King Cobra (1998)

33% of users liked it
(1,573 ratings)

What happens when you cross an African King Cobra with an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake? You get one extremely large and ill-tempered reptile, and he's on the loose in the horror opus King Cobra. Dr. Irwin Burns (Joseph Ruskin) is developing an experimental drug that will increase aggression in… More What happens when you cross an African King Cobra with an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake? You get one extremely large and ill-tempered reptile, and he's on the loose in the horror opus King Cobra. Dr. Irwin Burns (Joseph Ruskin) is developing an experimental drug that will increase aggression in humans and animals, so he breeds the perfect animal to test it on -- "Seth," a cobra/rattlesnake mix that's more intelligent than the average snake, much larger (30 feet long) and a good bit more dangerous. When an explosion destroys Burns' lab, Seth slithers off to freedom, and two years later he pops up in the small town of Fillmore. When several citizens are attacked by a large snake with unusually potent venom, local doctor Brad Kagen (Scott Brandon) and Police Chief Jo Biddle (Kasey Fallo) (who happen to be romantically involved) urge the mayor (Hoyt Axton) to cancel the city's annual beer festival. The festival brings in too many tourist dollars for the mayor to consider shutting it down, so Brad and Jo have to quickly capture the mutant snake before it can kill again. Fortunately, they have the help of Nick Hashimoto (Pat Morita), a snake expert who's been bitten so many times he has venom antibodies in his blood. King Cobra features special effects by the Chiodo Brothers, who previously created creatures for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Killer Klowns From Outer Space, and boasts a cameo appearance by Erik Estrada as a flamboyantly gay beer marketing expert. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: David Hillenbrand, Scott Hillenbrand
Written By: David Hillenbrand, Scott Hillenbrand
Genres: Horror

In Theaters: Oct 9, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Oct 9, 2001
Studio: Lionsgate

No Critic Reviews Found…

Featured Audience Ratings

Luke B

Highly enjoyable entertainment right here. The best thing about it is the snake itself. 100% (I think), practical effects. A huge puppet that isn't slow or mechanical. The cast are obviously from the low end of the market, but they give the film more than a giant killer snake… More
Highly enjoyable entertainment right here. The best thing about it is the snake itself. 100% (I think), practical effects. A huge puppet that isn't slow or mechanical. The cast are obviously from the low end of the market, but they give the film more than a giant killer snake film deserves. I really liked the kills, as unoriginal as they were they progressed in a way that didn't always glorify the act. It even manages to cram in a very dramatic scene between Pat Morita and a huge cobra and Erik Estrada being as camp as Christmas. That's impressive film making.
Jacob P

I don't know why I love this SyFy film so much. It's pretty awesome, if you ask me. One of the best snake films ever.
Deb S

The monster snake is actually a Cobra-Rattlesnake creation, the result of genetic tinkering that escapes a lab and causes problems for a small town with a fledgling brewery that could spell an economic turnaround, if it's opening day "Brewfest" is a success. The… More
The monster snake is actually a Cobra-Rattlesnake creation, the result of genetic tinkering that escapes a lab and causes problems for a small town with a fledgling brewery that could spell an economic turnaround, if it's opening day "Brewfest" is a success. The residents call in snake-expert Pat Morita ("Karate Kid" movies) who tries to execute a plan that will catch the mutated King Cobra with the help of Doctor Scott Hillenbrand and female deputy Casey Fallo. Note to self: A beer festival is way too important to worry about the lives of innocent civilians. Is Eric Strada as a gay man organizing the brew-fest supposed to be funny?