The Worm

The Lair of the White Worm is a 1988 supernatural comedy horror film written, produced and directed by Ken Russell. The film stars Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, and Peter Capaldi. Loosely based on the 1911 Bram Stoker novel of the same name, its plot follows the residents in and around a rural English manor that are tormented by an ancient priestess after the skull of a serpent that she worships is unearthed by an archaeologist. A co-production between the United Kingdom and United States, the film was offered to Russell by the US film studio Vestron Pictures, who had released his previous film, Gothic (1986). Russell, an admirer of Stoker, loosely adapted the screenplay from the source novel, and incorporated elements of the English folktale of the Lambton Worm. Filming took place at Shepperton Studios and in Wetton, Staffordshire, England, from February to April 1988. After screening at several North American film festivals, The Lair of the White Worm was released theatrically by Vestron Pictures in New York City on 21 October 1988, and expanded to other US cities over the following months. The film underperformed at the box office, grossing $1.2 million, and received largely unfavourable responses from critics, though it later developed a cult following.