In an ambitious year for horror that has already given us zombies, slasher movies, psychological thrillers, horror-comedies, compelling allegories, and a trip through liminal spaces, it’s only right to get another creature feature. Beware Boiúna takes the standard setup: innocent folks on a humanitarian mission who soon find themselves struggling to survive their jungle journey as a mythical creature seeks to control its domain. One may wonder what sets this apart from a myriad of other films like it, and sadly there are only so many choices before it gets stale. Some story subversions are welcome, and the film tries to wring as much drama as possible from the few characters we care about, but it isn’t exactly made to reinvent the genre. Still, in the realm of giant snake movies, this one slithers its way towards success well enough.
The film stars Jessica Rothe as Alli, one of the people hoping to make a difference on this trip by providing medical aid to people struggling in a small village in the Amazon Rainforest. On the boat with Alli and the rest of her team is Lena (Kiana Madeira), a native to the area who left village life long ago in hopes of finding something better. We also meet another group of outsiders led by Brennan (Logan Marshall-Green), whom Alli immediately clocks as some kind of fortune seekers. All of it soon matters little, because despite the personal dramas that ensue, an enormous snake known as “Boiúna” puts them in grave danger and won’t stop until it drags all these intruders into her territory.
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It really stinks to put in all that effort to form a humanitarian mission, only for the village of choice to be the one already guarded by a colossal, ancient serpent. One would think those are the kinds of legends one could research before formalizing the plans to help this particular village, when there must be so many other options. Of course, other villages might have mythical boars, toads, or porcupines, so maybe it just meant narrowing it down to the most manageable situation in terms of supplies needed and travel time. That said, dealing with a mythical toad may have been a better compromise, unless it’s an enormous, people-eating toad…let alone a hypnotoad, which could really cause some damage.
Am I stalling here, because there’s really only so much to say? Perhaps. Director Mike P. Nelson is coming off a couple of wins. He directed a pretty solid remake of Wrong Turn (arguably the best of the series). Similarly, he somehow updated the trashy 80s Christmas slasher, Silent Night, Deadly Night, into a fairly compelling piece of work that featured a good guy serial killer dressed up as Santa murdering a bunch of neo-nazis in a locked barn. Nelson has also just been tapped to direct the next Saw movie, so we’ll see how that goes. Here, however, while not necessarily a step back, as I’m happy to see some original horror, it is a film that simply delivers on what it promises. Not a terrible issue when the film is competent enough and manages to deliver enough horror set pieces, but I still wanted a bit more out of this one.
As it stands, the film does a good job of shuffling around its handful of characters in a way that keeps us involved with the individuals most important to the plot. Yes, having a healthy amount of people total means Boiúna will help deliver plenty of onscreen kills. Still, with enough buildup to the point where it boils down to a few humans versus a snake, I could see enough effort put into establishing stakes. For one thing, no one is off limits, which is always fun to consider. Nelson plays with expectations throughout the movie, yet nothing ever feels contrived or forced for shock value.
Set in the jungle, I wish I could say nothing but great things about the film’s look. Sadly, cinematographer Nick Junkersfeld opts for a lot of darkness, while editor Tom Elkins cuts way too many panicked sequences to the point of near-unwatchability. As a result, while it’s understandable to want to feel the chaos, too many action-horror sequences were barely legible.
However, when the film does slow down and lean into the tension, it’s as if Nelon and company had only so many strong ideas in mind, but really wanted to nail those sections. Leading the charge casting-wise, Rothe and Madeira do what’s needed to fit the mold of smart final girls, even if some situations involve a lot of fetching in the most dangerous places. Marshall-Green also gets by on charm, enough to make us question whether he’ll prove helpful or become a burden.
Looking at Beware Boiúna, I was reminded of an error in Zombieland, where a character’s story claimed their first R-rated movie was Anaconda, which wasn’t true (it has always been and remains PG-13). Do I get unreasonably annoyed at how that bit of misinformation caught on? Yes, but at the very least, while I am a bigger fan of that 90s creature feature starring Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube, Beware Boiúna has the goods of a horror film that is actually R-rated and needs to show some gruesome sights amid the madness. Yes, it also has messaging about outsiders taking advantage of the land for personal gain, and the punishments that come with it. But regardless, the film really comes down to the good-looking snake on display and whether I want to see both snake-related action and potential victims compelling enough to make me hope they don’t get squished.
Beware Boiúna opens in theaters on October 2, 2026.
Check out BeyondFest.com to learn about more showings.
