Customer Reviews

Sssssss [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Nothing can prepare you for the heart-stopping terror of Sssssss(remember there are 7 of the letter S in the title). If you dig the animal/nature themed horror flicks of the 70s, you'll probably dig this. Ssssssstrother Martin is a mad scientist who believes that man is very close to extinction, so in order to survive upcoming plagues and holocausts, he wants to turn everyone into snakes. Sounds reasonable enough. His guinea pig in this experiment is his new assssssistant played by Dirk Benedict, who you may remember as Face in The A-Team. Face has no idea what's awaiting him, he thinks the injections Martin gives him are a venom vaccine. Face falls in love with Martin's nerdy snake studying daughter, and soon introduces her to a kind of snake she's never seen before. Before long his face is getting messed up, his skin is shedding and he's always feeling cold. Never once does he catch on to what's happening until it's too late. Produced by the guys who gave us Jaws, this film actually seems to be taking itself seriously. Things really don't start happening until the one hour mark. Before that it's actually more of a drama than anything, but the body count eventually starts. Martin is really what carries this film. His performance is very much above the average for the kind of mad scientist character you usually see in this genre. This film is only gonna appeal to fans of the cheesy big monster genre(and maybe not even them!), everyone else might as well stay away. There are quite alot of interesting snake facts throughout, so the movie isn't a total loss coz you come away a bit wiser about snakes. A point must also be made about the title. It's funny, and quirky, but it's one of those film titles that doesn't roll off the tongue so well when trying to tell someone about the film. "What did you watch last night?" "Sssssss". "What's your favorite movie?" "Sssssss". "Hey man, have you ever seen Sssssss?" See what I mean? It's similar to the film "Eegah!" or trying to tell someone you really like that Crash Test Dummies song, "Mmm..Mmm..Mmm..Mmm". Silly title or not, it's a must see if you like stuff like Food Of The Gods, Bug, Frogs, etc.

Strother Martin is a herpetologist (snake guy) and Heather Menzies is his cute (in a Jane Fonda way), bespectacled daughter. They earn their living putting on shows where dad encounters a 14 foot king cobra, grabs it, and extracts venom from it's huge fangs! Along comes Dirk Benedict (TVs Battlestar Gallactica, and The A-Team) as a new lab assistant. He is given injections under the pretense of being immunized against snake bites. Little does he know that he's the latest guinnea pig in his new boss' lab! I saw this with it's double bill partner THE BOY WHO CRIED WEREWOLF when they came out. I hated the latter, but loved Sssssss! I just watched it again and enjoyed it immensely. If you like monster / sci-fi / horror / mad scientist / 70s cheese, you'll love this! Dirk Benedict is far more tolerable in Sssssss than he is in anything else! Strother Martin is the perfect madman! Reb Brown is excellent as the jerky jock! The carnival "snake boy" scene was shocking in 1973, and holds up well today. Sssssss belongs right next to WILLARD (the original version) and FROGS on your DVD shelf. Recommended...

Yes, Ssssssss will never be considered one of the "great" lost 70s films, but it is a lot of fun to watch. The plot (almost scene for scene) was appropriated by Full Moon to make Curse of the Puppetmaster, so campy is definitely the word to use here. The craze of the time of skinny dipping is done here and the hair styles and slang are oh so 70s. The chiller is effective though, especially at the end. The carnival sideshow adds chills effectively, as well. This would make a GREAT DVD double feature with Race with the Devil. C'mon studios!

I recall being scared to death by the prospect of this film when it came out...I was about 12 years old. There was a trailer that showed a sideshow attraction who basically looked like an armless guy made up like a snake. I couldn't shake that image....it stuck with me. I chalk it up to one of those 70's horror films that - for one reason or another - left an indelible mark on me. (The Swarm, Earthquake, Night Of The Lepus, Squirm and Frogs would all be in the same category)
Is this a great film? Absolutely not? Is it better than many of the so-called horror films released today? You better believe it. It has a definite TV movie feel, but nevertheless is worth watching. If for no other reason than to see a super-young, pre Battlestar Galactica Dirk Benedict trying his best under the circumstances. Strother Martin is especially slithery. And poor Heather Menzies...they have misspelled her name on this DVD as "Heather Mengies"...which sounds like a blood disease. If I were her I'd sue Universal DVD for cruel misuse of an almost forgotten name!

Length:: 3:48 Mins

Horror movies these days depend on naive chicks, bad makeup work, stupid plots and some boisterous jock to completely rain on the parade ... uh, actually this movie from 1973 relies on all that stuff too, but it's still pretty cool! Truth be told, there's a grainy, eerie feeling right away on "Sssssss" as Dr. Stoner (Strother Martin) and a sleazy carnival guy unload a crate that contains some whimpering being, which we later find out is a grotesque half-snake, half-man. Even during the more lighthearted moments of "Sssssss," there's an ever-present tension that never quite goes away. Yes, the plot is cheesy as hell; sure, the acting is a bit second rate (except by Martin); and yes, "Sssssss" is one of those mysterious movies that somehow got made and has hung around long enough to develop a cult following, not to mention get the DVD treatment. But, to its credit, this flick has remained somewhat relevant after all these years -- just check out its fair share of positive reviews here on Amazon.

I first saw "Sssssss" many moons ago on the CBS "Late Show" during a sleepover at my grandma's house. I was young enough, and she was old enough, to be intrigued and genuinely frightened by this bizarre movie, which, come to think of it, I'm glad has managed to stick around.

This is a classic mad scientist movie. Strother Martin is a herpetologist who thinks people would be better off as reptiles. Enter Dirk Benedict,prototypical clueless guinea pig, who falls for the over protective mad scientist's cute daughter. The rest of the story tells itself.
SSSS makes up in suspense, creepiness and b-movie star power what it lacks in production values. Strother Martin is a classic 2nd string villain. Dirk Benedict, you might remember him from Battlestar or A-Team. And the female lead,Heather Menzies, played one of the Von Trapps in the Sound of Music. She was also in Captain America with Reb Brown,who has a small part in this movie too! Nope, this movie came from a time when FX were cheap, shaky and down played but the movie was fun and exciting none the less. Vintage 70's shoestring horror.

Dirk Benedict was SO cute at 20! Imagine my horror when a mad scientist tells him to take off his his shirt to that he can inject him with a special "serum". Slowly Dirk's body changes until, to his horror, he is thrashing about a medical bench, covered in thick green scales and turning into a snake! It was fun to watch the bad script, servicable special effects and cute young guy combine to make for some B-movie sci-fi fun!

Being 21 years old I grew up watching Dirk Benedict in Battle Star Galactica and The A-Team and so I was very used to seeing him in those type of roles. When I heard about this movie I thought why not have a change and see how he is in this type of role. It was different seeing him younger and seeing him in a role like this but it was a good different. Dirk Benedict did a great job in this role and he did it in a believable way. I've also seen Strother Martin (Much Younger) in the early black and white episodes of Gunsmoke that are recently coming out and like in his guest appearances on Gunsmoke he's a quack and he did this crazy scientist role extremely well. Another thing that made this movie believable was the fact that all the snakes used in the movie are real snakes and that really helped the movie. I guess the only bad part about that part was it's said in Strother Martian's bio on the net that he was bitten by one of the snakes while on the set, so yeah that's the only thing that sucks about using real snakes in a movie but still, it did help the movie. All in All this is a good movie for any science fiction fan or like me, a Dirk Benedict fan.

I saw this years ago, and no matter how many snake movies I watch, I still want to see this one again. Loved Curse II also, but this one was a bit "different" than most snake movies.
Can't figure out why those cable channels that show movies like this never show it. I'd watch it over and over if had the chance. Really does make you wonder about other so-called "research projects" and what the REAL effects on life and nature would be if carried to full completion. When will man stop trying to play God?
I'd reccommend this one to any who like suspense and snakes!

Movies have come a long way with technology, but this movie still scares me eventhough I'm much older now. Snakes are still very creepy too me.