Calamity of Snakes – Unearthed Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Taiwan/Hong Kong, 1982
Director: William Cheung Kei (Chi Chang)
Writers: William Cheung Kei (Chi Chang), Tsai Kuo-Jung, Li Kang-Nian
Cast: Hsiang Yun-Peng, Kao Yuen, Lo Pi-Ling, Wei Ping-Ao, Ou-Yang Sha-Fei

Release Date: April 25th, 2023
Approximate running times: 86 Minutes 17 Seconds (Theatrical Cut), 76 Minutes 41 Seconds (Cruelty Free Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Both Versions)
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese, LPCM Mono Mandarin, LPCM Mono English (Both Versions)
Subtitles: English (Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $34.95

"After a businessman kills thousands of snakes in a pit while they are building a new apartment building. The people living there soon become attacked by millions of snakes with a vengeance." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5

Calamity of Snakes comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 19.2 GB (Theatrical Cut), 14.1 GB (Cruelty Free Cut)

No information is provided about the source used for these transfers. Though this is arguably the best this film has ever looked on home video, There is noticeable source-related damage throughout (check out examples in the screenshots below). Also, there is some fluctuation when it comes to the colors; the image looks crisp, and the black levels and compression look good. That said, there does not appear to be any egregious use of digital noise reduction.

Audio: 3.5/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese), 3.75/5 (LPCM Mono Mandarin, LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with three audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin, and a LPCM mono mix in English. The Mandarin and the English language tracks are more robust than the Cantonese language track. Also, I did notice some sibilance issues on all three tracks. That said, dialog comes through clearly, and range-wise ambient sounds are well-presented. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background, alternate Mandarin credits (4 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an interview titled Reptilian Recollections: Lin Kuang-Yung In Conversation With Chui-Yi Chung (15 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Chinese with non-removable English subtitles), a documentary titled From Shaw to Snakes: The Venom And Violence Of Early Chinese Language Horror Cinema (76 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Chinese with non-removable English subtitles), a third cut of Calamity of Snakes titled uncut version (86 minutes 53 seconds, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Nathan Hamilton and Brad Slaton for the theatrical cut, and a slipcover (limited to first pressing).

It should be noted that the uncut version of Calamity of Snakes comes from a standard-definition source that does not look anywhere as good as the other versions included with this release.

Summary:

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, black magic and snakes were two of the more exploited plot devices in Hong Kong horror cinema. Notable films from this era include The Killer Snakes, Black Magic, and The Boxer's Omen. This brings us to Calamity of Snakes, a Taiwan/Hong Kong co-production that takes all the elements that these types of films are known for and pushes them to their limits.

The Narrative revolves around a greedy real estate developer whose project is in danger of not completing on time when a snake infestation is discovered on site. Instead of properly and humanely disposing of the snakes, he orders the construction crew to kill the snakes with shovels and an excavator. From there things start to unravel when it becomes clear that he did not kill all the snakes and they are out for revenge.

Throughout, snakes are hacked into pieces and skinned alive, and in one scene, ferrets attack and ingest snakes. There is no CGI; all of the snakes, including the ones that attack humans, are real. That said, anyone who is squeamish about animal cruelty might want to reconsider watching Calamity of the Snakes.

Though there are many intense moments in Calamity of the Snakes, tone-wise it is a film that is actually all over the place. Notably, there are some odd moments of humor that revolve around a fat woman. Also, when discussing Chinese cinema from this era, it is hard not to notice famous music cues. Calamity of the Snakes uses music cues from William Lustig’s Maniac and George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead.

The opening setup does a good job laying the foundation for what follows. There are several lulls along the way before the narrative gets to its greatest asset: snakes attacking humans. And once this happens, it is a non-stop barrage of snakes, leaving carnage wherever they go. Ultimately, Calamity of the Snakes is a textbook example of an exploitation film that goes for the jugular.

Calamity of the Snakes gets a solid release from Unearthed Films that comes with a good audio/video presentation, three versions of the film, and a trio of informative extras, recommended.

“A percentage of all profits from Calamity of the Snakes in all formats will be donated to Save the Snakes in continuation of their mission to protect snake populations around the world.” - Unearthed Films

Written by Michael Den Boer