Oliver Reed (The Devils) and Klaus Kinski (Aguirre The Wrath of God) were notorious for being unpredictable and trouble on a film set. Both actors enjoyed pushing directors around and being a bit of a terror to other actors to get their performance just right. So you would imagine the two actors would be a nightmare if they teamed up in a film. But neither actor counted on working with a star even more unpredictable than each other. The real star of Venom is a black mamba snake that doesn’t listen to the director or co-stars. This is a deadly version of Method Acting. Venom is a kidnapping thriller with a fanged twist.
Jacque Muller (Nosferatu‘s Klaus Kinski) had kidnapping plan seemed rather simple with plenty of help from the inside. His girlfriend Louise (Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry‘s Susan George) had taken a job as a maid for a very wealthy family in London. She seduced the chauffer Dave (Tommy‘s Oliver Reed) to make him part of the plot. The plan just has the chauffer drive off with the child one afternoon and get the ransom money from his grandfather (Dr. Strangelove‘s Sterling Hayden). Even with such a simple plan, things can go extremely wrong. The day of the kidnapping, the kid sneaks away from the chauffeur to get to the nearby pet store to get his friendly snake for his collection of animals. This is where the problem starts since someone at the pet store screws up and gives the kid a black mamba. This is the deadliest snake in the world. Dr. Marion Stowe (Blowup’s Sarah Miles) had ordered the fanged killer and notices her order is screwed up first. When the chauffer, maid and the criminal finally get around to the kidnapping, it turns into a mess since the snake gets loose. The snake doesn’t care about the criminal plans as it claims its first victim in the house. Things get worse when the cops arrive to get the deadly snake and the criminals think it’s about them. It turns into a siege. The criminals attempt to find the snake since they can no longer make a clean getaway. It’s cops versus kidnapper versus a black mamba in a battle royale.
Venom is a great tense thriller. Having Oliver Reed and Klaus Kinski teaming up as the bad guys makes you know there’s going to be a power struggle overriding their kidnapping plot. Tossing a black mamba into the mix is brilliant. And the black mamba adds so much as if slithers around the home looking to take shots at various people in the house. The 90 minutes go extremely fast as everything gets so tense when the kidnapping plot falls apart. This is a film that works as both a thriller and a horror show. Who doesn’t have a fear of getting the wrong pet sent over from the store? Probably as many people have of Klaus Kinski showing up in their house unannounced. Director Piers Haggard (Blood On Satan’s Claw) brings his folk horror to the city. Venom is a thrilling ride from both the dangerous human and reptile cast.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The transfer is 4K 16-bit from 35mm In in Dolby Vision HDR. You’ll see into the black mouth of the mamba when it strikes. The Audio is 7.1 Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD MA 5.1 and DTS-HD MA 2.0. They sound will let you swear you hear the black mamba running around the house. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary with Director Piers Haggard has him doing his best to remember what happened all those years before. He recounts getting the offer after Tobe Hooper had left. He had very little prep time so there’s not as much of a personal touch in the film. He was dealing with Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed since they didn’t get along. Haggard jokes that the film was a “nest of vipers.” Piers Haggard passed away in January of 2023.
Audio Commentary with Film Historians Troy Howarth, Nathaniel Thompson and Eugenio Ercolani has them talk about how the film more reflects producer Martin Bregman than director Piers Haggard. Which is true since Bregman actually shot a few scenes in the film. They also debate if this is an Eco-Vengeance film like The Birds, The Frogs or Jaws. They do point out things that weren’t in the book.
Fangs For The Memories (26:12) catches up with Editor/Second Unit Director Michael Bradsell. He made the film thrilling by making the black mambas look good and deadly. He was originally hired when Tobe Hooper was still the director. He talks about meeting Tobe Hooper and his cigarette holder. They worked out of Elstree Studios in London. He points out that Hooper wasn’t getting behind on shots and Klaus Kinski wasn’t questioning everything Tobe wanted to do. He covers what happened with Tobe split the shoot. He was part of the interviews for the replacement director. Piers Haggard was the only person who said he could get the shoot going again. They reshoot Tobe’s scene because Piers didn’t like the accent Oliver Reed was using or Klaus Kinski’s wardrobe. He was given second unit director gig at first doing the snake’s view of rooms. Later he’d get to shoot a few non-dialogue scenes with the main actors. He enjoyed working with Oliver Reed. Bradsell did edit The Devils so Reed owed him. He learned the secret of working with Kinski. He recounts “snake day” on the set. He didn’t see it as a horror film, but a thriller.
A Slithery Story (21:00) gets Makeup Artist Nick Dudman to explain how you makes someone look snake bit. He talks about getting his start and how it led to Venom. He started with Tobe Hooper. He did makeup tests on Klaus Kinski. Then the shutdown happened. This was his first time doing makeup of the leads.
Mamba Memories (23:29) catches Author & Critic Kim Newman outside of his house as he compares the original novel to the movie. He guides us through the history of critters loose in a house books and movies.
Pick Your Poison (15:26) talks with The Dark Side magazine’s Allan Bryce. He points out that by 1981, the British horror movie industry wasn’t doing well. The only other film of that year was American Werewolf in London which was an American production in England. Venom was English. He didn’t see it in the cinema, but caught it on VHS. He heard that Kinski had it in for Tobe Hooper. He mentions how in 1977, the film was being set up with Sean Connery as a lead. Bryce has a story of running into Oliver Reed at a bar and discovering the actor’s special tattoo.
Trailers has the Theatrical Trailer (1:25) and Teaser Trailer (0:31). The film was distributed in England by George Harrison’s Handmade Films. Paramount handled America.
TV Spots (1:41) has three commercials. Paramount compares the film to The Birds, Psycho, The Omen and Jaws.
Poster & Still Gallery has over a hundred images of posters, the pressbook, newspaper advertisements, lobby cards, press photos, press kit photos, VHS boxes, DVD covers, the novel covers and the script’s title page.
Collectible Booklet with essay by Michael Gingold brings up the Tobe Hooper element.
Blue Underground presents Venom (1981). Directed by Piers Haggard. Screenplay by Robert Carrington. Starring Sterling Hayden, Klaus Kinski, Sarah Miles, Nicol Williamson, Cornelia Sharpe, Susan George, Lance Holcomb & Oliver Reed. Running Time: 93 minutes. Rating: Rated R. Release Date: March 25, 2025.
