This violent and bizarre 1980s sci-fi thriller is the final battle between man and predator
This violent and bizarre 1980s sci-fi thriller is the final battle between man and predator
By Robert Scucci | Published: 2025-10-31 20:02:00 | Source: GIANT FREAKIN ROBOT
Written by Robert Scocchi | Published
When I was old enough to have the kind of memories that still haunt me today, we flushed the family goldfish down the toilet after finding it belly up in its bowl. My biggest fear was that he would come back with a vengeance, bursting out of the toilet while I was trying to use it. Although this seems irrational, I was not alone in fearing retaliation from the sewer dwellers. 1980s Crocodile He turns exactly that nightmare into reality when his titular antagonist is flushed down the drain, only to resurface more than a decade later, angrier, more formidable, and ready to stomp and chomp down Chicago.
Critical hit upon its release, Crocodile Not just a monster movie. It’s a dark satire about illegal animal growth hormone experiments, a jaded detective trying to restore his reputation, and the fallout when corporate greed meets scientific recklessness. Despite its small budget of $1.6 million, the result is a raunchy thriller that holds up much better than expected.
Royal flush
Crocodile The film begins in 1968, when young Marissa Kendall (Leslie Brown) buys a baby alligator while on vacation in Florida and names him Ramon. After her father refused to keep her, he flushed her down the toilet, inadvertently sending her into the Chicago sewers. Twelve years later, Ramon reappears at a massive 36 feet tall, preying on anyone unlucky enough to cross his path.
The real horror is how he reached this size, by feeding on discarded animal carcasses dumped into the sewers by scientist Arthur Helms (James Ingersoll), whose experiments to enhance the growth of livestock were funded by corrupt businessman Slade (Dean Jagger). The animals were pumped full of experimental hormones before being dumped underground, providing Ramon with the perfect recipe for rapid transformation and an insatiable appetite.
Our reluctant hero and Lady Marissa
Detective David Madison (Robert Forster) is assigned to investigate a series of mysterious sewer-related deaths. His reputation is already in shambles after a previous case went sideways, but things get even worse when his partner Jim Kelly (Perry Lange) becomes Ramone’s next meal. No one believes David’s story about the giant crocodile because no one can find the body. When tabloid reporter Thomas Kemp photographed the creature, Slade stepped in to bury the evidence and asked David to unleash the force to keep the scandal quiet.
Meanwhile, David meets the adult Dr. Marissa Kendall (Robin Riker), now a herpetologist whose childhood pet has become a walking nightmare. Their reluctant partnership and natural chemistry add more joy to the carnage as they try to stop the monster before it turns the city into its own feeding ground.
The low-budget creature effects hold up shockingly
while CrocodileThe monster effects show their layers in daylight, and are remarkably effective in the shadowy underbelly of Chicago, where flashlights pierce the darkness and tension builds around every corner. What the creature design sometimes lacks, it more than makes up for in gore. Limbs are bitten off, blood flows in the streets, and violence feels like a priority rather than an afterthought.
If the carnage doesn’t draw you in, Robert Forster’s chemistry with Robin Riker will. Their relationship is simple, funny, and grounded, especially in the way they bond over Forster’s premature hair loss.
Crocodile It remains a violent, fast-paced, surprisingly intelligent sci-fi film that’s still searing after all these years. Stream it for free on Tubi, but maybe think twice before flushing anything live down the toilet.
(Tags for translation) 80s Movies
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