The Alligator People

I heartily agree with the comments provided by reptilicus from Vancouver, Canada (and I appreciate the "high heels" heads-up, and the various actors' cross-refs).

I recommend this movie for its creative application of pre-60s sci-fi/horror canon: eerie melodrama, sympathetic characters, strictly implied gore, rough & toothless scientific explanation, and absolutely no pretensions to credibility, 'cause we're all just here to have fun anyway. Great use of bookends, and of ominous bayou atmosphere.

Note that the synopsis on the DVD case (20th Century Fox, released September 7, 2004) incorrectly lists "Lon Chaney" as our heroine's husband. Mr. Chaney actually plays the drunken Cajun, and Richard Crane plays the husband.

The very good last third of this film and an outstanding ending made this movie worthwhile for me to watch. One has to be patient in some of these classic films, as many of them begin rather slowly.....but there is a reward if you stick with it.

This story is told in flashback as a woman "Joyce Weber," played by Beverly Garland) is given an injection and relates to two doctors the amazing story of what happened to her and her missing husband.

Garland did well and looked terrific. She was a little over 30 years of age at the time she made this film. Sadly, she just died a few months ago (as of this review) at the age of 82. She has a long resume of movies and TV shows.

Lon Chaney plays a goofy role, a man who is obsessed with shooting alligators after one had the nerve to eat his hand. He makes a play for Beverly in one scene, trying to get her drunk and have his way with her. Can't blame the poor slob.

Bruce Bennett, who plays the main doctor here, also died recently, passing away at the age of 90 in 2007. Bennett did some great 1940s films like "Mildred Pierce" and "Dark Passage," plays the main doctor. George Macready, whose best days were behind him, too, ("Gilda" is my favorite film of his) is the other doctor, who is there to witness "Joyce's" story as it is told under some sort of truth serum.

Lesser-known Richard Crane plays the "Paul Crane," the alligator man.

The title of the film is a bit misleading. "Alligator People" imply plural - more than one, but there really is only one alligator man in this film, and he only looks like a guy with a bad sunburn and acne! At the end, though, Crane dons a rubber suit with an alligator head that will have you howling - in laughter, not fear! The other alligator-men are only shown as patients lying in their beds. It's all part of a man-plays-God experiment in which the good doctor is trying to help people who are desperate straights.

Without giving the last 25 minutes away - which was very good - along with particularly excellent ending that had some intelligent twists to it - suffice it made up for the earlier slower moments.

A honeymoon is cut short when a maimed war hero(Richard Crane) seeks healing. The newlywed bride(Beverly Garland)tracks her husband down in a Louisiana bayou getting injections of a serum from alligator glands. A mad scientist tries to heal cripples with his bizarre experiments. After awhile the injected mutate into...well you can guess by the movie's title. Veteran actor Lon Chaney Jr plays a crazed Cajun with a left hook(pun) and a strong aversion to 'gators'.

Great scenery and background score. Special effects are pretty neat. Garland is beautiful and flawless in this Sci-Fi thriller. Notable support from George Macready, Bruce Bennett and Frieda Inescort. This is an attention grabber and well worth your while.

This movie is definitely above average for a sixty year old horror flick. It actually has a plot that makes sense and isn't full of holes. That's rare for the genre. It does have some dumb moments. Like Lon Chaney shooting at alligators that are about ten feet away and constantly missing them. He screams to them that he will never stop killing alligators but he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Of course when it's dark outside it's actually brighter than the day time, that's never cool. The woman "stumbles" through the "dark" swamp, easily avoiding and stepping over everything except the alligators. That's a bit lame too. The alligators appear to be real but they never try to attack anyone so I don't know. Other than those dumb parts, it's not too bad. Give it a shot.