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Other than sharks, horror movies about alligators and crocodiles are the second most prolific among the killer animal kingdom. In the last few years, these films have begun to run neck and neck, if not outpace, their man-eating competition. This flood of alligators and crocodile menaces means that for every single decent entry, you're all but guaranteed four or five worthless ones. The following is a year-ranked list of twenty of the best and a few of the worst this reptilian sub-genre has to offer.1. THE GREAT ALLIGATOR (1979)
Kruna, the giant alligator God of the Kuma tribe, wrecks havoc at a tropical resort. A photographer and anthropologist try to stop the demonic reptile God, but also face danger at the hands of the giant alligator's tribal worshipers. JAWS (1975) took a big bite out of box offices around the world. It took a few imitations like a giant octopus and then an alligator before the Italians flagrantly ripped off the Spielberg blockbuster with a shark of their own. This is the last of a trio of jungle adventure films from Italian director Sergio Martino; the other two being the gruesome MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD (1978) and the kid-friendly ISLAND OF THE FISHMEN (1979). The cast of THE GREAT ALLIGATOR {IL FIUME DEL GRANDE CAIMANO [THE RIVER OF THE GREAT ALLIGATOR] in its original Italian) is superb, starring Claudio Cassinelli, Barbara Bach, Richard Johnson and Mel Ferrer. It’s a little slow in places, but the catchy music by Stelvio Cipriani is an energetic mix of jungle and horror cues; the Sri Lankan locations are incredible; and the alligator action is shot well even if it looks like a toy in a pool at times. The finale, combining live-action and miniatures, is far more creative than the desk-top special effects of many more recent rampaging reptile movies with zero creativity in concocting interesting attack sequences and satisfying finishes. For an Italian picture, TGA was an unusually expensive production for its time and still an adventurous good time today.2. CROCODILE (1977/1979)
One
of the absolute worst films ever made, but was a big hit in its native
Thailand. CROCODILE spurred on a slew of other giant croc flicks made for
domestic audiences. This one got international exposure and was the Thai
answer to JAWS. Hong Kong had a minor investment in the film. Erotica
actress Tanny Tien Ni has a supporting role as a woman who is killed at a
resort and her husband and some friends take to the sea to kill the
giant, God-like saltwater crocodile. The big croc dizzingly changes size from any number of shots; and it has the ability to turn itself
into a cyclone, leaping out of the water and flying over boats. Tobe Hooper
must've watched this for inspiration for his own shitty version also
called CROCODILE (2000). The poster artwork for the film's American
release is one of the most stunning pieces of horror film art you'll ever
see. It's a perfect description of the film, but makes it look like a
million bucks when the movie looks more like a buck fifty. 3. ALLIGATOR (1980)
The World Champion of Crocodylia cinema is still Lewis Teague’s 1980 monster on the loose classic. It started life in 1976 as a more straightforward, 50s style monster movie instead of the humorous, if bloody horror favorite it became. ALLIGATOR is a perfect blend of horror and humor you rarely ever see that's actually scary and funny at regular intervals. The kid being gobbled up in the swimming pool is still frightening as hell. The attack sequences and mightily spectacular finale are a testament to practical effects--a superior showcase compared to the CG-centric monsters that proliferate this genre. Performances are magnificent across the board, especially Robert Forster's superbly naturalistic delivery. Lewis Teague's bonafide cult classic is a benchmark of killer animal cinema, and for the purposes of this list, there's no topping it.
ALLIGATOR was a massive success on television for the ABC Network. Funnily enough, there’s a scene where a reporter for rival network NBC is interviewing Henry Silva who plays Brock, the big game hunter. It took over a decade, but the anxiously awaited sequel finally surfaced in 1991; only what emerged in ALLIGATOR II: THE MUTATION wasn’t what fans wanted. Basically the same movie as the first but minus the horror, humor and action, it’s toxic waste instead of a growth hormone that supersizes the title reptile. It has Richard Lynch in the gator hunter role, but less of the gator and nothing of what made the 1980 original so much fun. 4. DARK AGE (1987)
In the last 20 years, Australians have held a large market share of Croc flicks and this one from the 80s takes a different approach to the material. If you're expecting the typical 'nature strikes back' model, Arch Nicholson's movie takes things beyond the standard monster movie cliches. The deadly saltwater croc featured here has a mythical status built around it, placing it in the same camp as others like THE GREAT ALLIGATOR (1979); and like that film, there are human villains as well. John Jarratt, the Australian actor who terrified audiences in the two WOLF CREEK movies and a two-season television series, co-stars as as a park ranger trying to keep the enormous croc from being destroyed. If you’re looking for a different kind of killer gator movie, venture into the DARK AGE.5. KILLER CROCODILE (1989)
After a decade of ripping off American blockbusters like JAWS (1975), the Italians swapped out finned man-eaters for reptilian ones in KILLER CROCODILE and its 1990 sequel. The minimal plot has environmentalists finding not only toxic waste being dumped in a swamp, but an enormous crocodile with an even bigger appetite. Fabrizio De Angelis's monster picture doesn't have the photographic beauty of Sergio Martino's THE GREAT ALLIGATOR (1979), but it has an even more energetic creature built by makeup effects master Giannetto De Rossi. Among many other films, he worked on PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING (1981), the underrated creature feature directed by James Cameron. De Rossi's juiced up crocodile is a wild design, and one of the best you'll ever see in these movies; and the Italians never shy away from showing it to you.
KILLER CROCODILE and KILLER CROCODILE 2 are a package deal--shot back to back using the same monster model in both films. De Rossi got behind the camera to direct the sequel that, ironically, and coming from a makeup effects artist, is inferior to its predecessor. The time wasn't there for De Rossi, nor was the money. However, he did manage a few cool attack scenes on top of there being a lot more of them. Curiously, the sequel draws inspiration from the plot of JAWS, with a jungle resort being built by a gangster after all the toxic chemicals have allegedly been accounted for. A journalist goes missing and Richard Crenna's son, Anthony, encoring from the first movie, sets out into the swamps to find her. Even with its noticeable lack of money, Director De Rossi uses his ingenuity to keep the production afloat.6. LAKE PLACID (1999)
This story of a giant crocodile living below the depths of a lake in Maine was heavily hyped and expected to clean up at the box office. Key to this was a foul-mouthed Betty White in a role unlike any she’d done before. LAKE PLACID under-performed but still managed to be a hit on video and got a handful of mostly worthless sequels. There’s no real plot to speak of, but the photography both above and below the water is superb. The film doesn’t feel as big as it should and when it ends, you’re expecting a little more out of it. Even so, like what DEEP BLUE SEA (1999) did for Shark movies, PLACID did the same for their reptilian colleagues. Stan Winston’s effects are top notch and blend well with the CG shots that put the Walmart software effects of most of these movies to shame. 7. CROCODILE (2000)
Tobe
Hooper’s five year filming hiatus ended with arguably the most generic
movie on his resume and one of the worst. At the time it was shooting,
Hooper said he wanted to capture the same atmosphere of THE TEXAS
CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974). At no time does CROCODILE even remotely come
close to that. His earlier slasher-croc flick, EATEN ALIVE (1977),
certainly did. Despite the atrocious CG shots, CROCODILE has a few good “boo”
moments and a bizarre backstory for its 40ft croc named Flat Dog.
Plot-wise, it’s just FRIDAY THE 13th with a giant crocodile eating
college kids lost and adrift on a houseboat. It becomes jaw-droppingly
stupid at the end when, in an apparent nod to the Thai CROCODILE mess,
the monster leaps out of the water, twists like a cyclone, and flies
over the boat; then eats a guy before throwing him up again… and he
survives! Possibly Hooper drank too many Dr. Pepper's during the shoot,
as CROCODILE becomes an insane sugar rush that never resembles the hands
that guided not just TCM, but SALEM'S LOT (1979) and THE FUNHOUSE
(1981).
The
sequel, CROCODILE II: DEATH ROLL or CROCODILE II: DEATH SWAMP (2002),
is slightly better in that it plays it straight from start to finish.
Gary Jones of MOSQUITO (1994) fame, took the director seat for this
one—about bank robbers who hijack a plane that ends up crashing in a
swamp during a storm. A crocodile attacks and they kill it, leading to
the much bigger mother going after them. The hydraulic croc gets lots of
screen time although the cast is killed off virtually the same way in
every attack scene. Martin Kove (THE KARATE KID; STEELE JUSTICE) is the
hero of the piece; if only he had more screen time this one would
possibly rate higher.8. BLOOD SURF (2001)
The
dumbest movie on this list is, ironically, one of the most entertaining
due to how exceedingly terrible it gets the longer you stick with it.
There’s a surprising amount of sex, nudity, and bad special effects of
both the desktop and practical variety. The plot is as incredibly stupid
as the movie itself. A group of surfers cut themselves and catch waves
while avoiding being eaten by sharks; but doing this attracts a giant
saltwater crocodile. It’s an outrageous movie but a strangely
entertaining one. The monster is killed in an original way so that’s a
plus. Duncan Regehr (like Ree-ger) plays the croc hunter role that most of these movies demand. The film was originally titled KROCODYLUS, and was in production around the same time as Hooper's CROCODILE crap-fest. BLOOD SURF is directed by James D.R. Hickox (CHILDREN OF THE CORN III), the brother of Anthony Hickox (WAXWORK; HELLRAISER III; WARLOCK: THE ARMAGEDDON), and son of Douglas Hickox, director of the absolute classic THEATER OF BLOOD (1973).9. BLACK WATER (2007)
Director Andrew Traucki’s killer animal career began with this tension-filled horror movie about a hungry crocodile stalking three people trapped in an Australian swamp. The use of a real crocodile composited into shots with the actors is a strikingly effective visual that director Traucki would replicate a few years later, putting it to even better, more horrifying use in his superior shark shocker THE REEF (2010). And just like that hit shark flick, BLACK WATER is based on true events. Back in 2003, three friends were riding ATV's through the Australian swamps near the Finniss River. They stopped for a breather and were attacked by a crocodile that took one of the group into the swamp. Two of the friends managed to climb a tree where they remained for 22 hours before being rescued. The body of the third was never recovered. BLACK WATER is one of three gator movies on this list with some true-to-life elements in them.10. ROGUE (2007)
The year 2007 was a banner year for these movies. ROGUE is quite simply the best of its kind since its release and the closest you'll get to matching ALLIGATOR (1980). Greg McLean is a masterful suspense builder. He did wonders for his grueling slasher movie WOLF CREEK (2005), and does the same with giant crocodiles. Here, an American journalist goes on an Australian river cruise with various other tourists. Upon answering a distress signal in a remote area they shouldn’t be in, the group are trapped and preyed upon by an enormous crocodile. Originally intended for a wide release, when it didn’t do well in Australia, and PRIMEVAL, another croc flick that bombed in American theaters, McLean’s film made its nest on home video instead. The special effects, a combination of CG and animatronics, are some of the best this sub-genre has seen. One key to the success of the FX is the CG croc moves like a real one would move instead of the warp speed mobility given them in so many of the poorly rendered genre offerings. Occasionally tense as hell, ROGUE deserved better than it got and is as close to JAWS as this sub-genre has gotten in 15 years.11. PRIMEVAL (2007)
Of all the titles on this list, PRIMEVAL is the most mean-spirited, and brutally violent. The attack sequences are surprisingly vicious and varied compared to most every movie in this sub-genre. Based on the man-eating exploits of Burundi, Africa's infamous Gustave, the 20ft long Nile Crocodile alleged to have consumed upwards of 300 people, it isn't the only plot element taken from real life; the other being brutal civil war in Africa. A group of reporters join up with Jurgen Prochnow as a big game hunter to capture the headline-making, sprint running crocodile. They encounter another danger, this of the human kind, in a barbaric local gangster referred to as Little Gustave. Similar to THE RELIC (1997) a decade earlier, PRIMEVAL was initially marketed as a serial killer thriller. Regardless, it was ignored during its original theatrical run. It's a dark, sadistic film that deserves a second look since so many killer croc flicks have been made since 2007. Gustave bests a great many of them.12. CROC (2007)
CROC is one
of many SyFy Channel killer animal movies populated with plentiful
desktop special effects imagery. This one’s a co-production with
Thailand and stars Michael Madsen who is on-camera for approximately 10-15 minutes.
This is a rare flick of this style that’s a clear clone of JAWS (1975). Most of these movies stopped imitating Spielberg's iconic horror film years ago, so this one has a retro feel to it.
It even gives a nod to JAWS 2 (1978) when the croc is electrocuted (but doesn’t die).
The threadbare plot is about a Thai resort besieged by a 20ft saltwater
crocodile. 
It being shot in Thailand, there’s lots of real croc footage
as well as cultural staples like sideshow performers placing their
heads inside the mouths of real crocodiles. It also means the size of
the monster changes from one scene to the next. Aside from JAWS and the
more well known but no less awful Thai croc movie from 1979, the flick even rips off the
most famous scene from ALLIGATOR (1980) where a guy jumps into his pool
and never seems to notice there’s a huge reptile in it with him. Not to
be confused with CROC! from 2022 (see insert pic), a British crap-odile flick about a wedding party at a mansion where a crocodile lives in the basement that's far worse
than this one.13. FRESHWATER (2016)
One of the most unique killer gator flicks is this no-budget curio executive produced by, and starring, Australian stuntwoman Zoe Bell. It's a cross between Agathie Christie's 1939 novel 'And Then There Were None' and Tobe Hooper's TEXAS CHAINSAW styled slasher-killer croc flick EATEN ALIVE (1977). If that description sounds intriguing to you, prepare for a massive level of disappointment. The film is largely a failure on all levels, but definitely worth seeing once to see a good idea go to waste. The film's first mistake is killing off that gorgeous actress at the beginning. There's a few bad editing choices, and the albino alligator that infrequently crunches the cast is possibly the worst rendering of a CG gator put to film. In its favor, there's a curve-ball at the end you won't see coming, and the final moments close the film with a downbeat touch. FRESHWATER is a fresh idea lousily executed. 14. LAKE PLACID: LEGACY (2018)
Where the previous three sequels to 1999's LAKE PLACID were better described as LAKE FLACCID, this fifth film is a nice surprise. The last and best of the sequels, LEGACY stands out due to it taking the material seriously. After LP2 (2007), LP3 (2010), LP-FINAL CHAPTER (2012), and LP VS ANACONDA (2015), few probably had faith in another one being any good, much less deviating from the excessive campiness of its predecessors. It’s a talkative script and features an all-CG, 50ft prehistoric crocodile. Moreover, the filmmakers make a genuine effort in creating some modest tension that, up to this film, was an alien concept. The finale is different from what you usually get and recalls vintage cult flicks like THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER (1977) and CARNOSAUR (1993). This would’ve gotten more attention had it been titled ALLIGATOR III, or a new title altogether than associating itself with the jokey nature of the LP series.15. CRAWL (2019)
The last wide release for swamp-roaming, rampaging reptiles, this one coming from French horror specialist Alexandre Aja. This one's the alligator version of the exceptional Aussie shark flick, BAIT 3D (2012). A hurricane traps a woman and her injured father in a storm. The town is flooded, letting in several hungry alligators that feast on several locals before turning their appetite towards those trapped inside the house. It's a fun film, with some inventive attack sequences and CG alligators that move realistically. What isn't believable is the amount of punishment the leading actress takes, making it appear her skin is made of metal as she's able to survive multiple bites about her body. If you can suspend disbelief in that area, you'll have a good time with this one; only don't expect any humor like in Aja's 3D PIRANHA remake from 2010. CRAWL isn't slow in the horror department, and easily the best of its kind to slither onto the screen in the last ten years.16. BLACK WATER: ABYSS (2020)
Andrew Traucki sequelizes his earlier BLACK WATER (much like he did with his shark sequel, THE REEF: STALKED) with a follow-up crocodile terror flick. The concept is rife with scares aplenty, but only a few genuine shocks are delivered. This is THE DESCENT (2005) with crocodiles. A group of friends descend into a cave system before a storm floods the place with reptilian predators. Needless to say, not everyone makes it out alive. Compared to the first BLACK WATER, this sequel is lacking in thrills; which is ironic considering the tension Traucki created with just a few cast members whereas he has many more potential victims the second time around. There are too many stretches where the film slows down when it should be building tension. If Traucki weren't the director, this could be overlooked, but he's much better than what he turns in here. ABYSS is definitely recommended, just don't expect it to surpass its predecessor. Even so, there are a few intense sequences that many of the filmmakers behind some of these other titles could learn a great deal about building horror from. 17. THE FLOOD (2023)
This Aussie guns n' gator flick isn’t a patch on its Ozian antecedents like BLACK WATER or ROGUE, but it’s marginally better than your average SyFy drivel. Think ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1977) mixed with 2019s CRAWL and you have this water-logged thriller starring Casper Van Dien, everybody’s favorite Starship Trooper. An assortment of cops and convicts try to escape a Louisiana jail during a hurricane that’s flooding the place with both water and hungry alligators. The premise is good and populated with colorful characters, but the lack of suspense and the laughable, bulletproof alligators brought to life with drunken CGI prevent THE FLOOD from being anything more than a natural disaster.18. METH GATOR (2024)
A new trend (and hopefully a brief one) in horror is the drug-addicted killer animal movie. First there was COCAINE BEAR (2023), then CRACKCOON (2024) and now there's a giant, galloping gator hooked on methamphetamine that goes on a rampage. And that’s the plot. Consuming bags of hard drugs apparently makes an alligator invulnerable to bullets, too; and it doesn’t stop people from firing endless rounds at it. It’s a surprisingly decent movie with occasionally better CG shots than usual. Director Christopher Douglas-Olen Ray is the son of the famous Fred Olen Ray, purveyor of Drive-in style horror, action, SciFi and DTV soft core sex flicks. METH GATOR is mildly enjoyable and certainly better than some of the lesser entries on this list.19. LAKE JESUP: BONECRUSHER’S REVENGE (2024)
Marketed as being based on true events, Lake Jesup in Florida is the most heavily populated alligator oasis on the planet, home to over 13,000 of them. This also makes it the most dangerous body of water in the world and a place where a number of deaths have occurred. As for the movie, which now goes by the more generic title of GATOR LAKE, is the JAWS: THE REVENGE (1987) of killer gator movies. Both the giant reptile named Bonecrusher and ex-convict bodybuilder Bubba have personal agendas. The movie badly wants to be hip with its colorful Florida locales and rock and roll music; if only it wasn't so indecisive about which genre it wants to be since it's sloppy as hell trying to be comedy-horror with cult film aspirations. It needed more gator action and a better, punchier ending. However, Derek Russo is shockingly good in this, outshining his scaly co-star in every scene. Actually, you don't see much of Bonecrusher, and when you do, it's mostly the top of his head or closeups of his teeth as he rips and tears into the people on his hit list that are dumb enough to go into the water.20. THE BAYOU (2025)
This is the deadly serious version of the campy METH GATOR (2024). A plane goes down in the Louisiana swamp lands and the survivors must fend off becoming the next meal for meth-infused alligators. The photography creates the right amount of mood and the film takes itself seriously. There are a few effective “boo” moments and the mix of CG and practical effects is welcome. The film was originally marketed as GATOR CREEK, but probably due to the similarly titled GATOR LAKE that came out around the same time, the filmmakers wisely changed the title of their film to the more suitable THE BAYOU. But unlike that picture's Florida locations, the Philippines stands in for Louisiana. Also in its favor, there's practical gore effects and a well done finale. THE BAYOU isn't bad.With CRAWL 2 reportedly set to begin shooting soon, more scaly reptiles are bound to continue stalking danger-filled rivers, murky lakes and dense, isolated swamp lands... and maybe a flooded city or two, for a good while longer.
