Sssssss

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Sssssss

PG

1973

1h 39m

Sci-Fi

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

30%

Tomatometer

10 Reviews

25%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Short on cash, undergrad David Blake (Dirk Benedict) takes a job working as a lab assistant for snake expert Dr. Carl Stoner (Strother Martin). When Stoner begins giving David a series of antibiotics as a safeguard against snakebites, he at first thinks nothing of it. But gradually David begins to notice curious changes in his body, and his new girlfriend, Dr. Stoner's daughter, Kristina (Heather Menzies), notices them too. Could Dr. Stoner really be trying to turn his assistant into a snake?

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 30, 2025

3/4

Strother Martin offers an interesting variation on the usual mad scientist: He's a genuinely sweet, considerate, and kind man, with his heinous blind spots due to an unhealthy dedication to science rather than any inherent evil.

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Jas Keimig

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Feb 1, 2022

Your patience is more than rewarded in the final third of the film...

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Jul 30, 2017

B-

An absurd but enjoyable venomous mad scientist B horror pic.

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Austin Kennedy

Sin Magazine

May 12, 2012

1.5/4

I've seen worse films, but maybe if it was just balls-to-the-wall awful, I would've been hootin' and hollarin', instead of yawnin' and snorin'. It's just plain forgettable.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Nov 4, 2005

2/5

Jake Euker

F5 (Wichita, KS)

Nov 13, 2004

1/5

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B P

@Bradster69 6 days ago

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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G L.

@RT09869090 May 10, 2026

A mad scientist turns men into snakes-yes, the movie sounds bad.

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Michael C

@Michael71 Mar 31, 2025

I was going to give "Sssssss" a two-star rating but ultimately decided to slightly raise the rating one half a star because there are some positive things to say about "Sssssss". The acting in this movie is not great by any means but it is not all that bad. Dirk Benedict is good. That's all. Good. As young college student David Blake. The late Strother Martin is not a great actor but he does well also in his role as the nucking futcase Dr. Carl Stoner who thinks the only way for humanity to survive is to be transformed into cobras (Huh?). The other thing about "Sssssss" that impressed me is the makeup effects. They were surprisingly good for such a small budget movie. However, those in my opinion are all the good points about the movie that I can think of. The plot is formulaic (Could it have not been more obvious that Dirk Benedict and Heather Menzies' characters would become lovers? Who could have thought Dr. Stoner would object to his daughter becoming involved with Blake? Did not see that coming!). Also I hate unresolved endings and "Sssssss" is no exception. There is no reason why the movie could not have a real ending. I do not recommend "Sssssss". In order for me to recommend a movie the good has to outweigh the bad and I do not think that is the case with this movie.

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Julian S

@akajulianscott Mar 7, 2025

The title alone makes SSSSSSS a must-see—silly, absurd, and made for a midnight watch.

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CodyZamboni Z

@CodyZamboni Feb 17, 2025

Dumb, lame, uninvolving. With cheap production values, and no scares, There is some effective makeup fx, But too much campy acting, and an abrupt ending, The snakeman from Dreamscape was more effective.

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Dallas H

@RT53171010 Feb 16, 2025

You need to place this movie on the shelf next to your hard copy of Arachnophobia (1990) and Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988). Thissss movie is cheessssy and dated, but I got a kick out of its B-movie charm.

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Bernard L. Kowalski

Director

Strother Martin

Dr. Carl Stoner

Dirk Benedict

David Blake

Heather Menzies-Urich

Kristina Stoner

Richard B. Shull

Dr. Ken Daniels

Tim O'Connor

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Synopsis

Short on cash, undergrad David Blake (Dirk Benedict) takes a job working as a lab assistant for snake expert Dr. Carl Stoner (Strother Martin). When Stoner begins giving David a series of antibiotics as a safeguard against snakebites, he at first thinks nothing of it. But gradually David begins to notice curious changes in his body, and his new girlfriend, Dr. Stoner's daughter, Kristina (Heather Menzies), notices them too. Could Dr. Stoner really be trying to turn his assistant into a snake?

Director: Bernard L. Kowalski
Producer: Dan Striepeke, Daniel C. Striepeke
Screenwriter: Hal Dresner
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Sep 13, 2009
Runtime: 1h 39m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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