When it comes to killer aquatic animals, most are quick to think of sharks. Due to the popularity of films like Jaws and The Shallows, sharks are now the scariest creatures in the water. However, the truth is that the chances of being attacked by a shark are quite slim. A crocodile or an alligator on the other hand — that's another story.
Crocodiles and alligators are much more aggressive with a higher chance of attack. And much like with sharks, Hollywood has attempted to terrify audiences using these cold-blooded reptiles. Sadly, it results in a plethora of fodder for the SyFy channel but for every few duds, there is a surprisingly good gem.
10 Crocodile (2000)
This one more fits more into the SyFy channel fodder category. The acting is wooden, the characters are obnoxious, and the CGI is atrocious. It's also the typical monster/slasher movie about a bunch of not-so-bright college students getting picked off one by one.
However, when Crocodile does use a practical animatronic crocodile, it actually doesn't look that bad and some of the kills are decent. Crocodile is an example of a popcorn B-movie that is bad but it is at least so bad that it is entertaining.
9 Alligator (1980)
It's rare to have a city setting with one of these films. Alligator focuses on the famous myth of alligators living in the sewers of a contemporary town. Now the scenes featuring humans investigating strange murders range from mediocre to decent at best.
Where Alligator excels is actually with the titular villain. Whenever the alligator is stalking humans in either the sewer segments or in the city, it can be tense and a lot of fun. Even in 1980, the effects of the alligator are not that bad. It's certainly no classic but had its fair share of moments.
8 Eaten Alive (1976)
From Tobe Hooper, who made the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, comes a very different take on crocodile movies. Eaten Alive is less of a killer animal movie and more of a slasher. It focuses on a deranged hotel owner who gets a taste for killing and disposes of the bodies by feeding them to a local crocodile.
The more people that come to his hotel, the more he views them as food for his pet. Mixing the two subgenres of horror together makes for a neat concept; on top of that, the villain Judd is performed well and practically carries the movie.
7 Dark Age (1987)
A crocodile stalking and killing humans in Australia and creates a giant monster hunt. The concept makes Dark Age sound like a ripoff of Jaws but with a crocodile. Actually, Dark Age is a strange yet refreshing take on the concept where the crocodile is simply an animal. It's the humans who are the main villains.
The crocodile has spiritual connections with the Indigenous people; so the main hero must find a way to stop the crocodile, the human hunters, and keep peace with the locals. So, with the hero stuck between a rock and a hard place, it makes for a lot of tension between humans and the croc alike. All of which is elevates by some stellar performances.
6 Black Water (2007)
Loosely based on a true story, Black Water features three people stuck in a massive Australian swamp that belongs to a crocodile. Instead of a classic human versus killer animal movie, Black Water is more of an isolation thriller.
Most of the Black Water is just three people stuck in a tree and trying to escape the swamp. The body count is small but each kill is treated carefully and with the right amount of tension and horror.
5 Rogue (2008)
In the late 2000s, there was a huge spike in crocodile movies. Rogue is one of them and is a more straightforward story: a bunch of tourists in Australia is stranded in the wilderness and stalked by a crocodile.
Though not complex, Rogue manages to deliver a fun thriller with some dedicated actors and really impressive practical effects by ADI Studios. With a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Rogue is a perfect example of simple but effective.
4 Black Water: Abyss (2020)
It's rare that a straight-to-video movie gets a sequel that is even close to being good. In this case, Black Water: Abyss is a sequel that's not only good but it is far superior. Taking inspiration from The Descent, Black Water: Abyss features two couples and their friend exploring an uncharted cave in Australia. To nobody's surprise, it doesn't go well as they end up in the territory of a crocodile.
There is a genuine attempt at characterization. The five characters are all well-acted with actual personalities rather than bland archetypes. The characters are also somewhat intelligent and are not constantly making decisions to infuriate the audience. On top of that, the mix of claustrophobic horror, killer animal, and thalassophobia are blended perfectly with a more realistic peril of the characters' situation.
3 Primeval (2007)
Featuring a great cast including Dominic Purcell and Orlando Jones, Primeval is about a massive crocodile named Gustave causing problems for locals in Burundi. American journalists have to capture and film the beast while also dealing with a Burundian warlord.
Primeval often gets dragged down by inconsistent tone and caricatures of Burundi, but the real-life-inspired Gustave is a brutal force of nature that provides the scares. Throughout, there is also Orlando Jones in one of his more serious roles but he still provides laughs at just the right points that it never comes off as forced.
2 Lake Placid (1999)
From the point of view shots, the local police sheriff as a lead character, and the eccentric rich brought in to hunt an aquatic monster: Lake Placid is very much inspired by Jaws. However, Lake Placid never feels like a total clone and manages to puts its own spin on the formula to make it a really fun horror/comedy.
Two things make Lake Placid a cult-gem: the amazing practical and CGI effects by Stan Winston's people and the actors who play their characters perfectly. The comedy is not distracting from the horror; there is plenty of chills to be had with the crocodile villain. For years it was the definitive crocodile movie which cannot be marred by the mediocre quality of multiple straight-to-cable sequels.
1 Crawl (2019)
Twenty years after Lake Placid, Alexander Aja brought the definitive crocodilian movie. During a hurricane, a woman and her father are trapped in their house which happens to be infested with alligators. Like other aforementioned movies, Crawl is a mix of subgenres: this one throwing in natural disaster movie into the mix.
The best thing about Crawl is that it never stops. From the moment the characters are thrust into the situation, it is another threat after the other. Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper also lead the film on their own perfectly, providing good performances for well-written characters. On top of it all, Crawl takes full advantage of its R-rating with some gnarly carnage candy.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3kXV6mb
0 Comments