The Daily Dig: Spasms (1983)

Have you ever asked yourself: What if King Kong were a snake? Well, now you don’t have to. Just watch “Spasms”.

A cult, a billionaire, and a research scientist compete to capture a giant snake that has been stolen from a remote island. Let’s dig into 1983’s SPASMS, directed by William Fruet!

As I See It

It is ostensibly the King Kong storyline with a few twists and slithers. Where this film differs greatly is the supernatural element. Kincaid (Reed) has telekinetic powers that connect him to the massive serpent. It’s insanely silly, but the film is enjoyable enough to get by that bit.

I would always recommend you stifle your expectations when I say “massive” or “huge”. This is no reptilian version of Night of the Lepus. At best, the snake is similar in size to the anaconda in Anaconda, but it’s practical and somewhat resembles a sugar snake. You know, those little ‘fireworks’ you used to light and watch grow as a kid?

The film’s motor is a race to capture the snake. We have Kincaid, the billionaire who’s metaphysically attached to the snake that killed his brother and has hired Dr. Basilian (Fonda) to help him in exchange for funding, and a satanic cult that believes the snake is their dark lord.

Famous Faces

Oliver Reed (Jason Kincaid) was no stranger to horror films. He starred in Cronenberg’s The Brood, a feature in Stuart Gordon’s The Pit and the Pendulum, the titular character in Hammer Horror’s The Curse of the Werewolf, and even played with snakes in another horror film filmed in 1981, and covered in this column, Venom.

The late Peter Fonda (Dr. Thomas Brasilian) was the brother of Bridget and Jane Fonda, and I would consider him old Hollywood royalty. Easy Rider, alongside Dennis Hopper, will be his most recognizable role.

Of Gratuitous Nature

I don’t really know what the point of including telepathy was. I’ve been through a lot of seventies films that use it as a plot element, so I have to imagine it was trendy at that point in time. It did not stand the test of time at all. Of course, there are also some murderous shower scenes.

Heartthrob

In this writer’s humble opinion, Kerry Keane (Suzanne) could easily have competed for the role of “Lisa” with Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science. With all due respect to LeBrock’s seminal and generational arousing performance.

Ripe for a Remake

Only if you can get Sam Jackson and make it into a Snakes on A Plane sequel.

Spawns

No progeny to report.

Where to Watch

In 2018, Code Red Releasing and Ronin Flix released a Blu-Ray after being the first to put the film on any optical format with a DVD release in 2016.