Sinister Snakes and Horrid Humans- Combine Them for “Sssssss”- Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- it's cold-blooded creepiness, as experiments with snakes endanger innocent victims and targets of vengeance in the sibilantly-titled "Sssssss"!

Dr. Stoner, an expert in studies of herpetology, has his own agenda- finding a way for mankind to survive what he feels will be a dismal future- and to him, the perfect form of life to do so is- the snake! He also seems to have some unusual dealings with the likes of a sleazy carnival owner- as well as some less-than-satisfactory dealings with a local college colleague when he's short on funding for his experiments. His "pal" at least arranges for him to take on a college student as an assistant, since, according to Stoner, his last one just took off one day.

The student, young David, is eager to assist- and even more eager to spend time with Stoner's daughter, Kristina! David observes Stoner and Kristina putting on shows for the public, including dangerous venomous snakes- a reason why Stoner starts David on a series of injections whose purpose -according to him- is to build up David's tolerance for venom in case of a bite! These shots seem to have some odd side-effects- including weird dreams- and a puzzling skin condition- oh, I don't know, kind of like- HOW A SNAKE SHEDS ITS SKIN?!

Things get complicated when the young people visit a carnival- where David encounters a sideshow attraction of a reptilian nature that strikes an eerie chord with him. Then-a bully from the college who's also at the carnival decides to harass David- and put the moves on Kristina. His nasty actions set Stoner on the path to revenge- using the scaly weapon he is most familiar with!  Meanwhile, David and Kristina  are getting very involved (in spite of  the side effects that are increasing in David's "treatment"). Stoner is adamant that his daughter stay clear of too close a relationship with David- worried about the consequences his experimental treatment of the lad could present.

Stoner's prying colleague- David's further mutation- and Kristina's gradual discovery of  what's going on- lead to a snake pit of horror from which there is no turning back!

This 1973 fright film features a familiar cast- including Dirk Benedict, Strother Martin, Heather Menzies, Richard B. Shull, and Reb Brown- and we'll remind you of where you may have seen them before. We also have some Sven snake shtick - including- because you asked for it-another look at the Boa Brace ("What's the matter, Grandma?") commercial parody.

"Sssssss" slithers onto MeTV tonight at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, or check your local listings- or www.metv.com- for information for your area. Chicago gets another little peek at  "The Incredible Shrinking Man" at 11 am on our sister station, WCIU!

Join us for a quick bite or two tonight on MeTV- and keep that snake venom antidote handy!