Cult of the Cobra

Plot

Shortly before shipping home at the end of World War II, six American Air Force officers explore an Asian bazaar. A snake charmer, Daru, allows the men to take pictures of him holding a cobra. Paul Abel mentions the strange cult of the Lamians, who worship snakes and believe that there are people who can transform into them. Daru says quietly that, for a price, Paul can see this for himself.

Daru takes the men to the secret Lamian temple, impressing upon them the danger of what they are doing and warning them that if caught, it will mean their deaths. The six observe a ceremonial dance symbolizing the rescue of the Lamian people by their Cobra Goddess. As the lithe female dancer slides back into a woven basket, the drunk Nick Hommel disregards Daru's warnings and takes a photograph. The temple erupts as the Lamians react in outrage, and their high priest pronounces a death curse on the intruders.

Nick fights free of two Lamians and grabs the woven basket, now containing a cobra, from the temple's platform before fleeing. Daru is killed by his fellow Lamians, while the other servicemen set fire to the temple to cover their escape. They speed away in their jeep but slam to a halt when they see Nick lying in the road, a woman standing over him. Tom Markel pursues the woman, but she vanishes. He returns to Nick, who is suffering from a snake bite. As Tom tends him, Paul looks worriedly at the empty woven basket lying in the road.

Recovering in the hospital, Nick apologizes for his conduct and assures his friends that he will be fit to ship out the next day. As he settles into sleep, something appears from the darkness and slips into his room through an open window. As it rears up over him, Nick opens his eyes and screams. Devastated by Nick’s death, his friends must make their plans to ship out for home. Paul worries aloud that the high priest’s curse may have been more than words. The others scoff, turning the conversation to their plans for civilian life.

After their return to New York, while alone in his apartment that night, Tom is startled by a scream coming from the apartment across the passageway. He forces his way in and finds a beautiful, terrified woman named Lisa Moyer, who speaks brokenly of an intruder. Tom calms her down and makes friends with her, persuading her to spend a day with him. When the two arrive home that evening, Tom invites Lisa into his apartment. There, she shows an intense interest in a photograph of the six friends, taken during their Air Force days in Asia.

Later that night, Rico Nardi, one of those six friends, locks up his bowling alley and begins to drive home. Suddenly, in his rear-view mirror, he catches sight of something in the back seat, something that strikes at him. The car swerves, crashes, and flips over, so Rico is killed. As a crowd begins to gather, a breathless Lisa slips away into the shadows, one of which is shaped like a cobra. Two are now dead and four remain...

Production

Mari Blanchard started the film but actress Faith Domergue replaced her a few days after shooting began.

Home media

Universal released Cult of the Cobra on DVD in a boxed set called The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection Vol. 2, which features 4 other classics as well (Dr. Cyclops, The Land Unknown, The Deadly Mantis, and The Leech Woman).

Legacy