THUNDER OF GIGANTIC SERPENT (大蛇王)
dir. Lee Chiu & Godfrey Ho, 1984/1987
Taiwan/Hong Kong. 87 min.
In English (dubbed).

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2 – 10 PM
MONDAY, APRIL 7 – 10 PM
SATURDAY, APRIL 12 – MIDNIGHT
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30 – 10 PM

A top secret formula called “The Thunder Project” that causes plants and animals to grow a thousand times in size is stolen by a terrorist organization led by the ruthless Solomon. The formula is lost in the ensuing chase, but is later recovered by a young girl who accidentally exposes her pet snake Martha to it, turning Martha into an immense skyscraper-sized serpent. While an American mercenary pursues Solomon and his terrorists, the terrorists go after the girl, sending Martha on a deadly rampage that reduces much of Hong Kong to a pile of rubble.

Largely adapted from the Taiwanese kid-friendly kaiju feature, KING OF SNAKE, Lee Chiu & Godfrey Ho’s THUNDER OF GIGANTIC SERPENT is an insane piece of work even by IFD standards. The film falls somewhere between G-rated E.T. riff and R-rated shoot-’em-up, pivoting between cutesy animal antics and gun-blazing violence on a dime, and ending in a trail of destruction that would make Godzilla blush. Quite possibly the crown jewel of IFD’s library despite there not being a ninja in sight.