Criatura

"What if it happens to be our kin? What if that old fool was right?" Six friends leave for a week of fun in New Orleans when a stop at a local gas station introduces them to the legend of Grimley, a local half-man/half-alligator killer bent on revenge. They decide the best way to enjoy themselves is to venture into the swamp and see if it's real. Tell me you don't want to watch that. I have to admit that I am a sucker for these over the top cheesy killer creature movies. The gold standard to me is a tie between "Piranah" & "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus." Those are fun to watch because they are really cheesy but they know it so they go for the comedy side too. That makes them so much fun to watch. This one had the low-budget cheesy stuff that I was looking for, but it felt like they tried to compensate by making the rest of it as serious as they could. The acting was so bad though that it didn't come off like they wanted. It became a movie that thought it was more serious then it was. Still fun to watch, but not one of the better of this genre. Overall, I was hoping for more comedy to go with the cheese. I give it a C+.

Let's face it. In a movie like CREATURE, it's all about... well, the creature. Who in this universe would watch this looking for fascinating characters, scintillating dialogue, or Fellini-esque direction?

No one.

So, is the titular terror a good use of latex? Yes! Lockjaw is a hulking, well-designed monstrosity of the first order. He / it looks great lumbering through the swampland in search of nosy young people.

Speaking of humans, they're your typical annoying twenty-somethings, as well as some inbred hillbilly types. Along for the ride are Pruitt Taylor Vince and the magnificent Sid Haig!

Yep, this one's for monster nuts only...

This is a fun little film that I used to see its kind playing in the drive-in back in the 1970s and early 1980s. It is always good to see Sid Haig, who starred in many of drive-in exploitation flicks back in the day before House of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects made him a horror icon. The plot is pretty basic: six friends go into the swamp to check out a local legend and fall prey to a creature from the swamp that looks pretty cool. There is trouble with the locals as well as some personal betrayals going on. I see some early reviewers on this site, knocking the film as expected because, as I imagine, many of them did not grow up watching these creature features and have little love for them. This is the kind of film Drive-In critic Joe Bob Briggs used to review and champion; I only wish I had a chance to see it at a drive-in instead of a indoor theater.

Another movie about backwoods freaks preying on unsuspecting young travelers usually visiting, passing thru, or detained. In this movie they are traveling thru Loisiana to the city of New Orleans. And the backwoods freaks this time are a bunch of people who've made a pact with a "Gatorman"; part man, part alligator. This pact is steeped in religion and appears cultish. They give Gatorman what he wants and he gives them what they need. What he wants is tender, sweet, female flesh for dinner and sex. In return, he gives his worshipers what they need. Perpetuation; continuity. The cult are bred or born from incestuous sex; the women of which are sacrificed regularly to Gatorman (I'm only the messenger, folks).

Legend has it that circa 19th century, the Boteen (spell check) family, who lived reclusively deep in the swamps, were concerned about their lineage because their family tree was thinning out due to sterility. You know the saying: "Desperate situations call for desperate measures"? --Well it was up to 2 Boteens, Caroline and Grimley, who were brother and sister to save the Boteens from extinction. On the eve of their wedding, while they were frolicking on the swamps filled with love and anticipation of their union, a white gator rose up from the swamps and took Caroline. Grimley goes after her, finds the animals larder, but she's already dead. He kills the gator, but is overcome by grief and goes mad. He begins to consume the gators store of human remains (including sister Caroline) and "Gatorman" --who looks like a cross between a linebacker, a gorilla, and a reptile-- is born.

After seeing an old flier made for tourists daring them to go to Grimeley's old home in the swamps and directions to get there from a storekeeper, six young people, 3 guys and 3 girls, decide to make a side trip from their journey to visit the old house of legend (I think we agree, reader, that this can't be good). This movie is not a bad entry into the "Backwoods Freaks" genre. But instead of some psycho with a love for sharp things and torture after you, this time it's a Gatorman aided by a religious inbred cult. I would say that action and story-wise, it's fair. I did have a little problem with the way the lead in this movie took a bullet and didn't even limp after. As well, he got a pummeling from Gatorman that should have (in my opinion) broken every bone in his body. Bit of credibility lost there, I think. Still, if you understand that these type of movies are what they are; that they can often be a bit amateurish (some of the writing and directing here; the acting was okay) and a bit exploitive (some nudity with the violence in this one) and that they are designed strictly for entertainment and revenue, then most likely you would accept this entry into the Backwoods Freak genre as a fair one. Love, Boloxxxi.

While I'm not sure what I expected going into this, I didn't really get what I was looking for. I think I was hoping for something a bit more like Hatchet which was a ton of fun and had quite a bit of gore. This movie feels like it's just a step above a Syfy channel movie. If you've ever had the misfortune of stumbling upon one of those without expecting it, you'll know what I mean.

I liked the slight throwback to 80's era movies what with the camping, one-by-one killing, and somewhat gratuitous nudity. Everything else was pretty bland. The creature effects are OK, but not fantastic. The effects in general, really, are just OK. Then there's the suspension of disbelief which is just a bit more than I can handle (aside from the monster stalking the swaps of Louisiana). I won't go into why exactly, but it's just a mess. The movie isn't terrible, but it's certainly not anything that's going on your favorites list.