Alligator

"It lives 50 feet beneath the city. It's 36 feet long. It weighs 2,000 pounds...And it's about to break out!"

1980 1h 31m EN

😐

6.0

MID

🍅

87%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 403🍅87%Rotten Tomatoes●62Metacritic★6.1IMDB · 18,065

HorrorScience FictionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives by eating discarded lab animals that have been injected with growth hormones. The now gigantic animal escapes the city sewers and goes on a rampage, pursued by a cop and a big-game hunter.

“It lives 50 feet beneath the city. It's 36 feet long. It weighs 2,000 pounds...And it's about to break out!”

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Cast

Robert Forster
David
Robin Riker
Marisa
Michael V. Gazzo
Chief Clark
Dean Jagger
Slade
Sydney Lassick
Gutchel
Jack Carter
Mayor
Perry Lang
Kelly
Henry Silva
Brock

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lewis Teague
Writers: John Sayles, John Sayles, Frank Ray Perilli
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

46 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Alligator Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lewis Teague, shot by Joseph Mangine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Craig Huxley. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Larry Bock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Forster and Robin Riker and Michael V. Gazzo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It lives 50 feet beneath the city. It's 36 feet long. It weighs 2,000 pounds...And it's about to break out!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lewis Teague directs. Joseph Mangine behind the camera. Craig Huxley scores. Larry Bock cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
246 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Alligator Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Lewis Teague, shot by Joseph Mangine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Craig Huxley. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Larry Bock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Robert Forster and Robin Riker and Michael V. Gazzo carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "It lives 50 feet beneath the city. It's 36 feet long. It weighs 2,000 pounds...And it's about to break out!".
9IMDB entry: tt0080354 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 16 themes, including "hunter", "mutation", "underwear", "alligator".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Mangine
Original score: Craig Huxley
Editing: Larry Bock
Makeup / hair: Sue Dolph
Stunt coordinator: Conrad E. Palmisano
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,500,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Alligator (1980)
Rotten Tomatoes: 87% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 62/100
IMDB rating: 6.1/10 · 18,065 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

3 nominations total

Part of

Alligator Collection

An early 1980s monster movie film series featuring a deadly giant alligator that kills human beings.

Also by

Lewis Teague

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2018-02-14
★ 7/10
Genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. The best giant croc (Well I mean, it's an alligator, but in terms of what you can do with them in a horror movie, they're really the same thing) creature feature I've seen since Rogue. I wish someone was still making movies like this. Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time.
Wuchak2018-07-09
★ 6/10
An oversized alligator from the sewers of Chicago breaks loose A baby alligator is flushed down the toilet in Chicago and mutates to great size from eating chemically contaminated dog carcasses in the sewers. A policeman (Robert Forster) and a beautiful reptile expert (Robin Riker) team-up to track down the beast when it escapes the sewers and preys on citizens. “Alligator” (1980) is kind of boring for the first half hour or so, but the last hour perks up and generally keeps your attention. Unlike "Jaws" (1975), which is completely serious and scary, most adults won't take "Alligator" too seriously or find it remotely scary. In fact, I busted out laughing numerous times when the creature would attack people. Speaking of which, you'll sometimes hear Jaws-imitation suspense music as the creature approaches its prey. Some viewers understandably compare "Alligator" to another “Jaws” rip-off flick, "Piranha" (1978), but that movie’s all-around more entertaining. What makes "Alligator" mandatory is the awe-inspiring Robin Riker, who doesn't appear until half an hour into the story. From thereon she's featured prominently. Robin was 28 during shooting but possesses such a mature and classy air that she seems at least 35. While I’m on the subject, watch out for the blonde reporter in a red jacket and jeans at about the halfway point (43 minutes). Like Robin, she has an exquisite figure sculptured by God Himself. There are also some highlights that you won’t likely see in pictures nowadays. For instance, a kid gets chewed up in a suburban pool. And a “great white hunter” (Henry Silva) amusingly corrals three black dudes in the urban jungle to assist him in his hunt. Of course this wouldn’t be “politically correct” today. The movie runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles River. GRADE: B-
John Chard2020-04-13
★ 6/10
It's snappy. After an irate father flushes down the toilet his daughter's baby alligator, the creature feeds on dumped animals that have been tested with a growth hormone. Thus the gator grows into a 36 foot long monster that promptly terrorises Chicago. With a rather witty John Sayles script, tidy effects work and Lewis Teague's knowingly "B" movie direction, Alligator turns out to be one of the better post Jaws copy-cats. Very much using a satirical slant, Alligator's gigantic horror is born out of dubious suit types involved in conspiracies. While the cheery pay back that comes the way of various gits responsible for the growth of super gator is rewarding to say the least. Peperred with in jokes as well, Alligator also benefits from having the considerable talents of Robert Forster and Dean Jagger in the cast. They may look a touch bewildered at times, more out of a sense of fun one feels, but they give it gusto supreme and carry the picture to the bloody and entertaining finale. A million miles away from Jaws of course, but this is a funny, enjoyable and different type of animal. 6.5/10