Alligator a forgotten classic horror movie

O'siyo

Doc B. here,

Giving you the lowdown on a goofy little gem that was quietly released on DVD in September 2007. "Alligator" (1980) is your typical creature on the loose in the big city, done with tongue firmly punctured through cheek.

Alligator has every cliché we’ve come to love about the genre. David Madison (Robert Forster) is the cop who's lost a few partners (too many) that no one wants to work with. Micheal Gazzo of Godfather II is his chief who yells a lot, hates the press, and sports the coolest, wildly flaming eyebrows. I've ever seen. (Seriously, the whole time he's on screen I was mesmerized by them, defying gravity, his brows are apparently trying to escape into the atmosphere. Fantastic!) Naturally in a film like this, the cops seek out an expert to deal with the beast. Enter the beautiful and striking Robin Riker who is an expert, and single, and only in the movies has no life whatsoever and still lives with her mom. Our cop and our gator expert manage to hook up, sleep together, break-up, get back together, and save the city from the alligator all in the films brisk 90 min. running time (cool huh).

Actually, director Lewis Teague maintains an even pacing that moves the story along quite nicely. Baby alligator get flushed down the toilet, eats mutated dogs, grows to the size of an El Dorado (it’s a car, kids). Sewer workers go missing, limbs are found, cops investigate. It seems that a scientist (Dean Jagger), conducts experiments on dogs that mutate them into tasty gator snacks, when they are disposed of into the sewers. When the cops start asking questions, the scientist goes to his boss (Sidney Lassick) who, with the help of the mayor conspire to cover up their dirty deeds.

Of course the film conveniently rounds up all the bad guys in one place for a scene at a wedding reception near the end of the film, so the alligator can feast on them. (Much like liquor going down at an Irish wake.) It’s then left to our cop and his gal Friday to save the day.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the great character actor Henry Silva playing Col. Brook, the great white hunter tracking the beast. It's refreshing to see him have some fun with this character. For years I've seen him play the evil Italian / Mexican / Indian / Korean??? Here as Col. Brook he has one truly memorable moment while being interviewed by a local female TV reporter. Silva re-enacts the alligators love call in a scene that is so positively goofy, it's almost embarrassing, yet he charms the lovely female reporter nonetheless (alligator mating calls rock!) At one point he hires a local street gang to be his guides for this particular urban safari. Funny stuff.

Done on a low budget, Alligator has it's own charm. The creature effects themselves are no worse (no better) than the shark in jaws. Though the script by John Sayles is structured similarly as the one he wrote for "Piranha", it’s still brisk, sly and fun.
Pay attention to the missing sewer workers name, and to the graffiti at the end of the film. (Third man fanatics, this means you)

Suspenseful with some blood and a few laughs, fans of the genre won't want to miss this little gem, overlooked these many years. Don't wait to see it.

Gotta go clean the fish tank now.

Aloha

Doc B.