THE AISLE SEAT - by Mike McGranaghan
"LAKE PLAICD"
I still remember the first time I saw Lake Placid. It was July 17,1999. I had driven into the city to screen two movies back-to-back. The first was Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, a challenging film from a legendary director that I found incredibly tedious. When it was over, I hopped in the car, drove to another theater across town, and saw the movie about a giant killer crocodile. It was fun. That was one of those moments where I realized how very unpredictable cinema can be. The film from a master was an ambitious flop, while the unapologetic exploitation flick was a blast. Watching the new Lake Placid Blu-Ray from Scream Factory, I was pleased to discover that it holds up really well and is every bit as enjoyable now as it was then. I'm willing to bet Eyes Wide Shut is still dull.
Bridget Fonda plays Kelly, a museum worker assigned to investigate a mysterious gigantic crocodile in a Maine lake that has been tearing people to shreds. She is appalled at the idea of having to leave the city for the wooded area which houses the lake, but she goes to get a respite from her cheating boyfriend. Among the people she encounters are a Fish & Game Commission officer (Bill Pullman) who arrives to kill the creature, and a crocodile lover (Oliver Platt) who's as wealthy as he is kooky. Then there's the town sheriff (hilariously played by Brendan Gleeson) who can't stand the continual sarcasm of the other characters.
Living right off the lake is a foul-mouthed widow (Betty White) who seems to know something about the croc, although she is not willing to open up about it. You haven't lived until you've heard the veteran actress spouting lines like "If I had a dick, this is where I'd tell you to suck it." That's the line this movie is most famous for, and it's even funnier given White's recent resurgence in popularity.
Lake Placid basically gives you what you would expect from this kind of picture: several grisly crocodile attacks punctuated by the occasional one-liner. The formula is as old as the hills, but it works here. One reason is that the screenplay was written by David E. Kelley, the creator of TV shows like Ally McBeal and The Practice. Therefore, the one-liners have a lot more zing than those in other horror-comedies. The big joke in the film is that, in the midst of the bloodshed, the characters all have time to lob sarcastic jabs at the poor sheriff. Gleeson is terrific in the role, doing a continual slow-burn over the remarks.
The other plus is that Lake Placid actually has some tense moments. Kelley is smart enough to know that audiences have seen this kind of story before, so he adds little twists to the action that took me by surprise (one involves the actions of the old widow, another has to do with a helicopter and a cow). The special effects are pretty good, too. The creature moves in sudden bursts of violence, snatching people and animals with lightning-quick speed. Director Steve Miner (Halloween: H20) has enough patience to let tension build before springing the blood and guts.
The actors seem to be having fun with the mixture of Kelley's sharp dialogue and the inherent cheesiness of being in a giant crocodile picture. Pullman really gets the joke, acting like he can wear the beast down with menacing stares and grumbled speech. Fonda, who has acknowledged her love of horror films in the press, is clearly relishing the chance to act in one, and Platt uses this as an opportunity to go way out in left field as the rich wacko. But despite all this, there is no self-awareness on the part of the cast; they all play it perfectly straight. Their amusement shows not in the form of winking at the audience, but in the way they invest their parts with a loopy energy.
Lake Placid is nothing more than a B-movie, but it's a witty one. It is tempting to say that the film doesn't take itself seriously, except that some of the jump scenes really work. I grew up watching this kind of thing on Saturday afternoon television and I still have a soft spot for it. Silly, yes, but never boring and always a prime example of good dumb fun.
Blu-Ray Features:
Scream Factory's collector's edition Blu-Ray comes with an assortment of bonus materials. Chief among them is a 25-minute retrospective documentary about the making of the film, featuring Bill Pullman, director Steve Miner, production designer John Willett, and several of the special effects staff. The most fascinating information comes from Willett, who describes the challenging process of building a lake for use during shooting. Stories about how the mechanical croc was created are fun, too. While it's unfortunate that Bridget Fonda, Brendan Gleeson, and Oliver Platt aren't represented, Bill Pullman is more than happy to talk about Lake Placid, and he seems extremely fond of the film, as evidenced by his joyful reminiscences.
Platt and Fonda do show up on a much shorter vintage featurette that's largely promotional in nature. About nine minutes of animatronic crocodile test footage is also included, as is a behind-the-scenes still gallery, the theatrical trailer, and a handful of TV spots.
It's worth noting that the transfer on this disc is stunning. I don't remember the film looking this good in theaters. Kudos to the team at Scream Factory for another all-around great collector's edition Blu-Ray.
For more information on this release, please visit the Scream Factory website.
Lake Placid is rated R for violent creature attacks and related gore, and for language. The running time is 1 hour and 22 minutes.
Buy a copy of my book, "Straight-Up Blatant: Musings From The Aisle Seat," on sale now at Lulu.com! Paperback and Kindle editions also available at Amazon.com!
