Back when I was a boy, my dad used to go to the 'video shop' to rent a film for the family to watch. My dad had a talent for choosing the worst films in the shop, but when he came home with 'The Bite' one night; I seem to remember thoroughly enjoying it. I've revisited a number of favourites from my childhood since becoming a 'serious' film fan, and have mostly been disappointed; but with this film, I agree with my childhood self that it's an enjoyable and fun little flick. I'm not sure where the 'Curse II' prefix comes from - I've not seen the original Curse, and even if this is a sequel, it still nicely stands on its own. I do, however, suspect that the prefix is a cash-in - and from now on I'll refer to this film as 'The Bite'. The plot focuses on a young couple; Clark and Lisa, who are driving across the desert for some reason. After breaking down, Clark's bad luck continues when he's bitten by a snake - and continues further when the snake turns out to be radioactive and the hand he was bitten starts to become a snake itself! On his tail are a salesman/wannabe doctor and the county sheriff.
This film has two main problems when it comes to the plot. First of all, it takes far too long to get going; I have no problem with build-up, but this film verges on being boring too often, and the build-up fails to generate any interesting characters...so it feels rather pointless. Secondly, the plot base had a lot more to offer than what we got. I guess the film took influence from Cronenberg's masterpiece 'The Fly', as it features similar themes; but the idea is never really explored, and while things such as the dog at the start get the imagination going, it's all very mundane for the most part. The acting isn't too bad, although J. Eddie Peck was miscast in the lead role. The Stepfather's Jill Schoelen is a pleasure to watch, while the likes of Jamie Farr and Bo Svenson do well in support. The gore isn't too bad either, and there are some suitably nasty scenes throughout the film. The ending is a highlight as it features the film's best stint in terms of atmosphere, and also gives a suitable climax to a macabre little tale. Overall, this is far from perfect; but despite its flaws, The Bite is still worth seeing and I recommend it to my fellow trash fans.
