The Lair of the White Worm(1988)

Name: The Lair of the White Worm
Director: Ken Russell
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Released: Oct 21, 1988
Cast: Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, Peter Capaldi

Independent

R
1h 33m
- Comedy
- Horror

Release Date: Oct 21, 1988

When an archaeologist uncovers a strange skull in a foreign land, the residents of a nearby town begin to disappear, leading to further inexplicable occurrences.

Note: Distributed by Vestron Pictures

Release Details

Original Release | Oct 21, 1988 | Limited (Vestron Pictures)

View Advanced Data Watch Trailer

Box Office Results

2026-03-27T18:59:18.354Z

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$22,155
Total US & Canada:
$1,189,315
Total Worldwide:
$1,189,315

Current Showtimes

orround

Mon Sep 14
Tue Sep 15
Wed Sep 16
Thu Sep 17
Fri Sep 18
Sat Sep 19
Sun Sep 20

Director & Top Cast

Ken Russell
Director

Amanda Donohoe
Lady Sylvia Marsh

Hugh Grant
Lord James D'Ampton

Catherine Oxenberg
Eve Trent

Peter Capaldi
Angus Flint

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Language: English

Summaries

Plot Summary

Angus Flint [Peter Calfoldi] is an archeologist come to dig at the Bed & Breakfast inn run by the Trent sisters, Mary [Sammi Davis] and Eve [Catherine Oxenberg. Flint discovers some Roman coins and a strange skull, and he learns the local legend of how the D'Ampton family slew the white "worm", actually a snake or dragon. Legend also has it that the lair of the white worm is in Stonerigg Cavern, where the watch of the Trent sisters' father shows up a year after both he and wife disappeared near the Temple Mansion. When Lady Sylvia Marsh [Amanda Donohue] moves into the Mansion, people begin to disappear. Agnus, Mary, Eve, and their friend Lord James d'Ampton [Hugh Grant] search the canyon; Sylvia abducts Eve and prepares to sacrifice her to the worm, whom she calls the God Dionin. Angus and Mary save Eve and sacrifice Lady Sylvia instead. Unfortunately, Angus was bitten by Sylvia and the antidote he took turns out to be for arthritis.

Storyline

Scottish archaeologist Angus Flint discovers an odd skull amid the ruins of a convent that he is excavating. Shortly thereafter, Lady Sylvia Marsh returns to Temple House, a nearby mansion, far earlier than expected. At a party in the village, Angus meets Lord James D'Ampton, who has just inherited his family's land right next to Temple House. Angus learns of the D'Ampton Worm, a huge dragon-snake that an earlier D'Ampton killed by cutting it in half. (A catchy rock-folk song that tells the D'Ampton Worm legend.) As people begin acting strangely and disappearing over the next few days, the skull is stolen from Angus's room, and a missing person's watch is found in a cavern that was the legendary home of the D'Ampton worm. Angus and James discover that an ancient cult worshiped the worm as a god, and they theorize that the creature somehow survived its destruction, but was trapped inside the cavern. The rest of the film shows Angus, James, and Mary Trent attempting to stop Lady Marsh from freeing the creature.. — Alik Widge