We all know who Medusa is. The beautiful woman with snakes for hair and all who dare look into her eyes turn to stone. But you may not know Medusa: Queen of the Serpents is alive and well and thriving in the UK. This modern mythology horror gives power to women and has some pretty fantastic visuals. 

Medusa: Queen of the Serpents features a prostitute camp off the grid in the UK. Carly (Megan Purvis) has returned to the camp, in an attempt to escape her abusive boyfriend while being able to feed her drug addiction. While making a house call to a client, Carly is bitten by a snake and mysterious changes begin to take place. As Carly searches for answers she meets the mysterious Alexis (Jamila Martin-Wingett) and she has answers to questions Carly never even dreamed of asking.

Medusa: Queen of the Serpentsis rich with symbolism. The film focuses primarily on Carly’s journey into her role as Medusa, rather than her follies after her ascension to serpent royalty. During her journey, themes of female empowerment and the wrath of women scorned are featured. These pro-women themes are also matched up with the idea that women are associated with temptation and sin vis a vis the snake and the garden of Eden. These themes and symbols play out well with the visuals captured in Medusa and are definitely the film’s strongest feature. 

The entire cast was strong which does not always happen in the world of indie films. Megan Purvis is an absolute delight in her role as Carly. She balances vulnerability, weakness, and strength effortlessly, giving Carly a real “humanness” (despite her snakey ways), and we can’t help but root for her from start to finish. 

The makeup effects featured in Medusa: Queen of the Serpentswere well done and should be recognized. Showcasing something like molting could have been a total flop, but the makeup effects team pulled out all the stops and produced a result that was realistic, not overdone, and not just CGIed in. Hats off to the team for their efforts because it definitely paid off. 

The film’s biggest barrier to overcome was the pacing. Some sequences dragged on and I felt my attention slip more than once but eventually, Medusa: Queen of the Serpents was able to pick up the pace and I was right back in it. Some of the dream-esque sequences felt out of place but fortunately, they are not a strong enough force to detract from the film as a whole. 

Medusa: Queen of the Serpents is worth your time. There is some solid acting and a strong storyline riddled with vibrant themes. The set is simple and the story is pretty straightforward, but this is Medusa’s charm. 

6 out of 10