RATTLESNAKE is a new Netflix horror movie by the writer-director of 1922 (another Netflix movie). This one starts out very strong and Carmen Ejogo is perfect as the lead. Unfortunately, the ending feels very slow and doesn’t really work for me. Read more in our Rattlesnake review here!

Rattlesnake is a new Netflix horror movie. The plot sounds simple and perfect for a good horror story; A woman makes a deal with the devil to save her daughter after she’s been bitten by a rattlesnake.

See, it can actually be that simple if you just build a good story and have a strong cast. And yes, this Netflix movie does have both. Especially the beginning is really good and works on so many levels. However, the final part of the Netflix movie is painstakingly slow to a degree that irritated me way too much!

Read more in the rest of our Rattlesnake review below and check it out on Netflix now.

Carmen Ejogo stars in Rattlesnake

The new Netflix horror movie stars Carmen Ejogo and she is absolutely amazing. I have yet to see her deliver a less than stellar performance. She always manages to leave me impressed and wanting more scenes with her. Finally, Carmen Ejogo gets to be the lead as Katrina Ridgeway and she gives it her all. In Rattlesnake, Carmen Ejogo is in virtually every scene and I still want more.

Carmen Ejogo was in the most recent season of True Detective in a key role and starred in season 2 of The Girlfriend Experience which is another brilliant series. Fans of horror and sci-fi movies will probably know Carmen Ejogo from The Purge: Anachy (2014) or the 2017 movies It Comes at Night and Alien: Covenant.

Don’t miss: Our review of the horror movie It Comes at Night here >

Along with Carmen Ejogo, Theo Rossi plays a key character. To me, Theo Rossi is still “Juice” from Sons of Anarchy, but he was also in Cloverfield (2008) and part of the Netflix Marvel series Luke Cage. Horror fans will soon become very familiar with Theo Rossi since he’s currently filming a little something titled Army of the Dead which will also be a Netflix movie coming out in 2020.

Rattlesnake – Review | Netflix Horror Movie

The ending of Rattlesnake on Netflix

When it comes to the ending of the Netflix horror movie Rattlesnake, I was not impressed. The lead character, Katrina (Carmen Ejogo), goes from being a very active and direct person to suddenly moving at a snail pace.

There is a very clear deadline for her task; Deliver another soul to the devil before sunset or lose your daughter. And yet, everthing seems to be happening in slow motion for the past 5-10 minutes. This just irritated me to no end since the pace and plot had been working for me up until this point.

Again, my issues with the ending of Rattlesnake has nothing to do with Carmen Ejogo’s performance. But the writing for that final part of the story, along with the directing of this bit, was not at all working for me. I think I lot of people will be yelling at the screen for the ending to speed up, but I’m sure some will be okay with it as well.

Watch Rattlesnake on Netflix now!

Zak Hilditch wrote and directed Rattlesnake and this is actually his second Netflix movie in a row. He also directed and wrote the screenplay for the movie Netflix movie 1922 which was based on Stephen King’s novel. 

You might like: Our review of the Netflix horror-drama 1922 here >

The two movies are very different, but they are both in the horror genre. While I loved the creepy vibe of 1922, I wasn’t that thrilled with it. When it comes to Rattlesnake, I am a very happy horror camper right up until the final third act or so. The story still works for me, but the strangely slowburning ending was not my cup of tea.

Do check out Rattlesnake on Netflix though. It’s a classic horror story that works on most levels. Also, Zak Hilditch definitely continues to be a filmmaker I’m keeping my eye out for since he does have a great way of telling horror stories.

Rattlesnake is out on Netflix globally from October 25, 2019.

Details

Director: Zak Hilditch
Writer: Zak Hilditch
Stars: Carmen Ejogo, Theo Rossi, Emma Greenwell, Richard Lippert, Arianna Ortiz, Joy Jacobson, David Yow, Debrianna Mansini

Plot

After a mysterious woman saves her daughter from a deadly snakebite, a single mother must repay the debt by killing a stranger before sundown.

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!
Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard
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