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Alabama Snake

  • 2020
  • TV-MA
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
838
YOUR RATING
Alabama Snake (2020)
Alabama Snake explores the story of Oct. 4, 1991, when a violent crime was reported in the town of Scottsboro, Alabama. Glenn Summerford, a Pentecostal minister, was accused of attempting to murder his wife with a rattlesnake. The details of the investigation and the trial that followed have "haunted Southern Appalachia for decades." Alabama Snake features local historian and folklorist, Thomas Burton, who has spent his life studying the culture, beliefs, and folklore of Pentecostal snake handlers, painting a "Southern Gothic portrait" of Summerford and his tale of demon possession.
Play trailer1:34
1 Video
12 Photos
CrimeDocumentary

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!

  • Director
    • Theo Love
  • Writers
    • Thomas G. Burton
    • Theo Love
    • Bryan Storkel
  • Stars
    • Glenn Summerford
    • Darlene Summerford
    • Thomas G. Burton
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.5/10
    838
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Theo Love
    • Writers
      • Thomas G. Burton
      • Theo Love
      • Bryan Storkel
    • Stars
      • Glenn Summerford
      • Darlene Summerford
      • Thomas G. Burton
    • 11User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins total

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:34
    Official Trailer

    Photos12

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    Top cast32

    Edit
    Glenn Summerford
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Darlene Summerford
    • Self
    Thomas G. Burton
    • Self…
    Doris Summerford
    • Self - Glenn's first wife
    Marty Summerford
    • Self
    Heather Summerford
    • Self - Marty's wife
    Bill Billions
    Bill Billions
    • Gene
    Rich Bransford
    Rich Bransford
    • Policeman
    Brian Brightman
    Brian Brightman
    • Glenn's Stepdad
    Brannon Bruno
    Brannon Bruno
    • Policeman
    Erin Carere
    Erin Carere
    • Darlene
    Bobby Carson
    • Ambulance Driver
    Hugh Cook
    • Cousin #1
    Cliff Craig
    Cliff Craig
    • Glenn
    Caspian Diament
    Caspian Diament
    • Young Marty
    Major Dodge Jr.
    Major Dodge Jr.
    • Young Glenn
    Alex Haynes
    Alex Haynes
    • Bartender
    Sheena V. Henderson
    Sheena V. Henderson
    • Nurse
    • Director
      • Theo Love
    • Writers
      • Thomas G. Burton
      • Theo Love
      • Bryan Storkel
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    5.5838
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    Featured reviews

    8ops-52535

    thank god that...

    There are documentarists out there that sweeps the historic field of peculiar and heresays, lets call it urban legends. so if you take a look at this hbo docu directed by theo love you will get crocodile shoes oiled with snake oil and a bit of venom to reach the highestlevel of resurection and as close as it can get to god, the holy father, used as a religious relique in a sect down in the blessed old state of alabama usa, like you eat oblat and drink wine in a church sermony.

    but snakes as a murder weapon??? clever and clueless, in fact a perfect murder if you ask me. so hang on to this all absorbing documentary, you will gawp your jaw just as the grumpy old miself did. higly recommended.
    6bt698nhj

    Alabama Folks Are DAF

    If you can get through the backwards grammar, it's a fairly interesting story. Trailer parks rule and roll tide.

    More characters needed. Am I close to 150?????
    5Mysterygeneration

    A haunting exploration

    Alabama Snake is a tight-if extremely unbalanced-documentary that gets to the root of the bizarre and unsettling tale of Pentecostal preacher Glenn Summerford, accused of attempting to murder his wife using a rattlesnake. It gets across an eerie atmosphere in rural Alabama and the dark undercurrents of religious fanaticism throughout the narrative. The documentary does, at times, feel a bit disjointed; its pacing suffers from a lack of focus and coherence. The reenactments, while quite evocative, sometimes veer into melodrama and become a distraction from the really compelling real-life drama at the core. Even with its flaws, Alabama Snake is a haunting exploration of faith, fear, and the thin line between them.
    3megriffin1340

    Don't bother

    Utter nonsense. An hour and five minutes in, with only twenty minutes remaining, I could no longer stand it.

    I'm not from that area, nor am I of that religion, but from an outsider's point of view, all of these people have either bought into the falsehoods repeated to them over the years or they are just crazy. I can't say whether or not Glenn Summerford was trying to kill his wife, but the fact that he didn't take her to a doctor after she was bitten by a RATTLESNAKE because it was simply "in God's hands" is criminal in itself.

    The only reason I gave it three stars instead of one is because of the documentary's production. With that said, letting these people spew their absolute nonsense for an hour and a half is a waste of airtime. With the exception of the first responders, and maybe his first wife, there are no redeeming characters, and certainly no worthwhile storyline.
    8patriciacmurphy

    Strong Narrative Structure

    I truly appreciated the organizing structure of this documentary. I found the historical information compelling and the interviews were insightful and seamless.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      This 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).

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    FAQ14

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 9, 2020 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official HBO Documentaries site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Змея из Алабамы
    • Filming locations
      • Scottsboro, Alabama, USA(location)
    • Production companies
      • DreamCo
      • HBO Documentary Films
      • Sidestilt
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 25m(85 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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