What actually happens
The snake finds a poacher first
A poacher on the Amazon River hides in his boat from some unknown creature. It breaks through the hull and corners him, and he shoots himself with his revolver. Then the movie moves to the actual crew. A film team is looking for the Shirishamas, an Amazonian tribe nobody has seen in a long time. Terri Flores directs. Her childhood friend Danny Rich shoots, Denise Kalberg manages production, and Denise's boyfriend Gary Dixon records sound. Warren Westridge narrates, Professor Steven Cale is the anthropologist and Mateo skippers the boat. They pick up Paul Serone, a Paraguayan snake hunter who says he knows the way to the tribe. Most of the crew dislike him. Cale, who argues with him about Shirishama lore, is stung by a wasp and has an allergic reaction. Serone saves his life with an emergency throat incision, and then he takes over the boat and says what he really came for: a giant green anaconda.
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A dead monkey makes a persuasive lure
The scene to brace for happens at night in the middle of the movie. First, Danny, Mateo and Serone go through the wreck of the poacher's boat, where a newspaper photo shows that Mateo, Serone and the poacher used to hunt together. When Mateo falls into the water, the 25 foot male anaconda ambushes and kills him, and the other two go back to the boat without knowing. Serone talks Gary into helping with the capture by dangling a prize of $1 million. After dark he baits a trap with a dead monkey, and the snake comes aboard and goes after the crew. It coils around Gary and crushes him. Terri tries to shoot it, but Serone stops her, and the snake swallows Gary while Denise watches. The crew then overpowers Serone and ties him up.
Everyone gets very angry at the waterfall
The next day the boat gets jammed near a waterfall, so Terri, Danny and Westridge climb into the water to winch it free. Denise decides to avenge Gary and tries to kill Serone, but he overpowers her, strangles her with his legs and dumps her body in the river. When the snake returns, Westridge distracts it so Terri and Danny can retreat. Serone gets loose during the attack and goes after Danny. The snake climbs onto a tree branch and attacks Westridge, and the tree comes up by its roots and falls, which kills Westridge. The snake then turns on Danny, but Terri shoots it in the head until it stops. Serone, furious, gets on the boat, attacks Terri and tries to kill Danny. Cale has woken up in all the noise, jabs Serone with a tranquilizer dart, and then Danny shoves him into the river.
The bigger snake has a nursery
Further downriver the survivors find an abandoned sawmill, and Terri and Danny go in to look for fuel. Serone catches up with them, ties them up and pours animal blood over them to attract a second anaconda, a much larger female measuring 40 feet. It begins to squeeze the two of them, and Serone tries to net it. The snake breaks away and attacks him instead, and eventually swallows him whole. Terri and Danny work free of their ropes. Terri runs into a building, finds a nest full of baby anacondas, and the snake chases her up a smokestack. Danny pins the snake's tail to the ground with a pickaxe, and he lights a fire below the smokestack. The snake catches fire, and an explosion throws it, burning, out of the building and into the river.
The ending, explained
Terri and Danny sit on a nearby dock to recover, and the huge snake suddenly rises out of the water again. Danny stabs it in the head with an axe, which settles the matter. Afterward the pair rejoin Cale, who has been resting on the boat, and the three float downriver. They come across the Shirishama tribe and start filming their documentary. Of the crew, only Terri, Danny and Cale survive. Mateo, Gary, Denise and Westridge die along the way, and Serone is swallowed by the larger snake.
The post-credits ruling
Nobody has confirmed whether there is a scene after the credits, so check before you leave.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: not fine, and we're sorry.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Anaconda scary?
Anaconda is a 3 out of 10. It has a few jump scares and some crushing and swallowing, and the dread is gone when the credits roll.
How does Anaconda end?
Terri and Danny set the larger snake on fire, and it comes back out of the water for a final attack. Danny stabs it in the head with an axe, they reunite with Cale and they find the Shirishama tribe.
Does the dog die in Anaconda?
Yes, a dog dies in Anaconda. A fish is also speared for food and shown from a distance, and a dead monkey is used as bait for the snake.
Is there a post-credits scene in Anaconda?
Nobody has confirmed whether Anaconda has a post-credits scene either way.
Who is Paul Serone in Anaconda?
Paul Serone is a Paraguayan snake hunter who joins the crew after he is found stranded. He is really tracking a giant anaconda and takes over the boat to catch it, and he used to hunt with Mateo.
