Spasms (1983) * 1/2 (out of 4)Oliver Reed plays a former hunter whose brother was killed by a large serpent, which also left him partially crippled. It also left him with a strange disorder where he has some sort of mental connection with the serpent. Reed pay a hunter to capture the snake and ship it back to America where he wants a doctor (Peter Fonda) to find out what's going on. But of course the snake escapes and goes around killing people.SPASMS, also known as the second of two killer snake films from Reed, isn't that good of a movie. In fact, while watching the film I could easily see why this sat on a shelf for a couple years before finally getting released. The movie is a real disappointment and especially if you're a fan of such movies where a large animal breaks free and goes around killing people.The biggest problem with the film is its screenplay. I mean, a psychic connection between Reed and the snake? Yes that is an original build-up for a story but c'mon! That's a bit too silly even for a grade B horror movie. Another problem is that the snake doesn't get nearly enough action. There are way too many scenes with characters talking about the snake and these are just boring and go nowhere. I would also argue that the film is at its most entertaining when the snake is doing its thing because we get some pretty good special effects and especially seeing the body reaction to the venom.Reed and Fonda are always worth watching but I think it's fair to say that both of them were simply picking up a paycheck with their performances. The supporting cast really isn't much better. Did I mention the silly POV shots of the snake? These here really didn't help matters either. Overall SPASMS is a pretty bad and disappointing movie that could have and should have been much better.

A gigantic serpent from hell is captured on a remote island and shipped to an American college for some sort of scientific experimentation.An American scientist played by Peter Fonda tries to help wealthy Jason Kincaid(Oliver Reed),who has some kind of telepathic link with ghastly serpent.Snake called N'Gana Sunbu escapes from scientific laboratory and promptly begins killing people.It's up to Fonda and Reed to stop satanic snake from hell...I must say that William Fruet did some great exploitation thrillers like "Death Weekend","Funeral Home" or "Trapped".On the other hand,"Spasms" is his stab at animal attack sub-genre.The special effects are cheesy and the snake looks ridiculous.Still there is enough campy fun and bloody violence to satisfy any self-respecting fan of 80's horror cheese.7 serpents out of 10.Vastly enjoyable piece of trash.

Conjured up by a tribe of primitives, a giant snake returns to kill anyone in it's path. Big game hunter Jason Kincaid(Oliver Reed) is plagued by "viral telepathy"(he was bitten by the snake, whose potent venom he was immune, his brother wasn't so lucky)and seeks the help of a psychiatrist, Dr. Tom Brazilian(Peter Fonda) experimenting with extra sensory perception, hoping for an antidote to cure his "link" to the snake. Kincaid can see through the snake's eyes and even feels the pain of it's victims. Kincaid's niece, Suzanne Cavadon(Kerrie Keane), attempts, futilely, to keep the snake from entering Stateside, and her efforts to kill it fails(..she turns up the temperature of the box containing it) but a former CIA agent, Warren Crowley(Al Waxman, in all his sweaty, lecherous glory) who is paid by a Snake cult leader to kidnap it(..a member of the cult frees it while attempting to tame it), fails at the job, barely escaping with his life while the fiend is set loose on civilization. Anyway, the snake is loose on the streets as the police comb the area looking for it while Tom hopes to find it through Kincaid, by using whatever device or tool he might have at his disposal in finding it's whereabouts before more and more innocents are stalked and destroyed. Kincaid decides he must end it's reign of terror once and for all, even if it means his life. Crowley, himself, must also find it or suffer the wrath of the scorned cult leader who demands for the snake to be in his possession or else.While the attacks are ferocious, the snake is mostly shot off-screen, with director William Fruet opting to show the bodies of victims hurled around like a battered toy in the hands of a child. A lot of the film is shot in point-of-view, the screen tinted blue as we see through it's eyes as it pursues potential victims. The plot will inevitably be viewed as rather nonsensical, and rightfully so, the whole idea of a man being telepathically linked to a devil snake. The creature itself looks like a rubber snake, so perhaps it was best not to show him too much. Fonda looks and acts very disinterested; I imagine he has disowned this movie, and perhaps Oliver Reed had as well. Probably the most memorable suspense sequence occurs as Fonda and Keane search for the snake in a university greenhouse. Also, perhaps memorable is a scene involving a pretty naked girl showering as her friend is being torn to pieces by a snake in the room next to the bathroom, before it bursts through the glass door to get her. Pretty embarrassing movie for Fonda and Reed known for much better than this, a low point for two really impressive careers.

WARNING SPOILERS CONTAINED HEREIN. An Aboriginal snake-god is brought to the USA so that great white hunter JasonKincaid (Oliver Reed) can destroy it to stop having psychicnightmares from snakey-poo. He hires ESP psychiatrist, Dr.Brasilian (Peter Fonda) to help him. Apparently, years earlier whenKincaid was bitten by the snake, the snake venom transmitted"viral telepathy" to him. Meanwhile, a Satan-worshiping snake cultwants the monster to be their master, and so, they try to steal it. Ofcourse, the creature gets loose and kills everyone in its path,causing their arms and faces to bubble and pulsate. For somereason, the snake is sometimes visible, sometimes invisible.There's some major overacting by Oliver Reed, including spazzingout and making unintentionally funny faces. (Perhaps, this iswhere the name for the title comes from). Peter Fonda is cool asbeans in his sunglasses and sport's jacket- plus he says the word"fart" for no reason. This is one of the greatest unintentionalcomedies ever made. You get some jackassed dialogue, ridiculous killing scenes, plus some T & A thrown in to make youhappy. As you can see, I really liked this movie. This wonderfullaugh-fest is the perfect remedy for the blues. I recommend youget a copy NOW!