Beware Boiúna Review: Giant Snake Movie Takes Itself Seriously & It Pays Off

Jessica Rothe and Kiana Madeira star in a suspenseful giant snake movie that excels in its departure from the campy silliness of 1997's Anaconda.

Published Oct 1, 2026, 11:24 AM EDT

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When one thinks of giant snake movies, Anaconda immediately comes to mind. The 1997 film starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, and Jon Voight was derided by critics upon its initial release, but has since been embraced as a so-bad-it’s-good cult classic. In Beware Boiúna, filmmaker Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn, Silent Night, Deadly Night) embarks on an ambitious mission: create a giant snake movie that stands apart from Anaconda and the numerous other silly installments in this creature feature subgenre.

Beware Boiúna takes place in the Amazon rainforest and follows a group of doctors on a humanitarian mission to offer medical care to locals. One of these doctors is Alli (Jessica Rothe), who befriends Lena (Kiana Madeira), a local with knowledge of the jungle, its inhabitants, and the dangers it poses. The two find themselves in trouble when they cross paths with Brennan (Logan Marshall-Green), a man whose reason for being in the Amazon is not nearly as philanthropic as Alli’s. While fending off Brennan and his men, Alli, Lena, and their crew are soon forced to reckon with a threat far greater (and bigger) than man: an ancient, 100-foot-long black snake named Boiúna.

Beware Boiúna Takes Time Getting To Its Giant Snake, And Comes Alive When It Arrives

Watching the first act of Beware Boiúna, one could be forgiven for wondering whether this is a giant snake movie at all. Nelson’s follow-up to last year’s clever and underappreciated remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night operates as a grounded, slow-burn thriller at first, entirely devoid of massive, terrifying predators. While the decision to delay the introduction of Boiúna allows the audience to grow accustomed to the characters, namely Alli and Lena, and the fish-out-of-water scenario they find themselves in, the first act moves at a sluggish pace and does little to inspire interest in the story.

Horror movies frequently benefit from more methodically paced first acts that slowly build tension and cultivate dread, but Nelson’s doesn’t quite pull this feat off. Given that the film is so prominently billed as a giant snake movie, it proves difficult to watch the first act of Beware Boiúna without growing frustrated at the lack of its titular character on-screen.

Those patient enough to withstand the tedious first act will be rewarded upon its eventual introduction. Interestingly, Nelson departs from other giant snake movies, and, in turn, gives his film an identity of its own, by embracing a darker, more mature tone. It's far more tonally akin to Jaws than Anaconda, meaning the film is far more likely to keep viewers at the edge of their seat in anticipation than elicit laughs.

Like Steven Spielberg’s approach to his killer shark, Nelson understands that less is more when it comes to crafting an effective creature feature. Rather than flood his film with on-screen carnage and numerous wide shots of the snake, he opts to keep Boiúna in the shadows, amid the obscurity of the jungle. This level of restraint means that, when Boiúna does pop up fleetingly, the terror of the characters becomes the audience’s, as, until that point, viewers were left to fill in the gaps of what Boiúna looks like and how big it truly is with their imaginations.

When Boiúna does slither onto the screen more prominently, the giant snake is quite the sight to behold. The quiet, calculated menace of the pitch black creature evokes memories of Ridley Scott’s Alien, while the action-packed climax has more than a few references to James Cameron’s Aliens.

Beware Boiúna Departs From The Campy Silliness Of Anaconda

Much of the groundedness of Beware Boiúna comes from the fact that it was shot on-location in the Amazon jungle, as opposed to a sterile and artificial soundstage. The film benefits enormously from this approach, as everything feels appropriately grimy and unpleasant. The characters are sweaty and exhausted, their boat looks more like a battered vessel than a polished tourist craft, and the heat and humidity of the location pours out from the frame and onto the audience, a testament to how expertly Nelson shoots his film.

Nelson consistently refuses to treat star power or narrative importance as a guarantee of survival, making it clear that anyone can meet an abrupt and unexpected end.

Going hand-in-hand with how realistic and raw the film feels is the sheer unpredictability of its story. If nature is truly meant to hold the upper hand, then its human inhabitants cannot be allowed complete control over their own fate. As a result, even the most prominent characters can suddenly fall victim to the dangers surrounding them, whether at the hands of the jungle itself or its titular snake. Nelson consistently refuses to treat star power or narrative importance as a guarantee of survival, making it clear that anyone can meet an abrupt and unexpected end.

Similarly lending to the film’s authenticity are a duo of strong lead performances from modern-day scream queens Jessica Rothe and Kiana Madeira. Rothe is a reliable fixture of genre fare and effectively conveys the physical and emotional toll her character endures in such an unforgiving environment. Madeira, however, stands out as the film’s most interesting character. Lena is well-versed in the dangers of the Amazon, but is never treated like the infallible expert trope of horror movies. More than anyone in the ensemble, Madeira turns her character into a relatively fleshed-out protagonist, one easy to root for and invest in.

Ultimately, those who come into Beware Boiúna doubting how someone could inject much-needed novelty into giant snake movies may be pleasantly surprised by what Mike P. Nelson & Co. have conjured up. In stripping the sub-genre of its campy inclination, the film excels as a suspenseful, 90-minute creature feature that takes itself seriously. After overcoming a listless start, it makes for rather suspenseful viewing.

Beware Boiúna releases in theaters on Friday, October 2.

Beware Boiúna

6/10

Cast

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  Logan Marshall-Green

  Brennan Malloy

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  Kiana Madeira

  Uncredited