The Lair of the White Worm
- Friday, Jan 17, 2025, 7:00pm
We asked our volunteers to pick films to show this month and this is one of them!
Loosely based on Bram Stoker’s novel of the same name, Ken Russell’s frenetic fright-fest about a Scottish archaeologist (Peter Capaldi) uncovering the remains of a massive serpent in the Derbyshire countryside—and the odd events that follow this excavation, including the appearance of Hugh Grant as the self-proclaimed heir of a knight of ancient lore—is a riot of dark humor, pagan eroticism, and flamboyantly camp horror that ranks alongside the director’s finest.
Part of our Farewell to 1403 series.
“Russell’s compositions are gorgeous to look at, though it’s the deliciousness with which the story unravels that made Lair of the White Worm Russell’s most enjoyable film since his masterpiece Crimes of Passion.” Ed Gonzalez, Slant
“What’s so wonderful about Russell’s quintessential female villain is that she embodies a sense that evil has no gender. It has no feelings. It simply is, and it’s quite fun to get to know it.” April Wolfe, Film Comment