The snake horror film that accidentally preserved a piece of Alabama history – and you can visit it

Bob Claver’s “Jaws of Satan” Production at Kirkwood Plantation

In 1980, a helicopter landed on the front lawn of Kirkwood Plantation in Eutaw, Alabama. Director Bob Claver and producer Joel Douglas had come to scout locations for their horror film “Jaws of Satan.” The Swayzes, who bought the run-down mansion in 1972, were eight years into a massive fix-up job.

Soon, film crews set up shop inside the historic home, even filming a party scene with young Christina Applegate in her first movie role. But the real twist came after the cameras stopped.

The Hollywood team stuck around to help paint walls, fix furniture, and bring the old mansion back to life. Today, you can visit Kirkwood and walk through the same rooms where movie magic met historic preservation.

The Civil War Left Kirkwood Mansion Eerily Unfinished

Foster Kirksey built his grand mansion between 1857-1860, dreaming of a beautiful Greek Revival home. The Civil War stopped his plans cold.

Balcony railings stayed incomplete, and the cupola wasn’t finished.

Cast iron decorations, French mirrors, and chandeliers ordered from Europe got stuck at the naval blockade.

The house stayed in the Kirksey family until 1961 but never looked like Kirksey wanted because he lost so much money in the war.

Tragedy struck when Kirksey’s youngest daughter died after her wheelchair rolled off the unfinished balcony in the 1870s.

Virginia Couple Rescued the Crumbling Alabama Landmark

Roy and Mary Swayze took a big risk in 1972 when they bought the empty 8,000-square-foot mansion. The Virginia lawyer and his wife saw something special in the ruins.

They got original furniture, family papers, and parts of the taken-apart cupola stored for decades. They started a fifteen-year fix-up project that would cost about eight million dollars today.

Work began right away inside and outside, using materials that matched what builders used in the 1860s.

White House Architect Lent His Expertise for Free

Edward Vason Jones brought serious skills to the Kirkwood project. He fixed up the White House state rooms during the Nixon, Ford, and Carter years.

Jones worked with White House curator Clement Conger and didn’t take money for his White House work. The architect brought his team of skilled workers from the White House projects to help at Kirkwood.

Jones made sure every detail of the fix-up matched the 1860 Greek Revival style.

Restoration Teams Worked Through Eight Years of Challenges

By 1980, the Swayzes had made good progress but still faced years of work.

Crews fixed the unfinished cupola, added proper balcony railings, and repaired crumbling inside plasterwork. Workers put in a period-correct drive and brick walkway using 1840s bricks in 1975.

Craftsmen added plaster trim and ceiling decorations to parlors, the entry hall, and first-floor guest bedroom. The mansion got its first paint job since 1912 in 1977, needing 200 gallons to cover the huge building.

Hollywood Filmmakers Made a Dramatic Entrance

The quiet restoration work got a shocking break when a helicopter landed on Kirkwood’s front lawn in 1980.

Director Bob Claver and producer Joel Douglas stepped out, looking for perfect filming spots for their horror movie “Jaws of Satan” (first called “King Cobra”).

The Swayzes watched in surprise as the film crew showed up without warning and explored their property. The mansion’s Greek Revival columns and spooky grounds caught the filmmakers’ eye right away.

Horror Movie Brought Snake-Fighting Priest to Alabama

“Jaws of Satan” filmed across Alabama in fall 1980, with scenes shot in Eutaw, Tuscaloosa, Demopolis, and Childersburg.

The low-budget horror movie starred Fritz Weaver as a priest fighting Satan in the form of a king cobra. Diana Douglas, mother of producer Joel Douglas and actor Michael Douglas, played a witch named Evelyn Downs.

Dean Cundey handled the camera work after working on John Carpenter’s “Halloween” and “The Fog. ” The team stretched every dollar of their tiny budget.

Christina Applegate Made Her Film Debut at Kirkwood

Several key scenes took place inside Kirkwood’s fancy rooms with their marble fireplaces. A party scene featured 10-year-old Christina Applegate in her very first film role.

Local people from Eutaw got jobs as extras in the party scene because the production couldn’t afford to bring in professional background actors.

Crews filmed in rooms showing white Italian marble fireplaces and Sheffield silver plate doorknobs. The original seven coats of paint and rare stenciled floor in the southeast bedroom showed up in background shots.

Small Alabama Towns Became Horror Film Backdrops

Kirkwood wasn’t the only Alabama location that got screen time.

The production team shot scenes at Bama Rock Gardens in Vance, capturing its unusual rock formations. Greenetrack dog racing facility in Eutaw provided the perfect setting for the plot’s dog track storyline.

DeSoto Caverns in Childersburg offered spooky cave settings for the movie’s final scenes. The film opened in Birmingham on January 15, 1982, after finishing production in late 1980.

Film Crew Traded Set Building for House Restoration

When filming ended, something unusual happened. Instead of leaving for Hollywood, many crew members stayed to help finish the mansion restoration.

The film workers painted inside walls throughout the eight-room mansion using historically accurate colors. They fixed and reupholstered original pre-Civil War furniture pieces that came with the house.

The crew varnished wooden floors on both main levels and in basement areas. They even stained inside doors using special methods they learned from Jones’s restoration experts.

Kirkwood Won National Recognition for Its Rebirth

The restored mansion joined the National Register of Historic Places on May 17, 1976, while work was still ongoing. In 1982, Kirkwood received an Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The project won the grand prize in the Great American Homes Awards program in 1997.

The completed restoration featured a 17-foot observatory cupola with 10 Ionic columns, just as Foster Kirksey had planned over a century earlier.

Snake Horror Film Created Lasting Preservation Legacy

The unusual partnership between a horror movie production and historic preservation created benefits nobody expected. “Jaws of Satan” brought national media attention to Greene County’s antebellum architecture.

Roy Swayze passed away in 1987, and Mary had to sell the property she could no longer maintain alone. The film crew’s contribution helped complete restoration work that might have taken years longer without their help.

Kirkwood stands today as a perfect example of how different worlds can come together to save history.

The snake-themed horror film left a lasting mark on Alabama’s architectural heritage that far outlived its brief run in theaters.

Visiting Kirkwood Plantation, Alabama

You can visit Kirkwood Plantation at 112 Kirkwood Drive in Eutaw by calling (205) 372-2695 for an appointment since it’s a private home.

The four-story Greek Revival mansion has a fascinating Hollywood connection – director Bob Claver and producer Joel Douglas landed their helicopter on the front lawn in 1980 while scouting for their horror film “Jaws of Satan.

” Inside you’ll find antiques from famous makers like Belter and Mallard.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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