Watch Alligator
- R
- 1980
- 1 hr 29 min
-
6.1 (16,617)
Alligator is a 1980 horror movie about a giant alligator that terrorizes the city of Chicago. The movie was directed by Lewis Teague and stars Robert Forster as a police detective named David Madison who is investigating a series of grisly murders that are committed by the alligator. The movie begins with a wealthy businessman named David Hawks (played by Dean Jagger) who returns from a trip to the Amazon with a baby alligator as a souvenir. He decides to flush the alligator down the toilet, but it survives and ends up in the city's sewer system. Years later, the alligator has grown to an enormous size due to exposure to experimental growth hormones that were being dumped into the sewer by a pharmaceutical company.
As the alligator grows in size, it starts to make its way through the sewer system and into people's homes and businesses. The first victim is a young girl who is having a pool party in her backyard. The alligator emerges from the drain and attacks her, dragging her underwater.
Detective Madison is assigned to investigate the case, but his superiors are skeptical of his theory that a giant alligator is responsible for the killings. Eventually, Madison teams up with a herpetologist named Marisa Kendall (played by Robin Riker) who is an expert on alligators. Together, they try to track down the alligator and stop it before it kills anyone else.
As they investigate the case, Madison and Kendall discover that the pharmaceutical company responsible for the growth hormones is covering up their involvement in the alligator's growth. They also learn that Hawks, the man who brought the alligator to the city in the first place, may have had something to do with the cover-up.
The movie builds tension as the alligator continues to rampage through the city, attacking people at a wedding reception, a pet store, and a yacht club. The final confrontation between Madison, Kendall, and the alligator takes place in the sewers beneath the city, and it's a thrilling and suspenseful climax.
Alligator is an entertaining and well-crafted horror movie that is both scary and funny at times. The special effects are impressive, particularly for a film of its time, and the alligator itself is a convincing menace. Robert Forster is excellent as the tough-guy detective, and Robin Riker is charming as his scientific sidekick.
Overall, Alligator is a must-see for horror fans who enjoy creature features and monster movies. Its combination of scares and humor make it a classic of the genre.
Alligator is a 1980 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 29 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.1 and a MetaScore of 62.