Retro Movie Review: LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (1988), Book Fair, Returning to Atlanta Comic-Con

A movie I was vaguely aware of starring young Hugh Grant and Peter Capaldi. Also my next few appearances and virtual panels on WWI and WWII and fiction and board-game movies

When I was a child I was interested in cryptozoology, the study of unproven creatures like Bigfoot. My elementary school library had The World of the Unknown: Monsters, which included this illustration of the Lambton Worm. Upon further looking into the Lambton Worm mythology I became aware of the film Lair of the White Worm — I remember the original poster with Amanda Donohoe emerging from a basket front and center like a charmed snake — but never watched it.

Well, thanks to the B-movie trailer collection Drive-In Delirium: Dead By Dawn (see the relevant trailer here), I became reacquainted. The spooky trailer did a good job “selling” the movie (it makes it both look scary and goofy), so I gave it a try. After all, it was free on Tubi, and I’ve got a paying subscriber interested in my take on Tubi movies. :)

(Image courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes. This isn’t the poster I remember — this one is.)

The Plot

In the English Midlands, Scottish archaeologist Angus Flint (future Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi) discovers the skull of a large, snake-like creature on the grounds of a bed and breakfast owned by sisters Eve Trent (Catherine Oxenberg) and Mary Trent (Sammi Davis), whose parents had mysteriously disappeared a year or so earlier. Said skull might belong to the “D’Ampton Worm,” a monster slain centuries ago by the ancestor of Lord James D’Ampton (Hugh Grant), who has returned to the area after coming into his inheritance.

Unfortunately, these friendly locals have attracted the attention of Lady Sylvia Marsh (Amanda Donohoe), who does not have good intentions.

The Good

*The script is pretty clever. There’s a lot of foreshadowing and the dialogue, particularly from the sinister Sylvia, is full of double meanings.

*Bram Stoker wrote books other than Dracula, so it’s good to see some of his other works getting some attention.

*There’s a good parallel between the original legend’s Sir Lambton who went away for several years (during which the Worm grew large and began rampaging) and Lord James, who’s spent most of his time away from home and only recently returned permanently.

*The acting is good, as one can expect given how Grant, Capaldi, and other cast members have since gone on to much bigger and better things. I liked Grant’s portrayal of a well-meaning but somewhat entitled aristocrat as well as Donohoe’s seductive charisma.

*The film is billed as a horror-comedy and there’re some amusing tongue-in-cheek moments, even though it never reaches full Shaun of the Dead territory.

*The movie gives me the same vibe I get from the Hammer films of earlier generations — though horrible things happen, good and evil are clearly defined and Christianity is, if not depicted as explicitly true (how specifically the Cross harms vampires), at least is respected. Eve’s faith is even a major plot point.

*There’s a country-western song telling the story of D’ampton Worm that’s pretty catchy. Here’s the song if you want to listen. The film actually features it in a straight-up musical number, which you can watch here.

The Bad

*The film is often pretty tongue-in-cheek, but there’s a dream sequence intended for comedy that’s just plain dumb.

*There’s an attempt to include what seems to be vampire lore and even reincarnation, but there’s no explicit connection between it and the Worm mythology. I can think of a possible explanation involving the titular Worm, but posting it here is potentially spoilery and, in any event, that’s something the filmmakers should have done.

*The filmmakers clearly knew the legend of the Lambton Worm, so why change the name?

*There’s a totally gratuitous…Iron Age marital aid…used in flashbacks and threatened with use in the present day. The mythology they hint at (see above) is interesting enough. This was overkill and frankly ridiculous if not rather gross.

*The climax, which is cool conceptually, kind of drags, and there’s still several minutes before the movie actually ends. The first two-thirds or three-quarters of the film are much better.

The Verdict

7.5 out of 10. Worth seeing once, especially if you don’t have to pay for it. I would be interested in a higher-budgeted remake.

2nd and Charles Next Saturday, (Maybe) An Anime Show July 5-6, Returning to ATL Comic Convention In A Month

On June 21 from 10 AM to 4 PM I will be selling books at the 2nd and Charles on Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw, GA as part of a larger indie book fair. Fellow indie author Lynette Bacon-Nguyen will be splitting the table with me — she writes more young-adult-oriented fantasy, so check her stuff out. I had a successful run at the 5/31 signing I mentioned in a previous email, so hopefully lightning will strike twice.

It’s possible that on July 5-6 I’ll be splitting a table with Lynette at Charlie’s Collectible Shows Summer AnimeFest 2025. I have only limited experience with the anime crowd, so we’ll see how receptive they are to my work. We’re currently on the waiting list.

I’m definitely going to be at the Atlanta Comic Convention July 18-20, an absolutely massive event with hundreds of vendors. I first attended in 2018 with C.S. Johnson and did very well. Back in 2021 I attended with Vanessa Giunta and decided to give the show a break for a few years as it recovered from COVID. Based on pics Cineprov has posted from more recent events, it looks like attendance has well and truly recovered. Lynette and I will be splitting the table at this one.

This will be the first time I’ll be bringing Serpent Sword and The Walking Worm to the Atlanta Comic Con. I’ve also got StickerMule stickers based on the Thing cover and 3D printed bookmarks and keychains Lynette made on her 3D printer, so if you’ve bought books from me there before, I’ll have new stuff. :) I’ve also scheduled The Thing in the Woods to be $0.99 for e-book for all retailers to coincide with the show.

(Virtual) Panels on WWI and WWII Fiction, Board Game Movies

Here’s a Con-Tinual virtual panel on WWI and to a lesser degree WWII’s influence on fiction. Several writers, including me, discuss things like rapid technological change, how a space war would resemble the WWII Pacific Theater, etc.

Here’s another panel focusing on board game adaptations into movies, which include discussion of the films Clue, the Jumanji series, and Battleship. I enjoyed Battleship and will die on that hill.

Enjoy!