A Harvard anthropologist (Bill Pullman- Independance Day) is catapulted into the world of voodoo when he is reluctantly sent on a journey to Haiti. He is sent to find a mystic powder with the power to heal and to make the dead walk. Being a man of science he is highly sceptical on the stories of the power of this powder. On his journey he befriends a beautiful psychiatrist (Cathy Tyson- Mona Lisa/Band of Gold) who aids him on his search, and is also a convienient love interest. He raises the suspicions of the head of the evil secret police in Haiti. The secret police chief is aware of the powder's abilities, and already uses the power of the powder for his own dubious purposes. As he gets closer to the source of the powder he starts to question his own sanity. He witnesses the strange and bizarre, in the form of walking Zombies, Blood Rites and Curses. There are many chilling scenes of live burial and voodoo pratices.

Full of intense imagery and a well written plot The Serpent and the Rainbow is, in my opinion, a largely unrecognised classic. This is one movie that has to be watched more than once to be able to appreciate the true feeling of this tale.