Lake Placid (1999)

Directed by: Steve Miner | 82 minutes | action, horror, thriller, comedy | Actors: Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson, Betty White, David Lewis, Tim Dixon, Natassia Malthe, Mariska Hargitay, Meredith Salenger, Jed Rees, Richard Leacock, Jake T. Roberts, Warren Takeuchi, Ty Olsson, Adam Arkin, Steve Miner

Completely nonsensical horror-comedy that fortunately doesn’t take itself seriously for a moment and which, if in the right mood, still provides quite some fun. But as said, this will mainly be for the enthusiast, because most people will walk around this with a big bow.

The film conventionally opens with an attack on a diver, who has just exchanged some sarcastic remarks with Sheriff Hank Keough (Brendan Gleeson). It seems to be a straightforward horror of the B-movie caliber. But then an absurdist tinge creeps into ‘Lake Placid’ that makes the film a bizarre mix between half-successful horror and half-successful humor. Writer and producer David E. Kelley is also responsible for the hit series ‘Ally McBeal’ and something of that spirit – despite the very different themes – has also ended up in this film.

Is ‘Lake Placid’ a bad movie? Yes and no. But the makers seem to have realized that and it is precisely because of the high “camp” content that the film has its charm. The story is downright stupid and the dialogue confirms that on purpose. When asked the same questions the viewer will have, usually by the down-to-earth Sheriff Keough, who can’t believe that a giant crocodile is swimming in the far northeast of the US, evasive nonsense answers come from the so-called experts. The eccentric and wealthy crocodile hunter Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt) leads the way, who has some funny-sarcastic exchanges with Keough. Platt and Gleeson clearly have a lot of fun with all the nonsense and form a nice contrast to the other couple of protagonists: Bill Pullman as the brave Gamekeeper Jack Wells and Bridget Fonda as Kelly Scott, a slightly hysterical paleontologist. That’s right, a paleontologist. From New York. She also ends up in Maine via a wafer-thin plot line, to examine a tooth that was left behind in the upper half of the diver during the first attack. Of course, she continues to “help”, to scream very, very often, regularly falling overboard at critical moments and as a potential love of Jack. Pullman has a thankless role, as he’s the leading man and he doesn’t get too much to do except stay cool and look tough. The most bizarre character, however, is Mrs. Bickerman, played by ‘Golden Girl’ Betty White, who plays a foul-mouthed old lady with a very special bond with the crocodile. White plays her part with great gusto, but it will depend on the viewer’s sense of humor whether this rendition is appreciated.

Director Miner has made films in many different genres, but (as with ‘Halloween H20′) he can do quite well with horror. However, it doesn’t want to be really exciting, the plot is too nonsensical for that and the focus is too much on the absurd scenes. There are therefore no really good scares and the possibilities to make it really gory are also not really exploited, apart from a few sparse shots of the consequences of an attack. The crocodile itself was partly made with the computer and that is clearly visible, especially in the climax. But nobody needs to worry that the monster sometimes looks quite fake, with a campy film like this one, that doesn’t really matter.