Lake Placid (film)

1999 film by Steve Miner

Lake Placid

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Steve Miner
Written by| David E. Kelley
Produced by|

* David E. Kelley
* Michael Pressman
* Peter Bogart

Starring|

* Bill Pullman
* Bridget Fonda
* Oliver Platt
* Brendan Gleeson

Cinematography| Daryn Okada
Edited by|

* Paul Hirsch
* Marshall Harvey

Music by| John Ottman

Production
companies

* Fox 2000 Pictures[1]
* Phoenix Pictures[1]

Distributed by| 20th Century Fox

Release date

* July 16, 1999 (1999-07-16)

Running time

| 82 minutes[1]
Country| United States[1]
Language| English
Budget| $27–35 million[2][3]
Box office| $56.9 million[3]

Lake Placid is a 1999 American comedy horror film[4] directed by Steve Miner and written by David E. Kelley. It is the first installment in the Lake Placid film series and stars Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Platt, Betty White, Meredith Salenger, and Mariska Hargitay. In the film, a giant crocodile terrorizes the fictional location of Black Lake, Maine, while a dysfunctional group of police and scientists attempt to capture or kill the beast.

Lake Placid 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 theatres in the United States on July 16, 1999,[2] and in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2000.[5]

## Plot

[edit]

In Aroostook County, Maine, Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife officer Walt Lawson is scuba diving with Sheriff Hank Keough in Black Lake when he is suddenly bitten in half by an unknown creature.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service officer Jack Wells, American Museum of Natural History paleontologist Kelly Scott, and Hank investigate the incident. They are joined by Hector Cyr, a wealthy mythology professor and crocodile enthusiast, who suspects the culprit is a crocodile much to the disbelief of the group. After Kelly and Hank's canoe is flipped over, they discover a severed human toe and a moose head. Hank's deputy, Burke, has his head bitten off, which confirms Hector's suspicions, but Hank remains skeptical. That evening, the group makes camp and prepares a plan to capture the creature.

The following day, as Hank and Hector get into an altercation, a large grizzly bear attacks them, but a gigantic 32 ft (9.8 m) long saltwater crocodile emerges from the lake and drags the bear into the water. The group discovers that local resident Delores Bickerman, an elderly widow living near the lake, is feeding the crocodile after they observe her leading a blindfolded dairy cow to the water. She reveals that she had been feeding it for years after the crocodile ate her husband.

Hector and Deputy Sharon Gare take his helicopter onto the lake and unexpectedly land in the crocodile's territory. While he is scuba diving, Hector is confronted by the crocodile, but he and Gare escape after distracting it with an inflatable raft. Hank and Jack call in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for help with killing the crocodile, but Hector suggests that he should lure it out of the water and tranquilize it instead. Jack reluctantly accepts the proposal and they use one of Bickerman's cattle, dangled from the helicopter, as bait.

After a few hours, the crocodile appears. Hector pulls up as the crocodile lunges, and Jack fires a tranquilizer dart into its neck. Hector loses control of the helicopter and crashes into the lake. The crocodile comes on land and pursues the group. Kelly is knocked into the lake by the crocodile's tail. As Kelly enters the downed helicopter, the crocodile attacks but becomes trapped. As the tranquilizer kicks in and the crocodile appears to be pacified, Jack, Hector, and Hank argue about whether or not to kill it. Jack eventually grabs Hank's gun and shoots it, but the firearm turns out to be another tranquilizer. As Hector comes out of the water, another crocodile attacks and bites him, but Hank blows it up with a grenade launcher. Soon after, Florida wildlife officers arrive, they load the neutralized crocodile onto a truck and take it to Portland, Maine as they determine what to do next.

One week later, Bickerman feeds bread crumbs to many baby crocodiles, revealing the two adults were actually a mating pair. The surviving adult crocodile is seen tied to the back of a flatbed trailer travelling down the highway.

### Underlying Themes

[edit]

##### Man Vs. Animal

[edit]

Throughout the course of the film, the argument of man vs animal arises multiple times. Animals are often killed due to the rising need of food sources throughout a population and Lake Placid delves into the idea of killing an animal to protect humans in the surrounding area who have either been attacked or killed by the beast.[6] The character of Cyr points out multiple reasons for not killing the animal including its prehistoric nature, that crocodiles were once viewed as deities by cultures and their special ability to survive in harsh climates.[7]

Crocodiles were first present in the Triassic period and Cyr makes an argument for preserving the freak of nature for science and research purposes while the characters of officer Wells and Sheriff Keough rebuff these claims as their plan is to destroy the creature.[8] As the movie concludes, both sides are triumphant; the initial murderous crocodile is captured and the second, unknown crocodile is destroyed by Sheriff Keough's "big" gun[9]. Although fictional, the film presents the argument in a way that both viewpoints have the potential to be socially acceptable.

#### City vs. Rural

[edit]

The differences of urban vs. rural dwellers is a reoccurring theme sprinkled throughout Lake Placid. Scott represents a typical "city girl", who is more comfortable within the confines of a major city and all of the amenities that life includes. She is uncomfortable in the wilderness of Maine and voices her concerns and uneasiness quite often in the film.[10] This discomfort is met with taunts from officer Wells and Sheriff Keough. As countrymen, they are more at ease in the wilderness and imply that those from the city have no place in their town. As evidenced in the film, these debates can stem from ignorance, prejudice and fear of the unknown or unfamiliar.

Lake Placid presents this disagreement of ideals in a way that allows the viewer, depending on their perspective, to identify and understand with each side of the argument. In the film, Scott expresses distress over learning the investigative party will be camping in the woods near the lake. Officer Wells retorts " You know you don't have to tell anyone you are from New York?", highlighting the paleontologist's "fish out of water", uncomfortable situation and just how different city and "country" folk are.

Officer Wells and Sheriff Keough have the objective of protecting their town and its citizens from danger and this informs most of their interaction with Scott throughout the film.[11] They view her as an impediment or distraction to the investigation into the protecting their town. Their own preconceived notions of those who live in the city, combined with their desire to quell the danger threatening the citizens challenges Scott, who views officer Wells and Sheriff Keough as dumb and incompetent due to residing in such a small rural town. These misconceptions and preconceived notions collide throughout the film and eventually fade as the main goal of stopping the killer beast becomes priority.

[edit]

## Cast

[edit]

* Bill Pullman as Jack Wells
* Bridget Fonda as Kelly Scott
* Brendan Gleeson as Sheriff Hank Keough
* Oliver Platt as Hector Cyr
* Betty White as Mrs. Delores Bickerman
* Meredith Salenger as Deputy Sharon Gare
* David Lewis as Walt Lawson
* Tim Dixon as Stephen Daniels
* Natassia Malthe as Janine
* Mariska Hargitay as Myra Okubo
* Jed Rees as Deputy Burke
* Richard Leacock as Deputy Stevens
* Jake T. Roberts as Officer Coulson
* Ty Olsson as State Trooper
* Adam Arkin as Kevin (uncredited)
* Steve Miner as Airplane Pilot

## Production

[edit]

Lake Placid was produced by Fox 2000 Pictures, Phoenix Pictures, and Rocking Chair Productions.[12] The 32-foot (9.8 m) long crocodile was created by Stan Winston Studios and was operated by aquatic hydraulics[13].

Some of the film's scenes were shot in Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia. Three different lakes in British Columbia stood in for the fictional "Black Lake": Shawnigan Lake, Buntzen Lake and Hayward Lake.[14]

## Soundtrack

[edit]

Lake Placid

Film score by

John Ottman

Released| July 27, 1999
Genre| Soundtracks
Film scores
Length| 47:00
Label| Varèse Sarabande

The soundtrack for the film was composed and conducted by John Ottman, and released by Varèse Sarabande.[15]

Track listing

1. Main Title (2:25)
2. Hector's Here (1:11)
3. Close Call (3:59)
4. Udder Preparations (4:02)
5. Love Games (2:25)
6. Reluctant Passengers (1:46)
7. Morgue / Scary Beaver (4:11)
8. Scouting (2:22)
9. Here He Comes! (4:57)
10. Making a Move /Jack (2:11)
11. Swimming With Croc (3:36)
12. Hector's Mind (2:48)
13. Weird Things / Dinner Time (2:51)
14. Ground Rules (1:43)
15. Trapping Croc / Resolution (5:30)
16. The Lake / Hitching a Ride (1:03)

## Reception

[edit]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 47% based on 95 reviews, with an average rating of 5.10/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Betty White's delightful supporting turn may be worth the price of admission alone, but Lake Placid is swamped by a smarmy script and inability to deliver on the creature feature mayhem".[16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 34 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.[18]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film one out of four stars, describing it as "completely wrong-headed from beginning to end". He put it on his list of the 10 Worst Films of the Year.[19] Andrew Collins of Empire gave the film four out of five stars, writing that "you can enjoy Placid as a straightforward camping-holiday nightmare, or as a sly, ironic take on the same. It works deliciously as both".[20] Public reaction to the film mirrored the critics' issues and critiques as Lake Placid grossed $56.9 million worldwide[21]. Subsequently, the film was followed by five low-budget made-for-television sequels, starting with Lake Placid 2 in 2007.

## See also

[edit]

* List of killer crocodile films
* Deinosuchus

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Lake Placid (1999)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
2. ^ a b "Lake Placid (1999)". The Numbers. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
3. ^ a b "Lake Placid (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
4. ^ "Lake Placid (1999)". AllMovie. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
5. ^ "Lake Placid". Radio Times. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
6. ^ Brayton, Tim (2015-07-24). "Lake Placid (1999) - Movie Review". Alternate Ending. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
7. ^ "Lake Placid (1999)". AllMovie. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
8. ^ Keogh, Joey (2019-07-17). "20 Years On, Lake Placid Chomps Through Its Contemporaries [Retrospective]". Wicked Horror. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
9. ^ "Lake Placid (1999)". AllMovie. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
10. ^ Keogh, Joey (2019-07-17). "20 Years On, Lake Placid Chomps Through Its Contemporaries [Retrospective]". Wicked Horror. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
11. ^ Keogh, Joey (2019-07-17). "20 Years On, Lake Placid Chomps Through Its Contemporaries [Retrospective]". Wicked Horror. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
12. ^ "Lake Placid (1999) – Production Credits". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2015.[dead link]
13. ^ "Stan Winston School of Character Arts". www.stanwinstonschool.com. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
14. ^ Willistein, Paul (July 16, 1999). "Bridget Fonda Identifies with Hard-to-like 'Lake Placid' Film Character". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
15. ^ "Lake Placid - John Ottman". AllMusic. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
16. ^ "Lake Placid". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
17. ^ "Lake Placid Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
18. ^ "Lake Placid". CinemaScore.
19. ^ Ebert, Roger (July 16, 1999). "Lake Placid movie review & film summary (1999)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
20. ^ Collins, Andrew (January 1, 2000). "Lake Placid Review". Empire Online. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
21. ^ "Lake Placid". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2025-04-29.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Lake Placid (film).

* Official website
* Lake Placid at IMDb
* Lake Placid at Rotten Tomatoes

* v
* t
* e

Lake Placid

Films|

* Lake Placid (1999)
* Lake Placid 2 (2007)
* Lake Placid 3 (2010)
* Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012)
* Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015)
* Lake Placid: Legacy (2018)

Related|

* Anaconda (film series)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Steve Miner

* Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
* Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
* Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 3D (unproduced)
* House (1985)
* Soul Man (1986)
* Warlock (1989)
* Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken (1991)
* Forever Young (1992)
* My Father the Hero (1994)
* Big Bully (1996)
* Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
* Lake Placid (1999)
* Texas Rangers (2001)
* Day of the Dead (2008)
* Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous (2008)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template