'Gator Bait

'Gator Bait (1974)

** (out of 4)

Playboy Playmate Claudia Jennings stars as Desiree, a Cajun woman who finds herself seeking revenge when she's blamed for a crime she didn't commit, which leads to a sheriff and a redneck family killing her youngest sister. Soon there's a showdown in the Louisiana swamps as the redneck woman shows some true vengeance. 'GATOR BAIT was released in a time when redneck action pictures had a place to be screen on drive-in screens on the weekends. This type of movie could never be made today and perhaps that's a good thing because stuff like this belongs in the 1970s and when viewed today you can't help but feel a bit of nostalgia. The film certainly isn't a masterpiece but fans of this sort of thing should find enough entertainment to make it worth watching. I'd argue that the film's first half is actually a lot better than what follows but those who enjoy exploitation should be entertained either way. I really thought the first ten-minutes or so were pretty funny as the two redneck men go around trying to catch this wild woman. Their little chase made for a couple nice laughs and we also have some rather funny dialogue. From this point on it's basically just the men walking around the swamp trying to capture the girl. I think the film slows down a bit too much here and a little more action or at least less dialogue would have helped keep things moving at a better pace. The performances really aren't all that memorable and this includes Jennings. I'm not sure if the directors asked her to talk the way she does in the film but it was rather hard to understand her. Considering this is an exploitation picture, the lack of any real nudity was somewhat surprising with the Playmate only giving a couple quick shots. The Louisiana settings are certainly a major plus as you really do feel as if you're down in this dirty swamp. 'GATOR BAIT isn't a masterpiece but it's certainly a decent way to kill ninety-minutes.

OK, here's the deal, I got sick to death of reading lame reviews of exploitation and Eurotrash films from people who simply don't get it. These films are NOT meant to be compared to the sanitized crap Hollywood sells us.

'Gator Bait is a cult classic for a number of reasons, first of all, Claudia Jenning is hot, secondly, the Sebastians make quality low-budget dark sleaze. Most importantly, though there is little sex and violence in the film (as compared to many exploitation films) this film does not hold back. It rolls along at a good pace and is full of unlikable characters with secrets that are slowly revealed as the film plays out.

The plot is fairly simple, Desiree (Claudia Jennings) is out to avenge the death of her sister... who was killed at the hands of an angry family who were led to believe that she killed a member of their family while all along it was the son of the Sheriff who had committed the crime. It's pretty much a cat and mouse story, with gorgeous and barefoot Claudia Jennings (the cat) hunting down and systematically killing the men (the mice) responsible. In many ways (as was the case with many exploitation films) the film has a strangely feminist theme to it. It turns out that Desiree is the most clever, likable, and capable character in the film. That is the frequently missed point of many exploitation films... the women (the victims of some pretty dumb and unpleasant men) are the most sympathetic and frequently brightest and strongest characters. The whole film has a deep and dark sexual undertone to it, and like most exploitation, it is not for the squeamish or the Hollywood-fed public. This is a film for people who are willing to look into darker corners.

It is well acted, beautifully-shot, with a really cool Cajun theme song ("Jole Blon" rewritten), and plenty of action and outright weirdness.

Seems a lot of viewers really don't get movies like GATOR BAIT. It ain't great but it does deliver some back woods fun, with a low budget charm and terrific swamp locations. I'd say the acting is pretty good, especially the redneck family. The film's biggest failing is having Claudia Jennings the star and then mess her all up and never get her clothes off! The nudity comes courtesy of Janit Baldwin and she never looked better than she does here, although her outfits and hair style are completely out of place in the swamps. Also some comments mention rape, well, there is an attempted rape that never gets started before it is halted. This does result in a very unpleasant sequence, but no one gets shot in the stomach ( it's nastier than that ). While the movie has it's flaws ( the screenplay, Jenning's Cajun accent ) it is solid drive in style fun with an authentic, mud strewn setting and crazy, inbred southern rednecks fighting for their lives against an enraged, revenge seeking woman.

Alligator poacher Desiree Thibodeau (Claudia Jennings) finds herself on the run after a deputy falsely accuses her of killing a man he accidentally shot. Sheriff Joe Bob Thomas puts together a posse to bring her in and relies on T.J. Bracken (Sam Gilen), the dead kid's pa, to guide them through the swamp. After the group rapes and kills Desiree's sister, she uses her bayou brains to get revenge on this group. Directed by Ferd (yes, Ferd) and Beverly Sebastian, 'GATOR BAIT is a pretty enjoyable hicksploitation entry. Of course, most of the enjoyment probably comes from Jennings. Not only does she appear to do all of her own stunts and boat driving, she wears one of the skimpiest outfits in the sub-genre's history. Now I know why my friend Marty recommended it! There is actually one scene about halfway through the flick that is really shocking as well. I won't spoil it for anyone, but it certainly comes out of left field and pushes the sleaze factor completely over the edge. There is also an amusing finale revelation. The Sebastians made GATOR BAIT II: CAJUN JUSTICE fourteen years after this one. I guess that is next on my schedule.

The cover of ‘Gator Bait makes it look like a ridiculous, mindless film with few redeeming qualities other than an abundance of inexplicable nudity. While there is nudity in the film (and unnecessary nudity, at that), it is a relatively low quantity of it, and there are even a few elements of the film that were well done – even if extremely few.

The acting on all parts was just awful, but some performances were less idiotic than others. While it's true that the line `Boys will be boys' was uttered in response to an attempted rape, and one of the men attempting to capture Desiree actually SHOOK HIS FIST at her in one scene, it's not entirely the actors' faults that this movie was impossible to take seriously. Nope, even if ineffectively, all of the actors delivered honest performances – it's the SCREENWRITER that should be drug out into the street and shot. And the cinematographer was no genius either. The day-for-night photography was some of the worst I've ever seen – even worse than that seen in Dr. No, which was filmed 14 years earlier than ‘Gator Bait. Also, there is so much ridiculous dialogue in this movie that it becomes a form of comic relief in itself (`Leroy, you pick that boy up or I'm gonna blow yer head off!'). And I better not even get started on Desiree's laughable lines.

It's no secret that ‘Gator Bait is cheese. Everything about the film is ugly – especially those damn actors. Some of these guys are so ugly that sometimes it's hard to believe that they're real people. But despite this, they make for an effective team of angry (and excessively horny) rednecks, and the way that they get picked off one by one by this country girl not only provides an ironic bit of an interesting story, but also illustrates the extent of their collective stupidity. In the final shot of the film, with Pa standing in the swamp, the camera tilts slowly down to his reflection on the water, providing an unexpected hint toward meaningful direction.

But for the most part, this is garbage. You just can't take something like this seriously at all. Let me put it in the immortal words of the great Sam Gerard, `Who's the ugliest, dumbest, most inbred country son of a bitch out here?' Well, whoever that person is, he or she is sure to get a kick out of ‘Gator Bait.