as well, since there is no creature on earth that I loathe or fear more! Incidentally, I was somewhat bugged by the fact that when the dead snake inevitably regains human form, it is unaccountably dressed in the black gown Domergue wore prior to her demise!

Not bad for its time

[captnemo · 6/10 · 14 January 2010]

I had alway wanted to see this, having grown up watching all of the 50's SF films. This one had a cast of people I had grown up with in those SF films. I was not disappointed. The plot is slight, but well done. The 50's were not a decade for whodunits. It's pretty obvious who the killer is before the guys even leave Asia. Faith is a beautiful woman, and rarely has she been prettier than here. A little more meat on the script would have made this a better remembered film. The story is straightforward, with little in the way of subtlety. This was the same studio that made Tarantula and The Deadly Mantis. Both of those films were better than this, yet they had the same cookie-cutter feel to them. I put it up to the need to have new films in the drive-ins every week. All the studios suffered from this by the late 50's, with originality going out the window. Overall, I would give it a 6 out of 10. Good, but it could have been better considering the talented cast they had.

------------------------------------------------------------------- Since there is no way to add a Goof to this film, I'll put it here. WARNING: Spoiler ahead.

In the scene where David Janssen is killed at the bowling alley, he walks by a wall calendar several times. It is the 5th of the month when he walks past it the first time. The next time he goes by it is the 6th of the month. The date changes twice more between the 5th and 6th as David goes about his business.

Cult of the Cobra

[Scarecrow-88 · 6/10 · 14 November 2010]

GIs in 1945 Asia are introduced to the actual ceremony of a "female human cobra"(essentially a woman in costume who is slithery like a snake)by a native snake charmer who warns them to keep quiet inside their hooded robes, but Nick of the group stupidly attempts to take a snapshot resulting in the American soldiers being cursed. This curse entails that all the GIs will be hunted down one at a time by the cobra woman, to be victims of her poisonous bite. Returning home absent Nick(who is "reinfected" when a snake enters his room in a hospital, the bite killing him)to New York, the GIs, now civilians, aren't out of harm's way. Tom(Marshall Thompson; IT! TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE/ FIEND WITHOUT A FACE)and Paul(Richard Long; THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL/THE TWILIGHT ZONE) are both in love with a girl(Paul is chosen over Tom, though)which doesn't end their friendship(the guys are roommates). A new tenant moves in across from Tom and Paul, an exotic foreigner named Lisa(Faith Domergue). Tom develops feelings for her right away, but Lisa immediately gives him the cold shoulder any time he attempts to snatch a kiss. There's a reason why Lisa wants to distance herself from Tom romantically, but soon her feelings for him become too difficult to ignore. Something will, however, drive a wedge between their blossoming love affair and that is what Lisa is plagued with.

While this is a Universal Studios picture, to me it favored something more like a Columbia Pictures product. The filmmakers decide to avoid showing an actual human cobra, opting instead to show Faith Domergue's silhouette on the wall metamorphose into a cobra(there's an ending where we see the actual cobra turn back into a human through dissolve which is flawed because it's highly doubtful that a naked snake would transform into a woman with all of her jewelry and wardrobe on). Most of the attacks on the GIs are shot from point-of-view through the eye vision of the cobra as the victims respond with fright at what is coming towards them. This movie does resemble CAT PEOPLE in that Tom falls in love with a beautiful woman he can not attain due to her terrible predicament. The filmmakers establish Lisa's situation in subtle ways like how animals react towards her, such as Tom's dog or a horse on the street. When stage actress Julia(the lovely Kathleen Hughes)begins reading on snake cults and customary practices, like in CAT PEOPLE when Simone Simon's Irena becomes a deadly threat to her husband's best friend(and future lover), Alice(Jane Randolph), Domergue's Lisa follows a similar mold, taking cobra form at the end, awaiting her in the dressing room. Domergue is a striking beauty, dressed to the nines in sophisticated wardrobe. For some reason, CULT OF THE COBRA never quite takes off but it might appeal to fans of Val Lewton and the "less is more" approach, focused more on the soap opera dramatics of Tom and Lisa's relationship and what they are up against..I imagine that had it been made 10 years previous, CULT OF THE COBRA might've been more of a creature feature with Domergue an actual cobra woman.

She who is a Snake

[Panamint · 5/10 · 10 December 2015]

The beginning when the snake charmer offers to show us "She who is a snake" for 100 dollars, followed by a well done and costumed dance scene, is good. The ending is suspenseful and quite good. Unfortunately, everything in between is mush. An effective performance by Faith Domergue as a cult leader who has the instincts to be more humanistic (but doesn't quite know how) cannot overcome the blandly directed, badly lit, overly padded middle hour-plus of this movie. Unfortunately the producers are too cheap to show any cult activity or morphing scenes during the long middle, instead all is only shadow or off screen except at the beginning and the very end.

The five future TV stars who portray potential cult victims are all capable and watchable but their efforts are mostly swallowed up in the long dreary middle of the movie. Many familiar faces are also present such as first class actor Walter Coy (The Searchers '56), and also Bing Russell and Ed Platt.

I expected more from a Universal horror movie. This film suffers from lack of style, imagination or excitement but you will be pleased to see the talented and enjoyable cast.

Cobra Woman

[EdgarST · 7/10 · 20 March 2011]

This motion picture is more remarkable than what I thought. Although it is obviously a simple B product, it seems there were intentions to turn it into something more ambitious, in the line of "Cat People" (1942). It is true that Lisa Moya —the cobra woman played by Faith Domergue— is not as a developed character as Simone Simon's Irena Dubrovna in Tourneur's classic, and the erotic elements are not as strong, but Lisa shows anguish and pain as she seems to be in love with one of the American soldiers she has to kill for desecrating the cult of the cobra. Besides, the film has other resonances today: maybe in the pre-Vietnam time it was made (1955) it was taken for granted that all American soldiers in service abroad were very cute guys who meant no harm as they fought for "democracy", but today we know how things have always been with troops from any nation in invaded countries, and how often they have victimized their people. And last but not least it is interesting to watch all these future TV male stars together: Marshall Thompson, Richard Long, William Reynolds, Jack Kelly and David Janssen.

She'll Slither Her Way To Your Heart

[Coventry · 5/10 · 15 May 2008]

What's the first behavior rule when you're visiting a faraway continent – particularly Asia, Africa or South America – that culturally speaking differs a lot from your own? Duh, don't interfere with local religious movements and/or voodoo cults, because they WILL come after you and they WILL find you, even when you consider yourself to be safe back home again. "Cult of the Cobra" is a charming and fairly entertaining 50's occult thriller, but it's certainly nothing special or unique. In fact, the plot is quite derivative of the Jacques Tourneur/Val Lewton classic "Cat People" (undeniably one of the greatest horror milestones ever made), since both stories revolve gorgeous women living with the ability – or is it curse? – to transform into a deadly animal. Six American members of the same Air Force unit spend a few touristy days in an Asian country (my best guess would be either India or Malaysia) and bluntly pay a snake charmer big money to secretly attend a gathering of the infamous Lamian cult, of which the members supposedly change themselves in snakes and back. Naturally they get caught, when the dumbest boy of them all takes a photograph, and only narrowly escape. Unaware they've been placed under a curse, the six friends start being killed off one by one when back in the United State. Moreover, the mysterious accidents began simultaneously with Tom acquaintance with an introvert exotic beauty living across the hall. "Cult of the Cobra" benefits the most from Faith Domergue's performance as the oddly seductive Lisa (she's a lot better here than she was in "This Island Earth" or "It Came from beneath the Sea") and a couple of imaginative camera gimmicks, like for example snake POV shots and nice use of shadow effects. Unfortunately, there are also several overlong and tedious scenes and not a single one of the male protagonists deserves any of your sympathy. Especially Tom is a pretty loathsome guy, since his behavior is obtrusive and aggressive towards women and jealous towards his own friends.

It will *pierce your flesh*!

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 5 February 2021]

Six amiable servicemen, on leave in Asia, have the temerity to sneak into a top secret ceremony conducted by cultists who worship snakes. They're naturally discovered, and a curse is placed upon them. Before they can even get home, one of them perishes, a result of a cobra bite. Back in NYC, the body count continues, while one of the men, Tom (Marshall Thompson, "It! The Terror from Beyond Space"), falls in love with a new neighbour, Lisa Moya (Faith Domergue, "It Came from Beneath the Sea"). We, of course, automatically realize that there is something Not Right with her.

Punched up a bit with its themes of tragic romance, its decent effects work, and some nice touches (like the "cobra vision"), "Cult of the Cobra" is engaging, silly, campy nonsense, played to the hilt by its solid cast. Domergues' aloof beauty is utilized well, and her performance is actually not bad. She's surrounded by entertaining performers: Richard Long ("House on Haunted Hill"), Jack Kelly ("Forbidden Planet"), a pre-stardom David Janssen ('The Fugitive'), William Reynolds ("The Land Unknown"), Kathleen Hughes ("It Came from Outer Space"), etc. The script, concocted by Jerry Davis (also story author), Richard Collins, and Cecil Maiden, does a good job at exploiting that old concept of metamorphosis - people with the ability to transform into another species. Granted, "Cult of the Cobra" *is* a far cry from "Cat People", but it serves the viewer an amusing diversion for a decently paced 80 minutes. Director Francis D. Lyon ("Destination Inner Space") handles things quite capably, delivering some fun jolts. As the yarn is played out, we have one character who may falter in their mission by developing genuine feelings for their victim, and another who may be too stupidly stubborn to accept the true nature of their new love.

As far as Universal-International product of the 1950s goes, this is not top-tier, but it does have its pleasures.

The Chief from 'Get Smart', a.k.a. actor Edward Platt, has mere seconds on screen as the cult member uttering the death threat.

Seven out of 10.

The sincerest form of flattery

[keith-moyes · 3/10 · 22 November 2007]

Cult of the Cobra is now available on DVD in a pristine print that does full justice to whatever merits it has as a movie. Unfortunately, that is not saying much.

It has a competent cast of second-rankers that acquit themselves as well as could be expected under the circumstances. It is efficiently directed, entirely on sound stages and standing sets on the studio backlot. It looks OK, but is ponderously over-plotted and at a scant 80 minutes it is still heavily padded.

For example, the double cobra attack on the first of the GIs was surely one attack too many.

The business about Julia choosing to marry Pete rather than Tom never amounts to anything. Tom immediately falls in love with Lisa and she never has any reason to be jealous of Julia (nor is she).

Julia's 'feminine intuition' is introduced as if it is going to lead to an important plot development, but it doesn't. Similarly, Pete's investigation into cobra cults and the suspicion that briefly falls on Tom serve no purpose other than to fill up screen time.

These are just symptoms of the underlying problem. The movie is structured like a mystery but it isn't. As soon as the curse is pronounced we know exactly where the story is heading, so the characters are left painstakingly uncovering what we already know.

The ending is particularly lame. Julia is menaced purely by accident. Lisa has no reason to want to kill her - she just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When Tom turns up in the nick of time to save her, it is not even clear whether she was threatened at all. He then simply disposes of the cobra in the way any of the previous victims might have done.

It is such an inconsequential little pipsqueak of a story that I found myself wondering how on earth it had been pitched to the studio heads. Then it occurred to me. Someone said: "Those Val Lewton movies were very successful over at RKO, so why don't we make one like that?"

Cult of the Cobra is clearly modelled on Cat People: mysterious, troubled, shape-shifting woman falls in love with the hero, is apparently frigid, kills people, arouses the suspicions of the hero's woman friend and dies at the end. But 'modelled on' doesn't mean 'as good as' - by a wide margin. It copies, but doesn't understand what it is copying.

It is obviously trying for the low-key, suggestive Lewton style, but this approach doesn't follow through into the story. Lisa is no Irene. She is meant to be strange and mysterious but there is no mystery about her. We get a glimpse of her after the first attack in Asia, so immediately recognise her when she turns up in New York. There is never any doubt about her purpose. Neither is there any ambiguity about whether of not she actually turns into a snake.

Then again, during her nocturnal prowling we get, not one, but two attempts at 'buses'. Neither come off, because the director doesn't understand what makes a 'bus' work and, in any case, they happen to the stalker, not the person being stalked.

These faint echoes of Cat People give Cult of the Cobra whatever small distinction it might have, but they only draw attention to the yawning gulf between the original and the imitation.

Plagiarism may be the sincerest form of flattery, but I doubt if Lewton or Tourneur were particularly flattered when this tepid little time-passer came out.

Serpent Time

[twanurit · 8/10 · 18 September 2002]

Set in 1945, six American GIs crash a cult that worships snakes, and are threatened to be killed, one by one, for their misdeeds. Back home in New York City, their fates start to unravel. Faith Domergue is amazingly beautiful, and most alluring, as an Asian "Cobra Woman", an instrument of death. Despite his third billing in the film, Marshall Thompson is her co-star, giving a strong performance as the GI who falls for her, and proves her ruin.

Cinematography by eventual Oscar-winner Russell Metty is amazing: In one arresting scene, after Faith professes love for Thompson but can not kiss him, he leaves her apartment and she sits - the door's closing giving a half-shadow on her face, as if to reflect her dual torment for him between love and as a hit woman. He and the rest of the cast, Richard Long, William Reynolds, Jack Kelly and David Janssen, became more successful as television stars. Kathleen Hughes is also on hand as a pretty blonde love interest. Not much is made to recreate the era, it's definitely 1955, via the clothes, makeup, hairstyles, etc.

But as in most of Universal-International's decade of science fiction/horror classics, which hold up better (and are re-shown on television and released to VHS/DVD/Blu Ray) than their other output, save a few Douglas Sirk dramas, westerns, etc., it's well-written, directed, scored, paced and acted.

Run-of-the-mill psychological horror, with snakes

[jamesrupert2014 · 6/10 · 6 January 2022]

Cursed by a priest (Edward Platt, 'Chief' from 'Get Smart') after sneaking into a secret snake-cult ceremony, six GIs begin to mysteriously die. The story is a by-the-numbers horror-thriller and is very similar to the superior and much more moody 'The Cat People' (1942). The GIs, who include future TV stars David Jansen and Jack Kelly are fine in undemanding roles but Faith Domergue, while pretty enough, lacks the exotic allure that made Simone Simon's character so compelling in 'The Cat People'. The scenes at the cult meeting of female contortionist 'dressed' as a snake are the best part.

Always remember you're a guest at the party.

[rmax304823 · 4/10 · 20 May 2008]

Six GIs, about to be send home and discharged, get drunk and sneak into a cult meeting in Asia. Surrounded by hooded figures, two male dancers pretend to have a fight. Behind them, on an altar, a woven basket opens and a figure painted emerges and begins imitating a snake, finally biting one of the dancers on the neck. The imitation snake is dressed in some scaley looking body tights. (This is definitely a female imitation snake.) The cult member who has sneaked them into the secret meeting has warned the six men repeatedly that the ceremonies must not be interrupted and, most definitely, no photos must be taken or else they will be hunted down and killed. Naturally, the GIs take a flash photo, send the cult members into an angry hysteria, steal the basket containing the "snake" and run off with it into the Asian night.

One of the guys, the most offensive and snarky, dies from a cobra bite on the neck, though no one can explain how the snake got into his hospital room.

Back in New York, it all seems rather old news as the discharged men settle down into their civilian lives, still maintaining their bond with one another. Their jobs range from manager of a bowling alley (David Janssen) to graduate research student (Richard Long). James Dobson, Jack Kelly, and Marshall Thompson are also part of the neighborhood. Richard Long has a nice blond girl friend. Kelly is a somewhat reckless womanizer. But they all get along well enough and all of them seem happy.

Then a dark, shifty-looking, mysterious woman (Faith Domergue) shows up and Marshall Thompson takes a liking to her and insinuates her into the group.

Guess what happens. First Janssen is terrified by a shadow in the back seat and dies in a car crash. Then Kelly gets a visit from Domergue. Something scares him so badly he tumbles through the window and dies in the fall to the sidewalk. Long and Dobson begin to suspect what the viewer already knows -- that Domergue has had something to do with the deaths. They also reckon that maybe she's turning into a cobra, which is the case. Dobson confronts her with his suspicions and she proves his point.

By this time Long and Thompson are thoroughly frazzled, particularly Thompson, who is in love with Domergue and has discovered that she is attracted to him, too, although he must explain to her what "love" is. No matter. A final reckless attack by the cobra woman against Long's girl friend -- not one of the six original offenders -- and Thompson must throw the snake out the window. On the pavement below, the body changes to that of Domergue. The end.

I think I'll skip over most of the questions that the plot raises. I'll just mention one of the more prosaic ones in passing. Who paid for Domergue's fare from somewhere in Asia to New York? Who's paying her utility bills in the hotel? Who paid for her spectacular wardrobe? How come she speaks American English so well? What the hell's going on? The writers and director have clearly seen some of Val Lewton's modest horror films and, though not much effort has gone into this production, they've unashamedly stolen some gimmicks from Lewton. In Lewton's "The Cat People", for instance, the woman is transformed into a black leopard but, with one tiny exception, the threat is always kept in the shadows and is all the more spooky for it. Most of the transformations here use shadows too, but unlike Lewton's, the shadows are clumsy and unambiguous.

Lewton also made occasional use of what he called "buses". Lewton's first "bus" was a literal one. A potential victim is hurrying alone through the dark tunnels of Central Park with only the sound of footsteps. Something or someone is following her. She freezes with fright under a street lamp. Something rustles the branches of the shrubs above her. She looks upward. There is a loud, wheezing shriek that makes your hair stand on end. It's a bus using its air brakes to stop for her. The producers used at least two "buses" in this film and they amount to nothing. A guy is walking distractedly across an intersection, for instance, and there is the sudden rumble of a truck that almost hits him. There is no set up to the shot. It's jammed in with a shoe horn.

I don't much care for movies that perpetuate the stereotype of serpents as slimy, ugly, venomous, and phallic. As a matter of fact, no snakes are slimy, most are harmless, and many are extraordinarily beautiful. Furthermore, they're more feminine than masculine in their sinuous movements and serpentine approach to goals. You want a reptilian symbol for masculinity? Try a six-lined racerunner. It's a really fast lizard. When it sees something to eat, it rushes up and gobbles it down.

Anyway, if you want to see some fine, low-budget scary films, don't bother with this one. Find "The Cat People" or one of Lewton's other minor masterpieces, of which this is an obvious copy.

Memorably campy

[lor_ · 16 February 2024]

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Direct by Francis D. Lyon; Produced by Howard Pine for Universal-International Pictures release. Screenplay by Jerry Davis, Cecil Maiden and Richard Collins; Photography by Russell Metty; Editor by Milton Carruth; Musical Director: Joseph Gershonson. Starring: Faith Domergue, Richard Long, Marshall Thompson, William Reynolds, Kathleen Hughes, Jack Kelly, David Janssen, Myrna Hansen, James Dobson and Edward Platt.

Horror-mystery combo with an Eastern cult and a snake lady whipping up superstitious feelings. Features some white nightgown action.

Cat People revisited...

[poe-48833 · 6/10 · 8 September 2016]

CULT OF THE COBRA is pretty much a remake of CAT PEOPLE without the Guiding Light of a Val Lewton. It's not a BAD movie, per se, nor is it an Outstanding one. Faith Domergue is at her loveliest here and the Sanke, when used, is handled well, but the movie takes its time shifting into gear (we know damned well where everything is leading; why waste Time- and considerable Footage- getting there?). The inclusion of so MANY characters is detrimental to the overall film: too often, the movie seems to lack any true FOCUS ("crowd scenes," in which a large number of players are squeezed into too small a space, are common throughout).

That Woman Is A Snake!

[AaronCapenBanner · 5/10 · 31 October 2013]

Francis D. Lyon directed this horror tale that begins after WWII ends, where six American G.I.s,(among them Richard Long, Marshall Thompson, and David Janssen) stationed in Asia sneak into the secret ceremonies of a cult of snake worshipers, where they see a snake turn into a woman(or so it seems) they are discovered but escape, though the cult leader curses them with their avenging snake goddess. When one of them dies shortly later from a snake bite, they dismiss it as coincidence, but when they return home, and more start dying, it's obvious that something followed them home. Could it be attractive newcomer Lisa(played by Faith Domergue)? Interesting premise mishandled in failed thriller. No attempt is made to recreate a post-war feel, and even worse, Faith Domergue is far too human to be believed as anything else, though the acting is otherwise fine.

Decently enjoyable but still with some problems

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 6/10 · 25 January 2013]

After unintentionally insulting a sacred ceremony while overseas in the war, a group of soldiers return back to America and find themselves stalked and killed by a strange creature with the powers of the cult inflicted upon them.

An overall enjoyable 50s Horror effort that's better than expected but still mildly flawed, the best part here is the film's rather entertaining attack scenes. Using the camera to showcase the snake's approach is quite nice by getting around the troublesome topic of how to show that in the time-period while not really doing anything graphic or such, and several of them get pretty creepy especially the apartment attack. It's also a lot more modern-feeling than expected, which is due to utilizing the modern theme in this of the revenge-rampage of the cult to set-up the later actions, which is still being done nowadays and gives it a nice touch, as do the scenes inside the meeting which give it a creepy middle-eastern vibe that works well in making it seem foreign and exotic. There's some flaws here, including the conflicted agent of the cult storyline that's a cliché by the time it was featured here, and comes across moreso even now and seems shoehorned into the film for no reason, as well as the cheap special effects that really denote the low-budget nature of this one quite clearly. It's not all that bad, but it's definitely not all that great either.

Today's Rating/PG: Mild Violence.

Certainly Watchable

[boblipton · 5/10 · 11 September 2021]

Richard Long, David Janssen, Marshall Thompson, Jack Kelly, and William Reynolds are four G. I.s on terminal leave in India. Looking for a souvenir, they bribe their way into the ceremony of a snake cult. When they are discovered, they are cursed with death, one by one, in the form of Faith Domergue, who follows them back to the US and kills them in the form of a cobra.

This is one of those 1950s Universal horror/scifi movies that, in the hands of someone like Jack Arnold, would turn out to have something sensible and even witty to say about the way we lived in that decade. In the hands of competent but uninspired Francis D. Lyons, it turns into a decent thriller which, if it had anything to say except "Don't be boorish", I can't see it.

You must have Faith, Domergue that is.

[Bernie4444 · 7/10 · 28 October 2023]

I came across this movie by accident as part of a collection. Not reading any reviews ahead of time I was surprised to see so many well-known actors; then I realized this is 1955 and a lot of them were just starting.

American G. I.s who trespass on a cult called Lamia.

Lamia - a mythical monster, with the body of a woman or with the head and breasts of a woman and the body of a snake, said to prey on human beings and suck the blood of children.

You know what happens next as they get cursed, and someone must pay.

Great formula and suspense; we get to see the shadow of metamorphosis and sometimes even root for the misunderstood dispatcher.

Trailer - "From halfway around the world she had come to make friends with five unsuspecting young men. And when she walked in the night, death followed swift and violent."

Help!

[HSauer · 2/10 · 12 December 1998]

Faith Domergue (better known as "Dr. Ruth" in THIS ISLAND EARTH) is the only reason to watch this film. The story is very thin, and once the Air Force buddies return to the States with a Cobra Curse upon them the action is just a waiting game. See Faith the Snake Woman and try to pretend the rest isn't happening.

A CULT CLASSIC, HAS ANY ONE SEEN THIS MOVIE?

[ash-79 · 10/10 · 14 April 2000]

I really like this movie, but most reviews that I see seem to trash it. It has an excellent cast of B movie stars, who are probably trying at this time to get recognition. They are Faith Domergue, Richard Long, David Janssen, Jack Kelly and Marshall Thompson. Here is a quick synopsis of the movie:

Stationed in Asia, six American G.I.'s witness the secret ritual of Lamians (worshipers of women who change into serpents). When discovered by the cult, the High Lamain Priest vows that the Cobra Goodess will avenge herself. Once back in the U.S., a mysterious woman enters into their lives and accidents begin to happen. The shadow of a cobra is seen before each death.

First seen on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater in 1973

[kevinolzak · 5/10 · 10 November 2020]

Not since the Paul Dupree trilogy of 1943-44 that was really only good for one entry had Universal invested in a female menace that likewise would transform from woman into beast, so in that way 1955's "Cult of the Cobra" (working title "Cult of the Serpent") was a look back on reliable horror tropes actually set in the closing days of the Second World War. A close knit group of six GIs stationed in Asia (Burma according to the script, unspecified in the film) meet a member of the Lamian cult of snake worshippers, eager to see one of their ceremonies for evidence of man into snake. A striking dance sequence turns out better than expected, a clearly female form writhing out of a large basket to creep up the leg of a potential male victim, spinning in circles until the fatal bite that claims his life. Unfortunately, the drunken Nick (James Dobson) goes against strict orders of no photographs, one snapshot and all hell breaking loose, their trusting guide murdered and the high priest proclaiming a death curse upon them to avenge the cobra god. Nick was several steps ahead of the others, found with a bite mark on his neck (the stolen basket now empty), the venom drawn out in time for him to be well on his way to full recovery before morning. During the night we get a snake's eye view of its attack on luckless Nick (the same bubble technique used for the Xenomorphs in "It Came from Outer Space"), his comrades dumbfounded to learn of his death before they leave for home in New York City. Marshall Thompson's nominal hero is Tom, jilted by lover Julia (Kathleen Hughes) for roommate Paul (Richard Long), quickly finding a replacement in Lisa Moya (Faith Domergue), dark haired neighbor across the hall, newly arrived in town without a clue about city life. One by one the male cast members bite the dust until only Tom and Paul are left, Tom a firm disbeliever in Lisa being the snake goddess come to dispatch them, the finale set in a Broadway theatre where the truth is finally revealed to his horrified chagrin. Throughout its small screen reign this film proved a comfort to veteran TV series watchers, viewing several top stars in early roles: Richard Long from THE BIG VALLEY and NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR, Marshall Thompson from DAKTARI, Jack Kelly from MAVERICK, and particularly David Janssen from THE FUGITIVE and HARRY-O. Faith Domergue had that mysterious exotic look that often made her difficult to cast, able to bring everything to the table required here yet ultimately defeated by the lack of substance. This was by far her highlight year, also appearing in "This Island Earth," "It Came from Beneath the Sea," and "The Atomic Man." Hammer's 1971 "Vampire Circus" would also capture the sexual connotations of humans transforming into beasts, more subdued in black and white but still quite effective ("Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy" would try a similar looking nightclub sequence, 1972's "Night of the Cobra Woman" a quasi remake from the Philippines). The trailer puts forth a more daring explanation for its alluring lead in their definition of Lamia: "the head and breast of a woman, the body of a serpent."

Domergue Could Use Some Lessons

[dougdoepke · 22 January 2013]

Six army buddies decide to do some sight-seeing among a cult of shape-shifters when they should have stayed in the bar and had a few more beers.

The movie's not as bad as the title suggests, thanks mainly to enthusiastic performances from Thompson, Kelly, and Long. You might expect them to walk through their parts in a low budgeter like this, but they don't. Instead they inject needed vitality into the far-fetched premise. Now, if Domergue could just suggest some menace in an otherwise deadpan performance as the snake lady, we might get a hint of a coming shape-shift. No wonder director Lyon has to use a pin light on her expressionless face to indicate she's no lady after all.

The bowling alley sequence is the movie's only scary part. Too bad Lyon doesn't play up the suspense in the other stalking sequences. Instead, we go from snake shadow to dead body, leaving out the scary part. Then too, I wish they had more than one staircase street set. If I catch this flick again, I'll try counting the times they use and re-use it. In my book, the movie isn't bad enough to make it as camp. Instead, it's a not-very-good horror flick, mainly because of Domergue. But at least the guys went on to starring success with TV.

Lost potential.

[bombersflyup · 4/10 · 14 September 2020]

Cult of the Cobra has an excellent premise, with a quality beginning, but quickly turns into a daytime soap opera.

We know what's going on, so there's no mystery or suspense and then add to that no death scenes. Awful characterization, babble and dull dialogue, with lengthy pauses. Richard Long and Faith Domergue are okay, but lead Marshall Thompson terrible.

The cobra woman is back!

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 24 November 2015]

What is basically a rehash of The Cat People minus the suspense is an alright Gothic horror movie that is not camp like most monster movies of the mid 1950's. It all starts with a curse on a group of soldiers in the middle East who end up cursed as a result of an encounter with a native upset over their ridicule over his beliefs. The arrival with the cool beauty Faith Domergue overlaps with a series of violent deaths where nothing horrific is seen, only implied. As Domergue ends up romantically involved with one of the men, one of the last surviving men, Richard Long, seeks to prove that somehow a curse is involved.

Enjoyable but somewhat bland, this is greatly aided by shadowy photography, this takes a bit of time to really began to make sense and retain interest. Domergue, once the protégée of Howard Hughes at RKO finds perhaps the one role for which she will be slightly remembered. Implying the gruesome deaths rather than showing the actual method in which they happen makes this slightly more interesting although it certainly does not belong with the mainline of horror classics which are not forgotten today.