The kidnap that became a murder, that became a siege, that became a death trap.
International terrorists attempt to kidnap a wealthy couple's child. Their plan comes unstuck, however, when a deadly Black Mamba, sent by mistake instead of a harmless snake, escapes and terrorizes both them and their hostages.
Venom (1981) is a horror and thriller film directed by Piers Haggard, released on November 28, 1981 with a runtime of 1h 33m. It stars Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed, Nicol Williamson and Sarah Miles. Viewers rate it 5.7 out of 10 across 93 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Venom before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Venom.
Trailer
Teaser
Featurette
Klaus Kinski
as Jacques Müller (Jacmel)
Oliver Reed
as Dave Averconnelly
Nicol Williamson
as Cmdr. William Bulloch
Sarah Miles
as Dr. Marion Stowe
Sterling Hayden
as Howard Anderson
Cornelia Sharpe
as Ruth Hopkins
Lance Holcomb
as Philip Hopkins
Susan George
as Louise Andrews
Michael Gough
as David Ball
Mike Gwilym
as Det. Constable Dan Spencer
Edward Hardwicke
as Lord Dunning
John Forbes-Robertson
as Sgt. Nash
Directed by Piers Haggard, written by Alan Scholefield and Robert Carrington, produced by Martin Bregman.
Average viewer score of 5.7/10 from 93 ratings.
69/100 A failed kidnapping becomes a hostage situation in a house with a black mamba on the loose. This was surprisingly good with wonderful acting all around. It's a slow drama which cleverly does not focus on the snake but rather uses it as a device to maintain a high level of apprehension that certainly kept me on edge and the snake attacks, when they did occur, were pretty shocking. I loved the POV shots from…
Reviewed on February 3, 2026
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Venom (1981) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Shudder, Night Flight Plus, Shudder Amazon Channel, FlixFling, Shudder Apple TV channel and Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and to rent or buy from Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home and FlixFling. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Venom (1981) includes Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed, Nicol Williamson, Sarah Miles and Sterling Hayden. The film was directed by Piers Haggard. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Venom was released on November 28, 1981 and runs for 1h 33m.
Venom (1981) holds an average rating of 5.7 out of 10 from 93 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy horror and thriller films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Venom trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
