1988 Directed by Ken Russell
In a remote corner of England's Peak District, a mysterious skull is unearthed. But even weirder is that Lady Sylvia steals the skull for use in worshiping - very erotically - her pagan god, The White Worm, who hungers for the taste of virginal flesh.
This movie is fucking insane in all the right ways. Hugh Grant wields a giant sword. There are phallic symbols in every scene. There are the silliest dream sequences you can imagine, and there are other parts that look like they could've been the rough draft for the Black Lodge sequences on Twin Peaks. There's an absurdly convoluted backstory, and it manages to fit in snakes, vampires, dragons, the Romans, pagans, and more into an hour and a half.
October count: 14/31.
The Lair of Ken Russell. Entering his cinematic world of sensory assault is always a treat and this is no exception. Lair of the White Worm lives deliciously as a bulbous salutation of folksy eroticism, I love it.
Hooptober 4.0 - 2017 - Film #4
I have only seen a few of his films, but I am quickly coming to the conclusion that Ken Rusell's films are completely bonkers. In the absolute best way, of course. To me, he seems to be constantly striving to show us how clever he is with his allusions to history, high-brow culture and philisophy while at the same time dragging it all through the mud of the bawdy and the profane, in the process creating a sloppy chop of crashing waves of whackness.
In Lair of the Worm, a young archeaelogist nerd uncovers a bizarre shaped skull. These very first moments establish the expository heavy course that we are about to undertake…
finding out that hugh grant starred in a cheesy 80s b-horror flick made my day & watching him cut a snake-person in half with a giant sword made my week
Normally I don't like it when people try to tell me what to do, but I would be Lady Sylvia Marsh's familiar and do all of her bidding.
It starts off like a creepy mystery, set out in the English countryside. Then BAM! Jesus on the cross with a huge serpent coiled around him, nuns getting raped, blood, fire... then it's calm again. Back to Hugh Grant and his girlfriend, back to the guy who looks like a caricature of Hugh Grant and his girlfriend. Back to the sneaky lady in the mansion, getting more and more vicious by the minute.
As our Lady Sylvia March reveals more of her true self, the better the movie gets. And there's more than one memorable scene in this Ken Russel movie. Plenty of phallus symbols, gore and cheap effects. How can you not love it? The Lair of the White…
...........this movie is so fucking WEIRD.....
yet, i still loved it. it's so bizarre that it's actually lovable, and i'm not the only one who wanted to get dicked down by lady sylvia. or dick down hugh grant.
“her disappearance could have something to do with this pagan god”
“You're bonkers, we should phone the police!”
“wait mary, let's see what he has to say”
I laughed my ass off throughout, this is great
This might not be his finest hour (because that is Altered States), but Ken Russell is starting to become one of my favorite directors. Such weird and wonderful movies. This one is like a crossbreed of Dracula and Heartbeat.
I feel like I wanna give this four. Mad. Russell obviously knew what he was doing, this is a camp comedy more than it is a horror, despite some genuinely creepy moments. Despite leaning into the silliness it doesn’t all work but it’s so much fun.
This one holds together slightly better than The Devils, but it also doesn't quite have the emotional resonance or historical insight to make up for it. But the sexy weirdness is sexier and the worm is kind of cool and Hugh Laurie is extremely Hugh, so that works out pretty well. Feels like Lady Marsh's particular brand of magical seduction must have been a reference for Elizabeth Hurley in Bedazzled.
Added bonus, this movie gave me a little extra context when reading In The Woods!
2019 watchlist - 10/250
Didn't really click with me, but this is enjoyable enough camp elevated by some true Ken Russell weirdness. The comically transgressive SOV hallucinations are part FMV game, part incredibly antagonistic glitch art, and entirely something I would watch a whole movie of.
Bonus points
+ Hugh Grant halves a vampire with a zweihander.
+ Goofy phallic imagery in basically every other shot
+ Special appearance by Stratford Johns.
Rocky LaForge 18,919 films
As it reads on the tin.
BadSmile 367 films
A big collection of films that might be considered as strange, mindfucking, surreal and weird. Sorted by year. Suggestions are…
Rose 9,613 films
A list that is trying to contain every horror film made that is not lost and is found on the…
