Snakes on a Train

Infobox_Film
name = Snakes on a Train


amg_id = 1:354034
imdb_id = 0843873
producer =
director = The Mallachi Brothers
writer = Eric Frosberg
starring = Julia Ruiz
Giovanni Bejarano
Al Galvex | music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = The Asylum
released = August 15, 2006 (US)
runtime =
budget= | <$1,000,000
language = English

"Snakes on a Train" is an action/horror B-movie released direct to DVD by The Asylum on August 15, 2006. Continuing The Asylum's notorious tradition of capitalizing on major films with low-budget films with similar titles/plots, many aspects of the film are inspired by the film "Snakes on a Plane" which was scheduled for theatrical release three days later on August 18, 2006. However, this film contains significantly more violence and gore than its counterpart and includes some supernatural elements as well.

Plot

Although taking the same basic idea from "Snakes on a Plane" (lots of deadly snakes loose on a claustrophobic, high speed means of transport), the background story of how and why the snakes are there is significantly different. In this movie, writer Eric Forsberg discribes the plot as a woman who has been put under a Mayan curse which causes snake eggs to hatch inside of her and eat their way out. In order to stop this, she must take a train to Los Angeles where a powerful Mayan shaman can lift the curse. When she gets on the train, things go wrong and the eggs start to hatch, leaving the rest of the people on the train to deal with the killer snakes. Eventually, and inexplicably, she transforms into a gigantic snake herself and proceeds to swallow the train whole.

While the box promises "100 Trapped Passengers - 3,000 Venomous Vipers", in reality there are only about a dozen passengers and a handful of snakes. There is also a wholly unconnected subplot regarding two female passengers smuggling drugs. It should also be noted that the train involved consists on the inside of old post-World War II streamliners, rather timeworn and thus resemblant of late pre-Amtrak and early Amtrak trains. The movie's depictions of the train exterior is a study in inconsistent use of stock footage: the trains consist of rolling stock that appears to change magically, ranging anywhere from a full train of Bombardier bilevels to an Amfleet set to, perhaps, a chain of Superliners, and at almost no time do the exteriors shown match the interiors (which remain consistent throughout the movie). Only the final sequence where the train is devoured by the giant snake was specially created for the movie, and again featured a differently designed train. The interiors shown in the movie for a Los Angeles-bound train have been outdated for at least three decades, if not more.

Reception

When reviewed by "Variety magazine", it was described "neither undiscriminating action fans nor connoisseurs of high camp will find much bite in this latest direct-to-video product from The Asylum." [cite web | url=http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931346?categoryid=31&cs=1&nid=2562 | title=Snakes on a Train | author=Joe Leydon | publisher=Variety | accessdate=2006-08-27] Scott Foy, reviewing the film for Dread Central wrote "how the hell do you produce a rip-off this dispirited". [cite web | url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/index.php?name=Reviews&req=showcontent&id=1023 | publisher=Dread Central | accessdate=2006-08-27 | title=Snakes on a Train (DVD) | author=Scott Foy]

Trailers

The official trailer was made available for download on The Asylum's official site. It has been televised on G4's "Attack of the Show".

References

External links

* [http://www.theasylum.cc/product.php?id=120 Official Site]
* [http://www.dreadcentral.com/index.php?name=Interviews&req=showcontent&id=4732 Interview] with Eric Forsberg, screenwriter of "Snakes on a Train" at Dread Central
* [http://www.dreadcentral.com/index.php?name=Reviews&req=showcontent&id=1023 Review by Scott Foy] at Dread Central