thesar-2 Not much to write about, but sssuffice to sssay its sssecond half is where the venom ssstrikes.Sssssss is just another When-Animals-Attack/Mad-Scientist-Goes-Green films from the 70s. It's not necessarily bad, at least for the first three quarters, but then the movie literally falls apart when someone reminded the writer this was supposed to be a horror movie.College snake expert slowly turns assistant into a "man-snake" (?) because man-men are destroying the planet. Eh, throw in a love story and funding problems, and you have a too-long film.If you like the subgenre as mentioned above, like I do, it's harmlessssssssss.***Final thoughts: Day 18 Movie in the Can! I'm watching a NEW-2-ME horror movie every day of October 2016 and this one was mentioned many times on a horror podcast I listened to. I previously saw like the last 20 minutes on TV once and thought I'd see what all the fussssss was about. (Ok, I'm done.)

opieandy-1 Surprisingly good for a low-budget movie that appeared made for TV. Strother (what a name) Martin was excellent, and Dirk Benedict and Heather Menzies turned in fine performances. The primary detraction was the Barnaby Jones feel to the production. My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre"6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very Good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings10 - A Classic (6 of 430 movies have received this)

Wuchak Released in 1973, the curiously titled "SSSssss" is about a modern Frankenstein-type (Strother Martin) who experiments with snakes and human beings in the desert hills of Southern California. David (Dirk Benedict) is hired by Dr. Stoner (Martin) as a lab assistant after his previous lab assistant mysteriously went missing. As the youth falls in love with Stoner's daughter, Kristina (Heather Menzies), the doctors begins injecting David with some king of snake serum.This is a pretty decent horror flick that has the early 70s written all over it, but I can't give it a higher rating because it comes off as a TV movie more than a theatrical release. Remember the TV movie "Gargoyles" from 1972? "SSSssss" has the same tone and look, but it's not as good even though it was theatrically released. Why? Because "Gargoyles" has a better topic and, at only 74 minutes, it lacks the padding of "SSSssss." Still, there's enough good in "SSSssss" to make it worthwhile for those who like these kinds of movies. There are a couple of carnival scenes, which are always good for horror flicks.Martin is effective as the mad doctor and Reb Brown as a pompous jock, but Benedict and Menzies come off bland as the youthful lovers. Then again, they're playing intellectual college nerds so I'm sure that's how their characters were written. Nevertheless, IMHO Menzies is pretty forgettable here; she's better in 1977's "Piranha." Kathleen King plays the only notable babe, but her part isn't much more than a cameo. Needless to say, bad job on the female front.The film runs 99 minutes and, although there is no listing on IMDb was obviously shot in the greater Los Angeles area.GRADE: C+ (almost B-)

Bonehead-XL "Sssssss," or "Seven S" as I sometimes call it, is a snakes-ploitation film I have an unusual amount of affection for. This is probably because it use to air constantly on cable. It was a regular fixture on the old, good Sci-Fi Channel, USA Network, and the HBO of my youth. Re-watching it now, I think I might have responded to the films treatment of snakes. They are not depicted as mindless killing machines. For the most part, the animals are depicted accurately. Most snakes are shown as harmless while the venomous ones are to be respected. This is not a monster movie where actual animals are slotted in the spot of villain. The humans are the monster. Or become them.The plot of "Sssssss" fits in with the early seventies, drive-in/grind house market. Strother Martin, previously seen in "Brotherhood of Satan," is Dr. Stoner, a snake expert. Along with his daughter, Kristina, he runs a snake farm and research center. The prizes of their collection are Harry, a python and beloved pet, and a regal, female King Cobra. Dr. Stoner seems harmless enough but is actually a mad scientist. He begins to inject his new lab assistant (and Kristina's new boyfriend) with a strange chemical compound. Soon, David's skin begins to peel and scales grow under it… "Seven S" is delightfully kooky in spots. This is mostly due to Strother Martin's performance. Dr. Stoner has one-sided conversations with Harry the Python. He almost worships the enormous Queen Cobra. He is open about enjoying the company of animals to most people. Martin is a warm, if slightly eccentric, fatherly figure at first. Slowly, he reveals his sinister side. He murders someone with a Black Mamba, sticks a collage that has seen too much in a death trap, and feeds someone to Harry's starved mate. His ultimate end game? Turn a human into a snake. While this is obvious to the viewer early on, the film holds off on revealing exactly why he's doing this. In a climatic monologue, he reveals his motive, that he considers snakes superior to man, and believes the human race will survive the future if transformed into slithering reptiles. Martin's best moment as an actor is when he stares down the Queen Cobra, treating the animal like real royalty. The character is obviously insane but Strother never raises his voice, making him all a more effective villain.There's some home-made, low budget camp at play here as well. Hunk-of-meat actor Reb Brown, a decade apart from the hilariously low budget action-fest that would make him a dubious cult icon, plays an asshole jock. To show how big of an ass he is, he starts aggressively hitting on Kristina. Dirk Benedict doesn't like that and a fist fight breaks out. In the film's most hysterical moment, Benedict leaps onto Reb and starts biting him like a snake. It's hilarious. Reb's exaggerate jerkery is just one of the film's silly joys. In order to maintain a PG rating, all the nudity is blocked by out-of-focus foliage or lamps. This is also, probably the only film in the history of existence where a mongoose causes a woman to scream in slow-motion agony.If you're looking for camp, you'll find it. However, "Sssssss" is ultimately a bit too effective as a horror film to be laughable. There is something definitely unnerving about the half-formed "snake man" central to the plot. The way he flops his stumped arms and legs and grunts wordlessly is genuinely grotesque. The facial features are human but the body is not, creating an uncanny effect. David's slow transformation is rather horrifically realized. His skin peels like bad sunburn. He writhes on the ground as his innards change. The special effects are a little shaky but the film sells them. As the opening titles tell us, all the snakes are real. Even the ones that look like puppets, like the perpetually poised King Cobra. Seeing actors interact so freely with venomous snakes is liable to make viewers a little nervous.There's another reason I love the movie. I had a major crush on Heather Menzies, all because of this movie. She has an infectious girl-next-door charm. Her conversations with Harry the Python are adorable and I love how she treats the snakes with love, not fear. She sports a pair of clunky seventies eye-glasses fantastically, emphasizing her charm and vulnerability. Her romance with Benedict evolves naturally. The skinny dipping scene is played more for innocent cuteness then wanton titillation. Menzies proves a strong scream queen too, properly horrified by the snake man. She's adorable in "Piranha" too. It's a bummer she's retired from acting. I blame Robert Urich."Seven S" is a favorite of mine I return to quite frequently. There's little reason to love it but I do anyway.