| Director | David Hillenbrand, Scott Hillenbrand |
|---|
At a top-secret genetics laboratory near a small town, Dr. Irwin Burns is leading a genetic experiment to create an aggressive hybrid predator. By combining the genetics of an "African" King Cobra and an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, his team successfully breeds a long hybrid snake nicknamed "Seth." However, Dr. Burns' ambitious assistant, Dr. Joseph McConnell, grows impatient with the slow pace of the project, and injects himself with an experimental serotonin-based aggression serum. Because of the drug's effects, McConnell convinces another lab worker, Toshi, to help him take over the project. They lock Dr. Burns out of the primary testing area and begin haphazardly mixing highly volatile chemicals. The mixture triggers a massive chemical explosion, instantly killing McConnell and Toshi. The blast shatters the reinforced glass of Seth’s containment unit, and the giant, highly aggressive snake slips out of the burning wreckage and escapes into the surrounding forest.
Two years pass. Seth has grown even larger and is now lurking in the woods outside the quiet, rural town of Filmore. The town is preparing for its annual lager festival, which is crucial for the local economy. The peace is shattered when the giant snake outgrows his woodland prey and begins hunting the town's residents. It viciously attacks and kills local teenagers, campers, and townspeople who venture near the woods. The gruesome, mutilated bodies puzzle the town physician, Dr. Brad Kagen, who examines the remains and realizes that the massive puncture wounds and extreme envenomation do not match any known local wildlife. He teams up with the local town Police Chief, Jo Biddle, to investigate the bizarre deaths. Biddle wants to cancel the upcoming festival to protect the town, but the corrupt Mayor, Ed Lowry, refuses. The mayor fears the financial ruin of the town and demands the killings be kept quiet.
Realizing they are dealing with an unprecedented threat, Dr. Kagen contacts outside experts. Dr. Irwin Burns, who survived the initial lab explosion and has been secretly tracking the loose specimen for two years, arrives in Filmore. He hides his true involvement in creating the beast, but warns the townspeople that they are dealing with an incredibly intelligent, fast, and aggressive hybrid snake. Soon after, Nick "Hash" Hashimoto arrives. Hash is a eccentric, world-renowned snake hunter and herpetologist who tracks aggressive reptiles using traditional and highly dangerous methods.
Hash, Dr. Burns, and Dr. Kagen track the giant snake into the forest. Hash attempts to wrestle the snake and capture it, but the massive weight and constriction power of Seth overwhelm him. Hash is bitten multiple times, and dies from Seth's venom. Dr. Kagen and Biddle trap the snake in a long tube that they fill with poisonous gas, apparently suffocating it. Kagen, Biddle and Burns return to their normal lives, with Kagen and Biddle having started a relationship, and Burns explains to them that a helicopter will arrive to pick up Seth's carcass. However, as the helicopter approaches, it is revealed that the gas canisters were actually sleeping gas, and because there were holes pierced into the tube, Seth is alive and well.