first floor. Dave is unable to escape and is killed by the black mamba. Müller gives Bulloch a severed finger, which he falsely claims belongs to Dr. Stowe. Unable to enter the cellar with the black mamba inside, Bulloch gives in to Müller's demands and brings him his getaway car, which was previously confiscated. Bulloch demands to see the hostages, and Müller forces Dr. Stowe onto a balcony, forcing her to tell Bulloch Howard and Philip are fine. Philip and Howard notice the black mamba and allow it to attack Müller, who stumbles onto the balcony while grappling with the snake. Howard pulls Dr. Stowe out of the line of fire, and police snipers proceed to shoot Müller and the snake multiple times, and Müller and the black mamba tumble off the balcony. The hostages are rescued and Ruth embraces Philip. The final shot of the film reveals that the black mamba had laid an egg in the vents, which hatches and slithers off. Cast Klaus Kinski as Jacques Müller (Jacmel) Sterling Hayden as Howard Anderson Sarah Miles as Dr. Marion Stowe Nicol Williamson as Cmdr. William Bulloch Cornelia Sharpe as Ruth Hopkins Susan George as Louise Andrews Lance Holcomb as Philip Hopkins Oliver Reed as Dave Averconnelly Mike Gwilym as Det. Constable Dan Spencer Paul Williamson as Det. Sgt. Glazer Michael Gough as David Ball Hugh Lloyd as Taxi Driver Rita Webb as Mrs. Loewenthal Edward Hardwicke as Lord Dunning John Forbes-Robertson as Sgt. Nash Production Tobe Hooper was originally attached to direct but quit because of "creative differences", and Piers Haggard replaced him. Kinski chose to do this film instead of Raiders of the Lost Ark because the salary was higher. In his autobiography, Kinski Uncut, he also stated that the script for the Spielberg movie was "moronically shitty". Haggard later recalled: I took over that at very short notice. Tobe Hooper had been directing it and they had stopped for whatever reason. It hadn’t been working. I did see some of his stuff and it didn’t look particularly good plus he also had some sort of nervous breakdown or something. So anyway they stopped shooting and offered it to me. Unfortunately I had commitments, I had some commercials to shoot. But anyway I took it over with barely ten days of preparation—which shows. It doesn’t become my picture, it’s a bit inbetween... [Oliver Reed was] scary at