141.Documentary Review: ALAbama snake
The HBO Max documentary, Alabama Snake, is the story of a Pentecostal preacher named Glenn Summerford, who on a night in 1991 he either did -or maybe did not- attempt to murder his wife through the act of forcing her, at gunpoint, to put her hand into a box that contained venomous snakes. The docs cover the storytelling, the people involved in this crime case, and the cultural folklore phenomenon at the center of the story.
Resources
Burnett, John. “Serpent Experts Try to Demystify Pentecostal Snake Handling.” NPR, 18 Oct. 2013, www.npr.org/2013/10/18/236997513/serpent-experts-try-to-demystify-pentecostal-snake-handling. Accessed 10 May 2023.
Duin, Julia. “Appalachian Snake Handlers Put Their Faith in God—and Increasingly, Doctors.” Animals, National Geographic, Feb. 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/snake-handlers-appalachia-changing-practices. Accessed 10 May 2023.
GotQuestions.org. “What Is the Holiness Movement / Church? | GotQuestions.org.” GotQuestions.org, 28 Apr. 2015, www.gotquestions.org/Holiness-movement.html. Accessed 10 May 2023.
Hill, J. “East Tennessee State University.” East Tennessee State University, ETSU, 7 June 2022, www.etsu.edu/etsu-news/2020/11-november/burton-roach-discussion.php. Accessed 11 May 2023.
https://d37iubyd5rd5b.cloudfront.net/users/85492436/uploads/0b490a2c1c03fbdf1a0b88d6223f180c. ““Alabama Snake”: Did Darlene Sexually Abuse Her Sons? HBO Documentary Makes Some Disturbing Revelations.” MEAWW, 10 Dec. 2020, meaww.com/alabama-snake-hbo-documentary-darlene-truth-child-sexual-abuse-reveals-son-truth-509779. Accessed 11 May 2023.
Loftus, Johnny. “Stream It or Skip It: “Alabama Snake” on HBO, a True Crime Tale of a Snake Handling Preacher and Attempted Murder.” Decider, Decider, 10 Dec. 2020, decider.com/2020/12/10/alabama-snake-hbo-review-stream-it-or-skip-it/. Accessed 10 May 2023.
Memory, Prosthetic. “Pentecostal Snake Handlers.” Slamjam.com, 2013, addpmp.slamjam.com/posts/pentecostal-snake-handlers. Accessed 10 May 2023.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Snake Handling in Christianity.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Feb. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_handling_in_Christianity. Accessed 10 May 2023.