Exclusive: Demonic Serpents Slither in This Clip from Netflix Horror Film The Old Ways

The demonic possession subgenre of horror has been through numerous boom and bust periods over the years, but most of the initial films that come to mind have a distinctly American cultural mindset. New Netflix horror film The Old Ways, meanwhile, debuts today on the world’s largest streamer with a terrifyingly foreign and decidedly stranger twist on some familiar horror tropes. The debut feature of director Christopher Alender, The Old Ways gives us a relatable protagonist who ventures too far into the unknown, held captive by forces that may be trying to destroy her in ways either conventional or supernatural. As the full synopsis reads:

Cristina (Brigitte Kali Canales), a journalist of Mexican origin, travels to her ancestral home in Veracruz to investigate a story of sorcery and healing. There, she is kidnapped by a group of locals who claim she’s the devil incarnated.

As Cristina undergoes exorcism rituals, the obvious question becomes whether the demons in this scenario are within her, or ringing her on all sides. To accompany the release of The Old Ways, we have an exclusive clip from the film, which features both Canales and actress Julia Vera as the decidedly creepy Luz, a bruja (essentially a witch or village shaman) conducting a ceremony to determine the identity of the demon she claims is within Cristina. Suffice to say, it doesn’t exactly go smoothly—those averse to snakes in particular will probably want to avoid this clip, which has no shortage of them.

The Old Ways is streaming on Netflix in the U.S. now. Check out the exclusive clip below.