# The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

> A Harvard ethnobotanist’s search for a Haitian zombification drug becomes a nightmarish confrontation with Vodou, political terror, and the limits of rational explanation.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/movie/6472

## Facts

- Runtime: 98 min
- Genres: Horror, Thriller
- Director: Wes Craven
- Cast: Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae, Paul Winfield, Brent Jennings, Conrad Roberts, Badja Djola, Theresa Merritt
- TMDB rating: 6.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096071/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: graphic
- Mood: eerie, nightmare-like, paranoid, late night horror viewing, 1980s horror marathon

## Movies like The Serpent and the Rainbow

- [The Believers (1987)](https://ember.film/movie/20136)
- [Angel Heart (1987)](https://ember.film/movie/513)
- [Dreamscape (1984)](https://ember.film/movie/14201)
- [I Walked with a Zombie (1943)](https://ember.film/movie/16280)
- [From Beyond (1986)](https://ember.film/movie/8583)
- [Jacob's Ladder (1990)](https://ember.film/movie/1610)
- [Pet Sematary (1989)](https://ember.film/movie/4299)
- [Nomads (1986)](https://ember.film/movie/15977)
- [Dust Devil (1992)](https://ember.film/movie/2984)
- [Dead & Buried (1981)](https://ember.film/movie/14327)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt