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Alligator
1980 91 min United States of America R 18+
★6.6
Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
Director: Lewis Teague
Trailers
Description
A baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives by eating discarded lab animals that have been injected with growth hormones. The now gigantic animal escapes the city sewers and goes on a rampage, pursued by a cop and a big-game hunter.
Budget:
$1.5M
Starring
Robert Forster
Actor
Robin Riker
Actor
Michael V. Gazzo
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 2008
— Best DVD Edition of a Classic Film
Saturn Awards 1981
— Best Screenplay
Key opinion
Alligator is widely regarded as a quintessential 1980s creature feature that effectively utilizes practical animatronics to create a compelling monster. While it draws heavy inspiration from the Jaws formula, opinions vary on whether it serves as a fun, well-executed homage or an overly familiar and sluggish B-movie.
| Production | The film's practical animatronic alligator remains impressively realistic and effective compared to modern CGI alternatives. | |
| Acting | Robert Forster delivers a charismatic and grounded performance that anchors the human element of the story. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay blends urban legend horror with satirical wit, though it occasionally relies too heavily on familiar 80s genre tropes. | |
| Pacing | The pacing is viewed as both a strength and a weakness, with some finding the build-up tense and others finding the film's first half to be an exhausting drag. | |
| Production | The level of gore and practical carnage is debated; some find the set pieces brutal and vivid, while others find them laughably cheap or inconsistently executed. |