Horror Director Mike Flanagan Considers This Now-Streaming Sewer Shocker a Personal Favorite
Show me a horror fan that doesn’t enjoy an animal attack film and I’ll show you someone who is deathly afraid of a good time. Many killer creature flicks have come and gone in the wake of the unprecedented success of Jaws, but not all of them stand the test of time. One that continues to impress after nearly 45 years is Lewis Teague’s Alligator.
The flick is over-the-top in all the right ways and works far better than it probably should, considering it likely began life as a cynical cash grab designed to capitalize on a cinematic trend. However, Alligator works exceptionally well. It’s so good, in fact, that celebrated director Mike Flanagan counts the film among his personal favorite horror pictures. How do I know? Because I have ESP, of course. Sorry. That’s a dirty lie. I know because the Absentia director added the film to a Letterboxd list showcasing a sampling of his all-time favorite horror features.
Flanagan is far from alone in his appreciation of Alligator. The picture boasts an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 87% with 30 critics weighing in. Not to mention Dread Central contributor and all-around good guy Nat Brehmer is also a massive fan of the flick.
Where is Alligator available to watch?
If Flanagan’s affinity for this surprisingly effective Jaws knock-off has you keen to experience the flick for yourself, you can do just that. Make your way over to Peacock where you can find it streaming as of the publication of this post.
What is this campy Mike Flanagan-approved picture about?
A pet baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives in the city sewers. Twelve years later, it grows to an enormous size thanks to a diet of discarded laboratory dogs injected with growth hormones. Now, humans have entered the menu.
Lewis Teague helmed this giant-monster-run-amok film from a script by John Sayles. The picture has a cast that features a couple of recognizable names. The talent roster includes Robert Forster, Robin Riker, Michael V. Gazzo, Dean Jagger, and Sydney Lassick.
That’s everything we have for you at present, dear reader. Make sure to stay tuned to Dread Central for more enticing updates and recommendations from your favorite cinematic luminaries as we succeed at unearthing them. If you’d like to chat more about campy horror movies and their place in the cinematic pantheon, come find me on Threads @FunWithHorror.
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