Explores the story of a Pentecostal minister, accused of attempting to murder his wife with a rattlesnake. Based on true events!Explores the story of a Pentecostal minister, accused of attempting to murder his wife with a rattlesnake. Based on true events!Explores the story of a Pentecostal minister, accused of attempting to murder his wife with a rattlesnake. Based on true events!
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Glenn Summerford
- Self
- (archive footage)
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis crime was also the subject of the books Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington (published in 1995 by Da Capo Press / Addison-Wesley and a finalist for the National Book Award in nonfiction) and The Serpent And The Spirit: Glenn Summerford's Story by Thomas Burton (published in 2004 by the University of Tennessee Press).
Featured review
At times intriguing documentary about Alabama folklore
"Alabama Snake" (2020 release; 85 min.) is a documentary about the strange Alabama folklore of snake handling during religious "Pentacostal" services, and how things got out of hand. After introducing us to East Tennessee State University folklorist Thomas Burton, we go to Chapter 1 "Bite Nite", and it is "October 4, 1991, Scottsboro, Alabama", where the paramedics are called on the scene with a woman (Darlene) claiming that her husband Glenn tried to kill her with snake bites. Say what?!?
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from producer-director Theo Love, who just last year produced the enjoyable "McMillions" mini-series. Here he digs (with a major assist from Thomas Burton, on whose research the film is based) into the strange but still thriving subculture in pockets of communities that use snake handling in their religious services. Along the way we get the story of Glenn Summer ford, who is accused of attempted murder of his wife. The two appear separate and parallel stories, but you just wait and see how it all comes together. The movie is divided in 5 Chapters and an Epilogue, and flows by quickly. One reason that I don't rate this movie higher is the dearth of archival footage, and instead the film has plenty of 'reenacted' scenes, which I am not a fan of.
"Alabama Snake" premiered on HBO last month, and is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming platforms. If you are curious about the strange folklore of snake handling in religious services,. or are simply looking for a decent documentary to watch, I'd suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: this is the latest documentary from producer-director Theo Love, who just last year produced the enjoyable "McMillions" mini-series. Here he digs (with a major assist from Thomas Burton, on whose research the film is based) into the strange but still thriving subculture in pockets of communities that use snake handling in their religious services. Along the way we get the story of Glenn Summer ford, who is accused of attempted murder of his wife. The two appear separate and parallel stories, but you just wait and see how it all comes together. The movie is divided in 5 Chapters and an Epilogue, and flows by quickly. One reason that I don't rate this movie higher is the dearth of archival footage, and instead the film has plenty of 'reenacted' scenes, which I am not a fan of.
"Alabama Snake" premiered on HBO last month, and is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming platforms. If you are curious about the strange folklore of snake handling in religious services,. or are simply looking for a decent documentary to watch, I'd suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.
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- paul-allaer
- Jan 8, 2021
- How long is Alabama Snake?Powered by Alexa
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- Also known as
- Змея из Алабамы
- Filming locations
- Scottsboro, Alabama, USA(location)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 25 minutes
- Color
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