Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Venomous Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 5, 2024

Fred Olen Ray (billed here as “Ed Raymond”) has over 150 directorial credits during his career, and 2001’s “Venomous” is…one of the them. Scripted by Dan Golden and Sean McGinly, the feature endeavors to recreate the experience of watching 1995’s “Outbreak” without having to pay for blockbuster production demands, including locations and A-list actors. It’s marketed as an animal attack picture, but the material is more about a viral spread, allowing Ray to work with budgetary limitations and keep rattlesnake action to a minimum. “Venomous” is B-movie entertainment, and it finds something interesting to do with initial scenes of spreading illness and community confusion. Unfortunately, the material quickly graduates to absurdity to help fill 97 minutes of screen time, and the wilder the effort becomes the more tedious it grows.

In 1990, a pair of terrorists find their way into the Mojave Department of Defense Base with help from Dr. Dutton (Marc McClure). Interested in learning more about genetic experimentation involving rattlesnakes, the armed duo find what they’re looking for, soon blowing up the building. The bomb unleashes the snakes, who relocate to the small town of Santa Mira Springs, California, creating a lair in the nearby mountains. When a curious dog is bitten by the invaders, the canine becomes patient zero for a viral outbreak, with the bug triggering sudden illness and a quick death. The virus travels into the earthquake-prone town, with Dr. David (Treat Williams) recognizing that something isn’t right, trying his best to contain the spread while investigating the source. He calls for help from Dr. Christine (Mary Page Keller), his ex-wife and an expert in viral research, who takes her findings to the U.S. Army, but General Manchek (Geoff Pierson) knows more than he's letting on, ordering a full quarantine of Santa Mira Springs, with hopes to prevent the outside world from discovering what’s happening to the community.

“Venomous” is never far from ridiculousness, but it offers a decent opening act. We learn more about the snake situation at the Department of Defense, with Dr. Dutton a whistleblower believing he’s helping two reporters to the story of a lifetime, exposing some type of genetic manipulation of rattlesnakes. He receives a bullet for his troubles, revealing the twosome to be more than journalists, and they plant a bomb in the facility. It’s a brief moment of excitement and violence before the writing settles into Santa Mira Springs, which is an average American town with community members going about their daily business, dealing with some earthquake activity. This includes Bob (Lee de Brox), the owner of a service station, who receives loving attention from his loyal dog, unaware the pooch has been punctured by the relocated rattlesnakes. The viral dominoes began to fall around town, with the snakes making their way through the area, while others are exposed to danger via contact with ill citizens.

The viral elements are clearly taken from “Outbreak” and other medical disaster films, but they remain somewhat successful for Ray, who seems to enjoy staging the horrors of contact. There’s Billy (Brian Poth), a new father who accidentally drops a check under his car, receiving a snakebite while blindly searching for the piece of paper. He gets sick, goes to the hospital, where a juice glass he’s been using is shattered, and a shard finds its way into a nurse’s hand. Billy also works at a diner, determined to keep his shift despite growing weaker by the moment. His infected hands are all over food, which makes things worse for customers. This escalation is entertaining to watch, putting David in the middle of a baffling situation, working to remain composed as he oversees growing deaths.

“Venomous” builds a little suspense with community horrors, but the writing eventually expands to Army interests, as Gen. Manchek works to shoo away Christine’s concerns about Santa Mira Springs. The military is ultimately called in to take control of the town, bringing in a conspiratorial tone that doesn’t do much to boost screen tension. Also not helping the cause are crude attempts at warmth, watching David take a few moments away from managing a possible pandemic to come on to his ex-wife, looking to rekindle their relationship while dealing with a rising death toll. These scenes are unintentionally hilarious, wedged into a spreading nightmare so Williams and Keller have a chance to play a few different beats with their stern characters. Additional padding is provided by Sue (Catherine Dent), who nearly becomes a main player in “Venomous,” with Christine’s sister dealing with snake and earthquake issues at her house, trying to protect her young son from harm.

The feature does a lot more to beef up the run time, with the most amusing detour arriving with Larry (Ron Harper), a local survivalist refusing to stand for Army control, soon receiving a bite from the slithering enemy. As he’s dying in the hospital, his brother arrives to bring him to a city facility, using all types of weapons and poor planning to execute a rescue operation. It’s here where “Venomous” goes from mildly silly to pure stupidity, with Ray increasing firepower and overkill to transform a modest chiller into unwelcome camp.

Venomous Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from an older master, with chunkier grain. Detail is acceptable at times, offering passable texture on some skin particulars and makeup achievements as characters lose their battles with the virus. Snake views also do okay. Exteriors are reasonably dimensional, and interiors deliver some sense of decoration and depth. Color is acceptable, with brighter primaries throughout the viewing experience. Costuming is alert with green hospital scrubs and period clothing. Desertscapes are appealing, with crisp blue skies. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Compression mostly holds together. Source has a few blips of damage.

Venomous Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA is the default mix on "Venomous" (there's a 5.1 Dolby Digital option as well), and it provides a crisp appreciation of dialogue exchanges, remaining balanced with more heated interactions. Scoring supports with defined synth instrumentation and dramatic emphasis. Sound effects are clear, exploring the menace of snake movement and the fury of military action.

Venomous Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Fred Olen Ray.

• And a Home Video Trailer (:51, SD) is included.

Venomous Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The story eventually reaches the White House, with a presidential aide (billed here as "special appearance by Andrew Stevens") challenged to make a decision about the future of Santa Mira Springs. Ray fights to pressurize the situation, and he adds genre events, with shootouts and chases included to keep the film rolling along. "Venomous" isn't going to win with acting (though Keller and Williams understand the assignment), but it also doesn't delight with physical activity, finding Ray unable to magically turn limited production achievements into a more cinematic event, visibly struggling at times to create dangerous situations with little resources. "Venomous" aims to go big in its second half, which doesn't work for what's essentially a T.V. movie, and one that finds some traction with the dark horror of viral spread in a small community. Illness is the ideal villain here, but the screenplay is determined to add as many troublemakers to the mix as possible, ruining an obviously derivative, but decently sinister thriller.