PETA Wants Probe In Killing Of Snake On Set Of Netflix Movie

PELHAM, AL - The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants an investigation into the reported killing of a snake during the filming of a Netflix movie in Pelham. A whistleblower has reported to PETA that a snake was deliberately killed on the set of the movie The Devil All the Time, which is currently being filmed in Oak Mountain State Park.

PETA sent a letter calling on the Pelham Police Department to investigate the incident to see whether Alabama’s Cruelty to Animals Law was violated. PETA has also notified Alabama’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, as the snake was reportedly killed within a state park.

According to the whistleblower—who contacted PETA’s Animals in Film and Television Division whistleblower hotline—there was no snake wrangler on location and the animal posed no threat to the cast or crew before being decapitated. "Decapitation is an extremely cruel method of killing snakes because due to their unique physiology, a snake can remain sensible to pain for up to one hour after their head is severed from the body," PETA said in a release.

Earlier this week, PETA sent a letter to the film's director, Antonio Campos, asking for more information about the incident, but the group has received no answer, according to a PETA statement.

“We were told that this snake was simply in his or her natural habitat—under a rock, doing what snakes do—when someone reportedly came along, moved the rock, and killed the wild animal just for being there,” said PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA is asking anyone with more information about this incident to contact our whistleblower hotline.”

The Devil All the Time stars Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Sebastian Stan and is scheduled to be released next year.