SSSSSSS (1973) – Episode 243 – Decades of Horror 1970s

“You’re asking me questions, Harry, and I hear you. A scientist cannot afford the indulgence of guilt. And after all, if God doesn’t want me to continue, the means of my disposal are always at his command.” If you want to communicate with God, talking to a snake might be the wrong approach. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdroff, and Jeff Mohr – as they try their hand at snake wrangling while they finally get the chance to cover Sssssss (1973).

Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 243 – Sssssss (1973)

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Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Synopsis: A scientist specializing in the study of snakes believes that humans will never survive the coming disasters and holocausts he foresees. His solution is to create a composite creature from the DNA of a man and a king cobra that will be better suited for survival.

• Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
• Writers: Hal Dresner (screenplay); Daniel C. Striepeke (story) (credited as Dan Striepeke)
• Producers:
  • Executive Producers: David Brown, Richard D. Zanuck
  • Producer: Daniel C. Striepeke (credited as Dan Striepeke)
• Composer: Patrick Williams
• Cinematographer: Gerald Perry Finnerman (director of photography)
• Makeup Department: John Chambers (creative makeup designer), Nick Marcellino (creative makeup designer), Daniel C. Striepeke (creative makeup designer) (uncredited) (as Dan Striepeke)
• Selected Cast:
  • Strother Martin as Dr. Carl Stoner
  • Dirk Benedict as David Blake
  • Heather Menzies-Urich as Kristina Stoner (credited as Heather Menzies)
  • Richard B. Shull as Dr. Ken Daniels
  • Tim O’Connor as Kogen
  • Jack Ging as Sheriff Dale Hardison
  • Kathleen King as Kitty Stewart
  • Reb Brown as Steve Randall
  • Ted Grossman as Deputy Morgan Bock
  • Charles Seel as Old Man
  • Ray Ballard as Waggish Tourist
  • Brendan Burns as Jock #1
  • Rick Beckner as Jock #2
  • Jim Drum as Hawker #1 (credited as James Drum)
  • Ed McCready as Hawker #2
  • Frank Kowalski as Hawker #3
  • Ralph Montgomery as Hawker #4
  • Michael Masters as Hawker #5
  • Charlie Fox as Arvin Ley Doux
  • Felix Silla as Sam Lee, the Seal Boy
  • Noble Craig as Tim McGraw, the Snake Man (credited as Nobel Craig)
  • Bobbi Kiger as Kootch Dancer
  • J.R. Clark as Station Attendant
  • Chip Potter as Postal Clerk

Snakes alive! Doc returns and Daphne joins Doc, Bill, Chad, and Jeff for the episode on this bizarre picture. The 70s Grue-Crew has wanted to discuss Sssssss (1973) since day one, but the movie rarely streams. Finally, thanks to the contributions of Patreon members, Doc purchased physical media for each of the crew – on sale, mind you – so they could cover this movie and, boy-howdy, did they have a good time. Strother Martin is a national treasure, and he’s superbly supported by Heather Menzies-Urich, Dirk Benedict, and Reb Brown. At least until the final scene, excellent effects by John Chambers, Nick Marcellino, and Dan Striepeke help you buy the snake oil the film sells. This Zanuck/Brown Production predates Jaws by two years, but you can see “some” of their promise. They have assembled a group of accomplished filmmakers to create this weird, quirky, creepy, and fun movie.

At the time of this writing, Sssssss (1973) is available on physical media as a Blu-ray-formatted disc from Scream Factory.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next ‘70s episode, chosen by Chad, will be Willard (1971)! Bruce Davison, Ernest Borgnine, Elsa Lanchester, and Sondra Locke. This is a double tap for Willard, first discussed eight years ago in episode 53. This is going to be fun! 

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at [email protected].