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Night of the Cobra Woman (1972) - Blu-ray Review

2 beersMovini on over, Cobra God!  There’s a new eagle in town.  Masters of mortality unite!  There ain’t nothin’ going to be the same now that a dweeb like Duff has taken roost.

Her name is Joy Bang and that’s exactly what she likes to do.  But maybe not.  Bang is the last name of the lead actress who stars in producer Roger Corman’s Night of the Cobra Woman.  Born Joy Winter (she married into that last name), hers was a rising star that fell when she switched careers, but that doesn’t mean she’s not perfect for the role.  She’s a flawless free-spirited actress and brings that vibe to the part of the expert on snakes who loses her boyfriend to a scaly enchantress.

I just wish this film played better than it does.  It starts strong with an opening that sets us up for the snake-worshipping supernatural expertly but then fails to build any suspense or coherence to its 76-minutes.  Part of that has to do with actors and the pacing of it all.  Outside of Bang, the stilted deliveries get so wooden that damn near everyone gets crucified.

Night of the Cobra Woman, written and directed by Andrew Meyer (The Sky Pirate), had a more successful marketing campaign than its final product.  How its one sheet ever got past censors is beyond me.  And it suggests more of a sexploitation flick instead of a horror film, so there’s that to consider.  Meyer, who would not make another flick after this one, keeps a willy-nilly approach is a definite turn off.

Sure, there’s some sex and nudity, but this creature feature – about a transformative woman who must feed off of men to keep her immortality – is meant to strike fear into the hearts (and pants) of men.   It’s certainly headed in the right direction, the skin-stripping scene – as Lena (Marlene Clark) removes her dry and scaly skin – is certainly a highlight of the movie, but the kooky antics of Meyer’s attempts at seduction fail this one at almost every turn.

Joanna wants her man back.  You see, he was supposed to come see her in Manila (hopping a plane from America) and wound up being bitten by a snake.  Only Lena could cure him.  Her backstory as the villainous snake woman is explained in an opening prologue that is set in World War II.   And, because she sucks the venom out the bite (among other things), she’s a really tough woman to shake off.

It’s almost laughable to see Clark, whose character’s lust for youth and beauty require her to feed off of many men, lick her lips at the sight of a man’s peeking butt crack as he bends over.  And the movie is full of moments like that one, courtesy of Joanna’s boyfriend, the long-limbed Duff (Roger Garrett), who becomes dominated by the reptilian enchantress and spends most of the movie luring other people into her viper room.

Originally released on a double bill at the drive-in with Mel Welles’ Lady Frankenstein, this Philippines’ shot b-movie is made available on blu-ray thanks to the saucy boys and girls over at Scorpion Releasing.  Night of the Cobra Woman, while not essential, is definitely an interesting look at New World when Corman went into producer mode only and handed the directing reigns over to somebody else.

Don’t get bit! Night of the Cobra Woman is now available on blu-ray.

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Night of the Cobra Woman (1972) - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
76 mins
Director
: Andrew Meyer
Writer:
Kerry Magness, Andrew Meyer
Cast:
Joy Bang, Marlene Clark, Roger Garrett
Genre
: Horror | Thriller
Tagline:
Only the cobra could satisfy her unearthly desires.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Don't you understand? Only a human lover could restore my human skin."
Theatrical Distributor:
New World Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
January 1, 1972
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
July 5, 2017
Synopsis: After being bitten by a very unusual cobra, a beautiful nurse (Marlene Clark) can turn herself into a snake and remain eternally young. However, to keep her youthful exterior, the cursed priestess requires a steady supply of venom -- and lusty young men at her beck and call to steal their youth! But trouble occurs when she falls for the boyfriend of a beautiful snake expert (Joy Bang), and he brings along a pet eagle. Can she make a choice between a mortal male and her cobra god Movini?

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Night of the Cobra Woman (1972) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Scorpion Releasing
Available on Blu-ray
- July 5, 2017
Screen Formats:
Subtitles
:
Language:
English
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Scorpion Releasing presents Night of the Cobra on 1080p transferred from original vault materials. The results are damn good. You almost forget about its cheap production costs. Almost. Presented in a 1:78:1 aspect ratio and armed with a decent English DTS-HD Master Audio track, the film – having been shot on location – is pretty much as good as it gets. Colors are crisp. Shadows are decent, too. There’s some softness to the image, but the black levels are stronger.  Details are also much improved. This might not be the greatest looking blu-rays ever released, but it’s still a worthy addition to your collection.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

There are two featurettes included on this release. The first is an on camera interview with star Marlene Clark and another with producer Roger Corman. Theatrical trailer rounds out the release.

  • Marlene Clark Interview
  • Roger Corman Interview
  • Trailer

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[tab title="Art"]Night of the Cobra Woman (1972) - Blu-ray Review

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