Written and directed by Ken Russell
Based on the book by Bram Stoker
Starring Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, Peter Capaldi, Sammi Davis and Stratford Johns
UK, 1988
As a lifelong DRACULA fan, I’ve known about Bram Stoker’s less-famous work, THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM, and its cinematic adaptation, for decades, so it’s appropriate that I’ve finally gotten around to checking it out. Turns out it’s written and directed by none other than Tommy auteur Ken Russell, a Horrorfest alum.
THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM isn’t quite as excessive and over-the-top as your usual Ken Russell movie, though. Before I saw it I might have thought a dialed-back Russell would be a good thing, but part way through the movie I began wishing Russell would turn it up to 11. The material demands it.
The story concerns an archaeology student who digs up a monster’s skull in a field in England. The nearby village has traditions revolving around the legend of a giant worm that lived in the area and was slain long ago. Could this skull belong to the worm? Maybe it’s not just a legend.
The Lady of a nearby manor (Amanda Donohoe) certainly doesn’t seem to think so as she turns out to worship the ancient worm, scheming to offer it human sacrifices, and can even transform into a monster herself.
DR. WHO fans might recognize a young Peter Capaldi as the archaeologist who gets the story moving, but the real scene stealer here is an equally young Hugh Grant as the ancestor of the Lord reputed to have slain the worm in the first place. Turns out he had that star presence from day one.
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