The new trailer debuted today for the documentary Alabama Snake directed by Theo Love on the chilling tale of an Appalachian preacher’s plot to murder his wife. The documentary film debuts Wednesday, December 9 (9:00-10:25p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Theo Love (The Legend of Cocaine Island), Alabama Snake explores the mystifying events leading up to October 4, 1991, when an unusual violent crime was reported in the otherwise sleepy town of Scottsboro, Alabama. Darlene Summerford had accused her husband, Pentecostal preacher Glenn Summerford, of forcing her hand into a rattlesnake bed in an attempt to kill her.
The documentary weaves between the past and present to unravel the details of the investigation and trial that unfolded and includes interviews with those who knew Summerford best, speaking to his history of violence and spiritual redemption. Interviewees include Darlene Summerford; Marty Summerford, Glenn and Darlene’s son; Doris Summerford, Glenn’s ex-wife; and former detective Clarence Bolte, the lead investigator on the case. Central to the film is local historian Dr. Thomas G. Burton, whose career has been spent studying the culture, beliefs and folklore of Pentecostal snake-handling churches and whose audio interviews with the preacher are featured along with footage filmed inside the community itself.
