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The Alligator People

Play trailer Poster for The Alligator People 1959 1h 14m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 4 Reviews 22% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Newly married nurse Joyce Webster (Beverly Garland) doesn't know what to think when her husband, Paul (Richard Crane), disappears during a train ride. She hires private investigators and eventually tracks him to an old bayou plantation, where the owner (Frieda Inescort) insists she's never heard of Paul. Joyce sticks around anyway and soon learns that local doctor Mark Sinclair (George Macready) has been using a life-altering alligator serum on the town's residents, and that Paul is among them.

Critics Reviews

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Rob Humanick Suite101.com Screams and explosions ensue, and no movie was ever harmed by having a Lon Chaney on board. Rated: 3/5 Oct 26, 2011 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jul 22, 2005 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A sci-fi/horror film that refuses to be anything but unbelievable. Rated: C+ Oct 12, 2004 Full Review Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) Professionally made cheap thriller that's enjoyably silly. Rated: 3/5 May 23, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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CodyZamboni Watchable, but it does take awhile to get going, at first. A few annoying characters lessen the scary impact. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/28/23 Full Review deke p Far better than the reviews. Natch, the title & premise seem campy. But the movie takes itself seriously, for the most part. And most all the alligator scenes were realistic. Saw it again on TV, 10.9.21, & pretty certain saw it in summer of 1959 on Catalina Island in the historic Avalon CASINO Theater. PS: BEVERLY GARLAND was xlnt as the gator man's wife. & of LON CHANEY hisself as the half-crazed swamp guy. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member As I began to watch this movie, I had my reservations about it because I had read about it and what I had read was not good at all. Still, being a fan of "Svengoolie", who has mentioned "The Alligator People" on his show several times which finally compelled me to see it. While it is certainly no classic, I found the movie is not nearly as bad as it is made out to be. Yes, I will admit the main story is pure cornball, but the movie itself was very entertaining. The late Beverly Garland actually does a good job as the female lead. A newlywed searching for her husband who suddenly vanished on their honeymoon. Her search brings her to a secluded mansion in the Louisiana swamplands where she meets some very interesting characters. Horror legend the late Lon Chaney, Jr. has a supporting role in the film. he always gives a good performance and gives the movies he is in a boost to their entertainment value. I was never bored with "The Alligator People" and the strong performances by the entire cast made this movie worth my time. If you have ever been curious to see "The Alligator People" I would recommend you do so. It's actually a lot of fun and surprisingly entertaining. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Overall, a fabulous piece of work! Oh, wait, this isn't Citizen Kane? Actually it's just what one should expect from a 1959 movie entitled The Alligator People. (Maybe even a little more...The cast is good: Lon Chaney Jr's presence is always a plus. George Macready is solid as always. And the ever-comely Beverly Garland broke down beautifully her poor husband got an alligator head.) Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member A classic b-movie, the effects are poor, and some of the acting is basic, however that is what is to be expected. The atmosphere is fantastic, and the story progresses at a slow, continuous pace. I usually have trouble watching a b-movie 100% all the way through, but I watched this one. Rating: 3/5 Percentage: 63% Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/16/18 Full Review Audience Member This was a pretty good thriller with an interesting plot and as usual, the ending was as horrible as could be predicted. The plot was really weird, but the main character was actually pretty good at acting. I felt that she got really stupid at the end... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Alligator People

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Newly married nurse Joyce Webster (Beverly Garland) doesn't know what to think when her husband, Paul (Richard Crane), disappears during a train ride. She hires private investigators and eventually tracks him to an old bayou plantation, where the owner (Frieda Inescort) insists she's never heard of Paul. Joyce sticks around anyway and soon learns that local doctor Mark Sinclair (George Macready) has been using a life-altering alligator serum on the town's residents, and that Paul is among them.
Director
Roy Del Ruth
Producer
Jack Leewood
Screenwriter
Orville H. Hampton
Production Co
Associated Producers (API)
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 7, 2004
Runtime
1h 14m