The Tomb of Terror – The Intruder (2010) – SIFF Film Review

May 28th, 2011 | POSTED BY John Portanova

But even a film with an unfortunate reliance on CGI beasts can still be entertaining (look no further than the much more fun Snakes on a Plane). There are a few big storytelling problems that further hinder the enjoyment of The Intruder. Our young wannabe reporter spends the middle half of the film calling her bosses at the newspaper and sending them video of snake attacks instead of helping anyone. First off, if there is cell phone reception for this character to accomplish her stupid storyline, how come no one else bothers to call for help? The main character is a fireman and he doesn’t call for backup even after his partner is killed. Also, the lil’ reporter subplot seems to only exist so we can be beaten over the head with a “MEDIA IS BAD. ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS A STORY, EVEN WHEN SNAKES ARE FUCKING EATING PEOPLE” message. I guess the filmmakers were trying to go for a “man is the real monster” subtext, but it doesn’t work. We only see the news reporter boss in a couple of scenes, and he never approaches anything close to reality. There’s a scene where he announces in the middle of a crowded newsroom that no one is going to call the police because he wants more video first. A ridiculous statement to be sure, but the scene is made all the worse by the fact that his hundred or so employees all listen to him. So apparently Thailand is full of cobras and assholes.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a supernatural slant that comes into the ending of The Intruder, and it doesn’t help matters one bit. If you were having problems with the film, but still going along with it, this twist will be the thing that pushes you over the edge. During the final moments we see that not only is Thailand constantly covered in snakes, but these snakes have a consciousness and are taking revenge on the apartment building. Yes, just like Jaws 4, for these snakes, it’s personal. There are also mentions of snake gods, cursed tenants and so many bizarre things that it feels like the end of a different snake movie, which was crappy for its own reasons, was grafted onto the end of this one. This is not an ending where you find yourself saying “Oh, I see!” Instead you find yourself shaking your head in disbelief at the absurdity of it all.

There are a few interesting things going on in The Intruder. Some of the deaths are fun, and the makeup effects on the bite victims are very convincing. The actors do a good job with what they have, although they have a tendency to go over the top. In addition to the supernatural twist at the end, another twist (why does a killer snake movie need multiple twist endings?) is handled much better. It asks the question of who has the right to decide who lives and who dies during a catastrophe. Granted, this interesting development in the story is turned into yet another big message moment for the film, but I really liked the plot developments before it got preachy. I would hope now that co-writer/director Thanadol Nualsuth has this first film under his belt, he’ll make another horror movie and leave out all the twists and preachiness. It also wouldn’t hurt to use rubber snakes.

One last note. The title The Intruder would make sense if there were one killer cobra. This is a movie about thousands of killer cobras, so the title The Intruders would be much more fitting. When the film gets US distribution, hopefully this grammar issue can be resolved. It would even be better if they went with the schlockier Revenge of the King Cobra title that was used during the film’s release in the Philippines. Either way, I just don’t feel the title The Intruder fits the film very well.

The Intruder screens Saturday, June 4th at midnight at Seattle’s Egyptian Theater and Wednesday, June 8th at 9:30 PM at Seattle’s Neptune Theater as part of SIFF.

Final Grade: C

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CGI, creature feature, nature gone amuck, Revenge of the King Cobra, Seattle International Film Festival, SIFF, snakes, Thanadol Nualsuth, The Intruder