Ragin Cajun Redneck Gators

After 4 years away from home while attending college, a young woman named "Avery Doucette" (Jordan Hinson) returns to her family in the Louisiana bayou one day prior to alligator hunting season. What nobody knows is that a local family headed by "Wade Robichaud" (Thomas Francis Murphy) has been making moonshine using a strange new chemical which ends up contaminating several batches which are subsequently dumped into the swamp. This causes the local gator population to mutate into extremely large and savage creatures of a type never seen before--and their feeding season on humans has just begun. Throw in a deadly family feud between the Doucettes and the Robichauds and things are about to get deadly in the bayou. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that it's the comedy-more than the action, horror or suspense-that makes this film even remotely interesting as the other qualities just mentioned are almost non-existent. Likewise, the extremely ridiculous ending certainly didn't help much either. In any case, if not for the aforementioned humor, I would have scored this film a bit lower but as things are I rate it as just slightly below average.

"Ragin Cajun Redneck Gators" (aka "Alligator Alley") is one of those movies. You know, those kind of monstrous creature features, that just have way too awful effects to come off as properly being good entertainment.

The story is about a young girl named Avery (played by Jordan Hinson) who returns to the swamps of Louisiana to her family after having been away for college. The ongoing feud between the Robichaud and Doucette families is still blazing, and things doesn't take a turn for the better when the Robichaud family's failed moonshine brew turns the local alligator residents into mutated giants hungry for human flesh.

Essentially the story did have some good things to it here and there, but it was all just brutally slaughtered with the worst CGI alligators ever to make it to the screen. I mean, seriously, these are without a doubt amongst the top five of worst creature CGI effects I have ever seen.

The characters in the movie are painfully stereotypical to the point where it is starting to become embarrassing to bear witness to.

As for the acting, well, for a movie of this particular genre and type, then it was alright. Nothing mind-blowingly impressive though, mind you.

And as if giant, mutated man-killing alligators wasn't enough, wait to you find out what happens later on, it just goes from being silly to downright stupid. Trust me...

"Ragin Cajun Redneck Gators" is the type of movie that you will suffer through once, out of sheer boredom, and never to make a return trip to watch it ever again. There just wasn't anything worthwhile to support a second watching - unless you count horrible CGI creatures as worthwhile, of course.

Even though they reach a limited audience, 2013 has been the year for Syfy films. With it's original name, Sci-fi, it's was a channel in the beginning that brought us reruns of old films and some original films that didn't really have an audience. As time went on, the channel delivered some popular TV shows including Ghost Hunter and also cult shows like Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Firefly. In 2010, it made a drastic change when it broadcasted WWE Smackdown drawing in the wrestling audience. Through the power of social media including twitter in 2013, it's original film Sharknado was a major hit that brought much more attention to the channel. Because of the Sharknado hit, their films are finding more of a audience. These films are very strange and all over the spectrum including Aladdin and the Death Lamp, Ghost Shark and Flying Monkeys. Ragin' Cajun Redneck Gators is another film to add to this strange collection.

Ragin' Cajun Redneck Gators is set in the swaps of Louisiana where a Cajun redneck community finds themselves getting attacked by strange killer gators. These gators are far from typical, quite dangerous and more than what they seem.

Like Sharknado and Ghost Shark, there is a definite lack of budget but an extra effort by the filmmakers to make this work is evident. There are Cajun rednecks that are funny and kind of realistic, mutant gators, and a Romeo and Juliet love story involving feuding families. It's all a unique and interesting combination.

Unlike the Ghost Shark and Shakando, we don't care much about these characters. Attractive lead character, Jordan Hinson plays Avery from one of the feuding families but nothing memorable really comes from her performance. Her love interest, Tristan (Victor Webster) is a character who is frankly limited and who we don't really root for even though he is in danger from the gators throughout. The only positive person who steals the show is Michael Baird who plays Avery's father Dale. He has an excellent Cajun accent and is a charismatic "life of the party" kind of character who kind of steals the show.

For what it is trying to be, Ragin' Cajun Redneck Gators should have been better. It has a good original idea and tries to go with it but falls a little flat because I think it tries to do much. Because of that, I think it is probably the weakest Syfy films of 2013.

If you want a serious movie don't watch this one. If you want fun and entertainment without having to do too much thinking this one is for you. One of the better SyFy B-flicks I've seen in a while and I love me some SyFy B-flicks. Yes its campy and the effects could of been better but there is worse out there. If you're a Lake Placid fan (the SyFy ones not part 1) then this is definitely worth watching. Bonus is that Jordan Hinson from Eureka (Zoe) is in it which makes it worth watching. The acting isn't too terrible and the story could use a little more omph. But the premise for the movie is original and comedic. Not a lot of gore which is good if you're not into buckets and buckets of blood and guts. One of the better monster/animal horror movies that SyFy has put out. Better than Piranahconda and Sharktopus.

RELEASED TO TV IN 2013 and directed by Griff Furst, "Ragin' Cajun Redneck Gators" (aka "Alligator Alley") takes place in the Louisiana bayous when Avery (Jordan Hinson) returns from college (indoctrinated by liberalism, of course) to her redneck homestead where her kin are still feuding with a neighboring family. While she secretly dates the handsome son of the enemy (John Chriss), literal red-necked gators attack, mutated by bad moonshine that was poured into the swamp. But something even worse starts happening.

The title keys off that this is a campy, silly monster movie and not to be taken seriously, although there's some semi-serious dramatics and horrifics. Anyone wanting solemn horror should go to the Exit now. Jordan Hinson as the protagonist is a major attraction as she's winsome and all-around easy on the eyes. There's a little bit of "The Alligator People" (1959) thrown in to keep things interesting. Bottom Line: It's not great, but it's mildly entertaining as an amusing creature feature. Just remember: If the rednecks don't get ya... the gators will.

THE MOVIE RUNS 88 minutes and was shot in St. Amant & Baton Rouge, Louisiana. WRITERS: Keith Allan, Rafael Jordan & Delondra Williams.

GRADE: C+