Alligator (1980)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Lewis Teague

Writers:

John Sayles (screenplay)
John Sayles (story) ...

Release Date:

2 July 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Comedy

Tagline:

Beneath Those Manholes, A Man-Eater Is Waiting ...

Plot:

A giant alligator is on the loose in Chicago. Chicago? Yup, don't go down the sewers!

Plot Keywords:

Alligator | Sewer | Severed Arm | Beautiful Woman | Child Eaten

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Robert Forster	...	David
Robin Riker	...	Marisa
Michael V. Gazzo	...	Chief Clark (as Michael Gazzo)
Dean Jagger	...	Slade
Sydney Lassick	...	Gutchel (as Sidney Lassick)
Jack Carter	...	Mayor
Perry Lang	...	Kelly
Henry Silva	...	Brock
Bart Braverman	...	Kemp
John Lisbon Wood	...	Mad Bomber
James Ingersoll	...	Helms
Robert Doyle	...	Bill
Patti Jerome	...	Madeline
Angel Tompkins	...	Newswoman
Sue Lyon	...	ABC Newswoman

Runtime:

91 min | Argentina:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:12

Company:

Alligator Inc.

Trivia:

The first victim's name is Edward Norton. "The Honeymooners" (1955) features a sewer worker of that name.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Sue Lyon is incorrectly credited as "ABC Newswoman". In fact, her character appears to be working for NBC. The microphone she uses during an interview is clearly marked with the NBC 'N' and peacock logos.

Movie Connections:

References Jaws (1975)

Great movie. A creature-feature done right.

What a classic. I will admit that the main reason I watch so many horror movies is mainly because I can make fun of them. I bought Alligator from a video store that was going out of business. I vaguely remembered the scene where the alligator crashes the birthday party from when I was a little kid. Anyway, I remembered enough to pick it up, so I was expecting another movie that I could sit there and trash, but once I saw John Sayles's name in the writing credits, I assumed that I would be in for something more. Instead of getting a movie that I could laugh at, I got one that laughs at itself for being a horror movie (about 16 years before that was cool). The script is super-sharp, with witty lines and the direction is tight. We also get a great, charismatic Robert Forster playing the role of the burn-out cop and Henry Silva makes a HILARIOUS cameo as a hunter. I don't know if his performance was intentionally bad or if he was just trying to be that bad, but either way, it worked. I loved his character and the funny noises that he makes. I'm sure it had to be intentional.

John Sayles has done some great horror scripts. Just check out Piranah and The Howling (the first one). He scores another knockout with Alligator and it put Lake Placid to shame. What that movie seemed to try so hard at (making a "parody" of sorts) Alligator pulls off with ease. The special-effects (of course they're dated by now) are actually really well-done for the time and, in many ways, a helluva lot more convincing than most of the CGI crap that we're force-fed today.

If you can find this movie, I highly reccommend it. No, it's not scary, but it is very entertaining and a good time all the way through.