In one of the four Mexican-American horror films he made before his death, Boris Karloff remains typically fun to watch. He plays Carl van Molder, an evil plantation owner out to create an army of zombies. Opposing him is righteous police captain Pierre Labesch (Rafael Bertrand), who arrives from the mainland to deal with the lawlessness on van Molders' island. Also newly arrived is van Molders' niece Anabella Vandenberg (the lovely Julissa), who preaches temperance. Van Molder appeals to alcoholic Lieutenant Wilhelm (Carlos East) for help with his problem.
Admittedly, the low, low budget "Snake People", a.k.a. "Island of the Snake People", a.k.a. "Cult of the Dead", is not exactly high art, or great cinema. But there's a place in the world for schlock like this, too. Juan Ibanez is the credited director, with cult icon Jack Hill handling the Hollywood-lensed scenes, and they strive hard for weirdness and atmosphere. The script is full of mumbo jumbo involving the living dead, voodoo legends, and LSD, but it's certainly amusing. And there's enough reptile action for the film to earn the use of the word "snake" in two of its titles, not to mention some effective sensuality and erotic dances.
The film goes as far as it can on the strength of the always compelling Karloff, supporting actor Quintin Bulnes (as the shady Klinsor), who has a great character face, the enticing Tongolele as the striking villainess Kalea, and another fine character player, Santanon, as the demonic dwarf. Bertrand is fine as the protagonist of the piece, receiving decent support from East.
There's enough bare skin and moody ambiance here to make this reasonably entertaining, especially on the level of a classic "late show" type of movie. Don't go into it expecting a lot of sense and logic, but one *can* expect a moderate level of fun if they're into this sort of thing.
Five out of 10.
