| The Lair of the White Worm | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Lair_of_the_white_worm.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ken Russell |
| Screenplay by | Ken Russell |
| Based on | The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker |
| Produced by | Ken Russell |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Dick Bush |
| Edited by | Peter Davies |
| Music by | Stanislas Syrewicz |
Production company | White Lair |
| Distributed by | Vestron Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Countries | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million[2] |
| Box office | $1.2 million (US and Canada)[3] |
The Lair of the White Worm is a 1988 supernatural comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Ken Russell, and starring Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg and Peter Capaldi. Loosely based on the 1911 Bram Stoker novel of the same name, it follows the residents in and around a rural English manor that are tormented by an ancient priestess after the skull of a serpent that she worships is unearthed by an archaeologist.
A co-production between the United Kingdom and United States,[1] the film was offered to Russell by the US film studio Vestron Pictures, who had released his previous film, Gothic (1986). Russell, an admirer of Stoker, loosely adapted the screenplay from the source novel, and incorporated elements of the English folktale of the Lambton Worm. Filming took place at Shepperton Studios and in Wetton, Staffordshire, England, from February to April 1988.
After screening at several North American film festivals, The Lair of the White Worm was released theatrically by Vestron Pictures in New York City on 21 October 1988, and expanded to other US cities over the following months. The film underperformed at the box office, grossing $1.2 million, and received largely unfavourable responses from critics, though it later developed a cult following.[4]
- ^ a b c "The Lair of the White Worm (1988)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018.
- ^ Nutman, Philip (December 1988). "A Descent into Lair of the White Worm". Fangoria. No. 79. pp. 35–39.
- ^ "The Lair of the White Worm (1988)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ Hunter 2019, p. 152.