2006 film
| Snakes on a Train |
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 DVD release cover |
| Directed by | Peter Mervis (as The Mallachi Brothers) |
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| Written by | Eric Forsberg |
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| Produced by | David Michael Latt
David Rimawi |
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| Starring | Julia Ruiz
Giovanni Bejarano
Al Galvex |
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| Cinematography | Mark Atkins |
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| Edited by | Peter Mervis |
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| Music by | Mel Lewis |
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| Distributed by | The Asylum |
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Release date |
- August 15, 2006 (2006-08-15)
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Running time | 91 minutes |
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| Language | English |
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| Budget | $1,000,000 |
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Snakes on a Train is a 2006 direct-to-video action thriller horror film released by The Asylum as a mockbuster on August 15, 2006.[1] Aspects of the film are inspired by the film Snakes on a Plane, which was scheduled for theatrical release three days later on August 18, 2006.
Plot
Although taking the same basic idea from Snakes on a Plane (many deadly snakes loose on a claustrophobic, high-speed means of transport), the background story of how the snakes end up on the train differs.
In the film, a woman has been put under a Mayan curse which causes snake eggs to hatch inside her belly and eat their way out. In order to recover the "lost pieces" of herself (the snakes), she must travel to Los Angeles where a powerful Mayan shaman can lift the curse. She takes the snakes along with her in small jars. While on the train, bandits attack her, allowing the snakes to escape, endangering the other passengers.
Eventually, and inexplicably, she herself transforms into a gigantic snake and swallows the moving train whole.
Six passengers manage to escape unharmed, and one of them performs a magic ritual which causes her to vanish. However, one girl is shown to have been unknowingly bitten, suggesting that the curse will remain.
Production
According to co-producer David Rimawi, The Asylum initially had no intention of making the film, but they proceeded when an earlier film project fell through. While looking for international distributors at Cannes, a group of Japanese investors saw the film's poster and asked if there really was a giant snake eating a train (which was originally not part of the film). In response, Rimawi had his crew in Los Angeles add the aforementioned scene to the film to make the Japanese audiences happy.[2]
Reception
The film has received mostly negative reviews. When reviewed by Variety magazine, it was described "neither undiscriminating action fans nor connoisseurs of high camp will find much bite in this latest direct-to-video product from The Asylum."[3] Scott Foy, reviewing the film for Dread Central, asked "how the hell do you produce a rip-off this dispirited?"[4]
Spin-off
Snakes on a Train is prominently featured in the 2022 film 2025 Armageddon. In the film's prologue, the two main characters become fans of The Asylum as children when their grandmother purchases Snakes on a Train for them, having mistaken it for Snakes on a Plane. Later, in the present, a giant snake attacks a subway train in Tokyo in the same fashion as in the ending of Snakes on a Train; this similarity helps the sisters realize the aliens attacking Earth with the creatures are mimicking The Asylum's films.[citation needed]
