The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) flashback

This is one of those horror movies which still gives me a nostalgic chill whenever I think about it. Was it the hand crawling out from the soup bowl? Was it the spinning hammer and pike hovering menacingly above Bill Pullman's family jewels as he sits strapped down on a metal chair quivering in fear? Was it the hellish descent into a neverending grave with hands grabbing from all sides? Or was it the horror of being buried alive? With a spectacular opening scene where Pullman discovers his true inner animal and walks 3000 miles out from the depths of the Amazon basin, this film carries the audience through a roller-coaster ride of spills and chills in downtown Haiti and introduces one of the most underrated but memorable villain committed to the silver screen.

The Skinny: Anthropologist gets mixed up in some voodoo shit in Haiti as he tries to uncover the secrets behind a zombie making potion. imdb.com has a great synopsis: 

Dennis Allan is an scientist who visits Haiti on the strength of a rumour of a drug which renders the recipient totally paralyzed but conscious. The drug's effects often fool doctors, who declare the victims dead. Could this be the origin of the "zombie" legend? Alan embarks on a surprising and often surreal investigation of the turbulent social chaos that is Haiti during the revolution which ousted hated dictator "Baby Doc" Duvalier. Often a pawn in a greater game, Alan must decide what is science, what is superstition, and what is the unknown in a anarchistic society where police corruption and witch-doctory are commonplace. Written by Murray Chapman

The Helmer: Wes Craven - Scream 4 (2011), My Soul to Take (2010), Paris, je t'aime (2006),  Red Eye (2005), Cursed (2005), Scream 3 (2000), Music of the Heart (1999), Scream 2 (1997), Scream (1996), Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), New Nightmare (1994), Nightmare Cafe (1992), The People Under the Stairs (1991), Night Visions (1990 TV), Shocker (1989), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), The Twilight Zone (1985 - 1989 TV) .

Deadly Friend (1986), Casebusters (1986), The Hills Have Eyes (1985), Chiller (1985 TV), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Invitation to Hell (1984 TV), Swamp Thing (1982), Deadly Blessing (1981), The Evolution of Snuff (1978), Stranger in the House (1978 TV),The Fireworks Woman (1975), Last House on the Left (1972).


The Verdict: Wes Craven is a basically a giant in the wonderful world of horror. He was instrumental in the release of 3 successful horror franchise: The Hills Have Eyes series, the Nightmare on Elm Street series and the Scream series. But even before he went mainstream he did a number which today still has the power to scare, with The Last House on the Left; a detailed study into the crazed minds of evil people. Which is no wonder why this little gem still shines after all these years - it has the Craven touch. The images, the ideas, the concept successfully combined to make a truly effective horror movie: the fear of being buried alive, of being persecuted even through your dreams and the fear of facing your demons for one last final confrontation. Pullman shines as a embattled man staring down true horror in the guise of a mad dictator who refuses to let him go. This is a classic.  

Trailer 
Wikipedia on Serpent and the Rainbow