Alligator

Summary

“This sweater fit this dog?” 

Shout! Factory has finally given horror fans a 4K UHD release of the 1980 cult classic Alligator. This film has been steadily requested by fans for over a decade. It seemed like it was one of those titles that was never going to be brought to the Blu-Ray format for whatever reason. That makes it all the more impressive that Shout! Factory has not only decided to give the film a Blu-ray release; they have decided to give the film a truly definitive collector’s edition of the picture with numerous excellent supplements, a 4K UHD presentation of the film, and two different cuts of the film to view. Fans of the film will be excited to know that this is one release actually worth the wait.

Over the years I have become a fan of the wide range of writer John Sayles’s film work. I believe his film Matewan is a true American masterpiece, but I also really enjoy his screenwriting work for director Joe Dante (Piranha, The Howling.) Sayles came up in the Roger Corman school of filmmaking and had a unique ability to take ridiculous ideas and turn them into enjoyable scripts. With Piranha, Joe Dante and Sayles knew that they were making a Jaws ripoff, so they made the most enjoyable and tongue-in-cheek Jaws ripoff that they could conjure within the confines of their modest budget. With The Howling, Sayles reshaped a novel by Gary Brandner (and an initial screenplay by Terence H. Winkless) into one of the greatest werewolf pictures ever made. Once again, with Alligator, Sayles realized that the story from Frank Ray Perilli of a gigantic alligator in the Los Angeles sewers could be shaped into something fun and interesting. For this film, the directorial duties went to Lewis Teague who had directed John Sayles’s early script The Lady in Red. The director tackles the material with aplomb and the film also benefits from a lead performance by the late great Robert Forster. The film has deservedly gained a cult following because of the clever way that the film both leans into and subverts genre stereotypes.

As the film begins, a young girl brings home a baby alligator from a trip to Florida. She names it Ramon. Her father comes home and flushes it down the toilet. The alligator arrives unharmed in the sewer of the city. Twelve years later, police officer David Madison (Robert Forster) – an animal lover – is called in when a severed human leg is found near a sewer. They also find a dead dog that a woman had reported missing named Taffy. When Taffy had gone missing two months before, it was a small dog. Taffy had grown much larger inexplicably. A pet store owner named Gutchel (Sydney Lassick) lures dogs to his van and brings them to a laboratory. The laboratory is conducting experiments, and they need more animals to continue their research. The pet store owner has been dumping the bodies of the lab animals once they have been used up. Gutchel doesn’t realize that an alligator has been eating those animals. The alligator has grown larger from the experimental drugs inside the animals. David begins to investigate the disappearance of a sewer worker and stumbles upon evidence of the now gigantic gator. David had previously suffered the death of a partner while working as an officer in St. Louis, so his investigation falls under scrutiny of an asshole reporter. David goes into the sewer with a young policeman named Kelly, and the alligator kills his partner. The danger to the city is imminent, but bureaucrats fail to believe David’s warnings. David pairs up with a pretty biologist named Marissa Kent whose specialty is alligators to try to prove he is correct about the alligator before it is too late.

Alligator is a blast from start to finish. Alligator is a great example of a creature feature horror film that rises above the tropes of the genre by celebrating cliches while subverting them. The film understands that a ridiculous premise should not stand in the way of delivering an entertaining and enjoyable film. John Sayles is a gifted writer and his ability to blend ridiculous elements together and lean into those elements with a sense of humor makes his early films extremely enjoyable. While I consider his film Matewan to be a masterpiece, his scripts while working for Roger Corman are extremely entertaining and enjoyable. The humor in the script for Alligator comes through because the characters are never in on the joke. It is horror through a satirical gaze, and the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. The characters react to the ridiculous events in the film without a wink to the audience which makes it all the mayhem funnier. John Sayles leans in to the ridiculous aspects of the story and delivers the goods in terms of gigantic reptilian carnage, but he also makes interesting choices in how the characters are developed which make the film stick out. The main character of the film seems to spend as much time worrying about his thinning hairline as he worries about the alligator rampaging through his city. John Sayles winks at the audience about how stupid some of the plot mechanisms are and the obvious knods to Jaws are enjoyable. A memorable wedding party sequence towards the end of the film pushes the film over the top and makes it a classic of the genre. I showed the film to my son the other day and he loved every moment of it, especially during the madness in the final thirty minutes of the picture. I was happy to see that the sheen of the film had not worn off for new generations.

Robert Forster was a first rate actor and he shines in the role of Officer David Morgan. Forster plays the role straight and is extremely likable. Forster was an excellent leading man and this film lets his everyman talents shine. I bemoan the loss of the actor every time I watch him onscreen. Robin Riker is well cast as biologist Marissa Kent. She is a solid love interest for the film. Michael V. Gazzo is a lot of fun to watch as the animated Police Chief Clark. Sydney Lassick has a nice role as the seedy pet shop owner and first onscreen alligator victim. Henry Silva has an extremely enjoyable small part as pompous animal hunter Colonel Brock. Silva was always a captivating screen presence and this is a role he really sank his teeth into. Lewis Teague directs the film capably, drawing good performances and choreographing some extremely entertaining mayhem. The film is shot well by cinematographer Joseph Mangine and the editing of the picture is tight. 

Overall – Alligator is an extremely fun and entertaining creature feature. It is well deserving of its cult classic status. Check it out!

Video

Shout! Factory has done a remarkable job on their 4K transfer for the film. The high dynamic range lends to excellent detail and the colors in the film pop off the screen. Skin tones are convincing and the grain for the film is very well resolved. Fine detail is solid. I can’t imagine the film looking any better than it does here. Fans have a lot to be excited about in this department.

Audio

Similar to the video, the audio presentation on Alligator is well done. Shout! Factory have provided a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track that does justice to the original sound design of the film. For the most part, I think it sounds great. While there are some limitations to the track based on its original sound design, I didn’t notice anything extremely distracting.

Supplements

• Commentary features director Lewis Teague and actor Robert Forster.
• “Wild in the Streets” – an interview with director Lewis Teague
• “Gator Guts, The Great River, and Bob” – an interview with actor Bryan Cranston who worked as a PA and special effects assistant on the film.
• “Alligator Author” – a 2007 interview with screenwriter John Sayles
• “It Walks Among Us” – a short 2022 interview with screenwriter John Sayles held over video conference.
• “Luck of the Gator” – an interview with special makeup effects artist Robert Short
• “Everybody in the Pool” – an interview with actress Robin Riker
• Still Galleries
• T.V. Cut Additional Scenes – this compiles eight minutes if sequences specific to the T.V. Cut
• “Trailers from Hell” – features Karyn Kusama
• T.V. Spots
• Teaser Trailer 
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.75/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 5/5

Overall – 4.75/5

Alligator has been one of the most requested creature feature horror films since the Blu-ray format was adopted. It took a long time for a proper release of the picture, but Shout! Factory has outdone themselves with their excellent 4K UHD release of the picture. The supplements are extensive and well made and the picture and audio quality of the release is superb. Thanks to an excellent script by John Sayles, Alligator still feels fresh and fun over forty years later. Even my oldest son thought the film was a blast from start to finish. Director Lewis Teague brought the best out of his cast, and Robert Forster is as charming as ever in the role of Officer David Morgan. I highly recommend purchasing this set from Shout! Factory.