Alligator Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Lake placid ver2

Theatrical release poster

Lake Placid is a 1999 horror comedy film directed by Steve Miner and produced by David E. Kelley. The film was a financial success at the box office and it spawned three made-for-television sequels, Lake Placid 2 in 2007, Lake Placid 3 in 2010 and Lake Placid: The Final Chapter in 2012.

The film was produced by Fox 2000 Pictures and Stan Winston Studios (which did the special effects for the creatures) and principal photography was shot in British Columbia, Canada. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and released in cinemas in the United States on July 16, 1999, and in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2000.

Plot

What happens when a man-eating crocodile begins picking off tourists in beautiful Lake Placid? What if the crocodile wants to make it his home?

Cast

  • Bill Pullman as Jack Wells
  • Bridget Fonda as Kelly Scott
  • Oliver Platt as Hector Cyr
  • Brendan Gleeson as Sheriff Hank Keough
  • Betty White as Mrs. Delores Bickerman
  • David Lewis as Walt Lawson
  • Tim Dixon as Stephen Daniels
  • Natassia Malthe as Janine
  • Mariska Hargitay as Myra Okubo
  • Meredith Salenger as Deputy Sharon Gare
  • Jed Rees as Deputy Burke
  • Richard Leacock as Deputy Stevens
  • Jake T. Roberts as Officer Coulson
  • Warren Takeuchi as Paramedic
  • Ty Olsson as State Trooper
  • Robbin WIlliams as State Trooper

Production

The film was produced by Fox 2000 Pictures, Phoenix Pictures, and Rocking Chair Productions. The 30-foot (9.1 m) long crocodile was created by Stan Winston Studios.

Almost the entire film was shot on location in remote locations in Lincoln, Maine, which stood in for the fictional locations of the film in the American state of Maine. Some scenes were shot in Vancouver and Surrey, B.C. Three different lakes stood in for the fictional "Black Lake"; these were Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island, B.C.; Buntzen Lake, Anmore, B.C.; and Hayward Lake, Mission, B.C.

Betty White's character is told that PETA would be interested to learn of her alleged mistreatment of her cows. In reality, Betty White is a major on-air spokesperson for PETA.

Reception

Although Lake Placid was a financial success at the box office, critical reception was mixed. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 39% rating with the critical consensus being "Faux horror schtick fails to elicit any laughs or scares." Roger Ebert described it as "completely wrong-headed from beginning to end". Empire gave the film four out of five stars, saying "You can enjoy Placid as a straightforward camping-holiday nightmare, or as a sly, ironic take on the same. It works deliciously as both."

Sequels

Three sequels follow the film Lake Placid. All are television/Syfy films and were not as successful as the original.

Lake Placid 2, produced by Sony Pictures and the Sci Fi Channel, is a made-for-television movie aired as a Sci Fi Channel original movie on April 28, 2007. Changes from the original film include a completely different cast, filming locations in Bulgaria and a severely reduced budget. The unrated DVD release of the film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and released on January 29, 2008.

Lake Placid 3, produced by Syfy, starring Colin Ferguson. Aired on August 21, 2010[10] and was released as a DVD on October 26, 2010. Lake Placid 3 have two versions; The TV version was rated R, the DVD version was unrated and contains nudity.

Its final sequel, Lake Placid: The Final Chapter or Lake Placid 4 was released on September 29, 2012. Yancy Butler, who starred in the third film, reprised her role as Reba who survived being attacked by a crocodile at the end of the third movie.

Trivia

  • In the hospital, someone can be heard paging Mr. Miner in the background. Lake Placid was directed by Steve Miner.
  • Sheriff Keough's "big gun" was a fake gun made specifically as a prop for this movie. They even gave it a fake name, calling it a "Light Weight Forward Area Air Device Unit" which itself is a pretty good parody of military jargon. It was not an M-203 grenade launcher, which fires 40mm grenades. The "grenades" shown with the gun were a good deal smaller than 40mm.
  • Betty White's character is told that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) would be interested to learn of her alleged mistreatment of her cows. In reality, Betty White is a major on-air spokesperson for PETA.

Trailer

Lake_Placid_(1999)_Trailer

Lake Placid (1999) Trailer

Advertisement