10 snake-themed Chinese-language movies that charm us, from erotica to horror to animation
From takes on the Legend of the White Snake to baffling tales of half-snake girls and soft-core erotica, 10 movies for the Year of the Snake
According to Chinese symbology, those born in the Year of the Snake are often regarded as intelligent, if somewhat unscrupulous, characters.
In film, however, the snake has been portrayed as dangerous, poisonous and predatory, but also as agile and even seductive.
With another Snake year coming, we recall 10 of our favourite Chinese films to feature these endlessly entrancing creatures, the spirits who have embodied them, and characters who show their attributes in their behaviour.
1. The Killer Snakes (1974)
Kuei Chih-hung’s sleazy exploitation favourite predates Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver by two years, but both films share a number of narrative elements.
Like Robert De Niro’s disillusioned New York cabbie, Kam Kwok-leung’s urban loner feels forced to exact questionable retribution against the underclass he feels has slighted him.
With an uncanny ability to communicate with snakes, he unleashes a nest of the slithering reptiles on his perceived victims, with predictably ghastly results.
2. The Snake Girl (1974)
