Part 26: SnakeFist III: Viper Fang

SnakeFist III: Viper Fang is a 1984 American science fiction action film with body horror elements that is the third installment in the popular SnakeFist franchise. It is the only film in the original US film franchise that wasn't directed or written by series creator, Hal Bouchard. It also diverges wildly from the lore established in earlier films and was quickly retconned when Bouchard returned to the series with SnakeFist IV. It is known as SnakeFIIIst in Europe and Australia and SnakeFist III in Asia.

Hal Bouchard had had a falling out with Warner Brothers in 1982 for undisclosed reasons that remain the subject of speculation today. The 2004 documentary, Behind The Fist attempts to address this and suggests that a tryst between Bouchard and the Warner Brothers CEO at the time was a factor, but the notion has been dismissed as rumour mongering. Whatever the reason, Bouchard was dismissed before filming of the third SnakeFist film while producers sought a new director. They found one in David Lynch, who had recently parted ways with Universal Pictures over creative differences in the production of the much maligned Dune film. Lynch took to the script and filming began almost immediately. Impressed with his work on The Elephant Man, Warner Brothers Studios gave Lynch complete directorial freedom to give a more experimental and artsy twist on the concept of SnakeFist. The result, in 1984, was a film that barely resembled the original script, alienated fans and critics, and was a box office bomb.

Plot
In the film, SnakeFist is seen living a life of peace, working as a labourer in a small company town in Arizona built up to support a large pharmaceutical plant. Things go awry when it's revealed that the pharmaceutical company, enVenom Inc., is knowingly conducting experiments on the residents of the town to test their new medicines. When the township tries to protest and notify the authorities, the company's paramilitary force "pacifies" them, leaving no survivors--except SnakeFist. In the ensuing attack, SnakeFist is mutated by enVenom's new chemical, mutating his right fist into the literal head of a snake, whom he names "Venom Fang". Subsequently, SnakeFist goes on a one-man killing spree, working his way through the company ranks, offing paramilitary soldiers and executives alike. Along the way he encounters a number of grotesque mutations, failed experiments of enVenom Inc., that he leads in an uprising. The movie climax has SnakeFist dueling Wolfgang Schmidt, Jr., the CEO of enVenom Inc., who has mutated himself to have two fists that are wolf heads. Notably, SnakeFist does not once utter his trademark "fuck you".

Critical Reception
SnakeFist III was reviled by critic and fan alike. Common complaints were that it diverged too much from the source material or that the tone was all wrong. Critics cited the overuse of internal monologues and monsters in suits as issues that took away from the original style of the earlier films. A few critics enjoyed the film, claiming that though while it wasn't a cohesive experience, individual scenes really shone. The soundtrack and sound effects are also cited as a highlight, especially enhanced by Lynch's nightmarish, and at times, psychotropic style for the film.

Wolfgang Schmidt Jr.'s line at the climactic battle "two head fists are better than one" was nominated for a Razzie Award in 1985. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound.

Legacy
After SnakeFist III bombed, Bouchard was hired back on by Warner Brothers. Whatever their problems, they seemed to be forgotten and never divulged to the public. Bouchard immediately got to work on a new SnakeFist movie and used to script originally meant for SnakeFist III: Viper Fang. The result was the simply titled SnakeFist IV, which went on to smash box office records and become a fan favourite, often being referred to as SnakeFist's Empire Strikes Back. SnakeFist IV retconned the events of SnakeFist III, taking place immediately after the events of SnakeFist II: The Tower. For the most part, SnakeFist III is entirely forgotten, being left out of many SnakeFist boxsets, its existence known by many only for the fact that the third film is absent from the collection.

When asked about SnakeFist III: Venom Fang, David Lynch said he "didn't know what [he] was thinking". He lamented giving up on Dune and wondered what the result would have been if he stuck with it. He imagines the end result would have been much better.

SnakeFist III has seen a resurgence of popularity in the early 2000s, often being the subject of "Bad Movie" nights at small cinemas. It is often seen today played alongside the likes of Troll 2 and The Room.

Surprisingly, the concept of SnakeFist as an action hero with a literal snake for a fist resurfaced in the 1994 CGI animated children's cartoon SnakeFist Legacy.