Snakeman

Finally I must mention a film slipped into the Festival at the last moment The Monster Club directed by Roy Ward Baker, an amusing parody of horror movies with vampires, werewolves, snakemen, waspwomen, ghouls and other weird creatures enjoying themselves to the beat of pop music.

‘Think you Aberius made these snakemen out of air, to cover his wanting to turn back?’ ‘He tells the truth with a face that shouts lie, yet this time I think he may actually have seen something. That’s not to say it was what he says it was. Ah, I know not, Conan. Snakes that walk like men.’

And the man turned out to be only the head of a man. The body was that of a monstrous python, undulating through the water. Mach had thought this was a dream. But he had never heard or read of either pigmen or snakemen, and his computer-type brain was not strong on creative imagination.

Ophidia, or snakemen, look like large snakes with humanoid arms and hands, but they aren’t long and slender like true snakes. […] Snakemen have little in the way of religion, though groups often “worship” the naga, dragon, or giant constrictor snake with whom they associate, bringing food and presents to them.

There were four of his men in the room, two birdmen, a fish and a wolfman. That meant five against an unknown amount, until more entered the room. He took a step backward, as two snakemen entered the room.

Sacred spells of the sinister snakemen.

The Hero and Leah arrive in time to see a number of snakemen holding Adria hostage.

A palpable sense of superstitious awe was generated by her words: though the emir’s people were Amteh, most would know something of Omali mythology and the tales of the snakemen who helped the gods to create the world – though she doubted any here would ever have believed in them.