Hey gang, Valkor here. I don’t watch much of the SyFy network… let me rephrase that, I don’t watch it at all since the name change. And lately any time I actually check my guide to see what’s there, it’s usually a cheesy horror that's just too stupid for words *cough*Sharknado*cough*. And as much as I like a good cheesefest of a horror film, I still don’t feel ready to actually switch to the channel. But after checking out their latest original film, “Ragin Cajun Redneck Gators”… I think maybe, just maybe I’ll tune in for a flick or two. Maybe. Spoilers ahead.
The events in Ragin Cajun Redneck Gators, take place in the backwoods swamp area of the deep south, where gator season is about to begin and two families – the Doucettes and Robichauds, are also a fussin and a feudin! In between tussling with gators and the two families going head to head, we have Avery Doucette (Jordan Hinson), who has just returned home fresh from college and to some extent, happy to be home. No sooner does she arrive does her pa Lucien (Ritchie Montgomery), capture and kill a large, new type of mutant gator – one that has a mean tail that can shoot spikes, a blue tongue and a red patch around its neck, which they’ll later call “Redneck Gators”. And they’re very aggressive sumbitches as well. But where did they come from?
Though you’ll catch on from the start, it’s later revealed that Wade Robichaud (Thomas Francis Murphy) is the one responsible for this new species of gators, based on the fact that he’s been dumping a bad batch of chemical-laced moonshine into the swamp. And what’s worse (oh yes, it gets worse), anyone who is bitten or bites into the meat of these gators, will eventually turn into one. You can’t make this stuff up, folks! And after making a meal out of one of them, the entire Doucette clan are all turned gator. And it’s up to Avery and a handful of the Robichauds to put a stop to the gator threat. But in doing so, she’ll also be wiping out her entire clan. And quite possibly the love of her life (who's also a Robichaud).
Alligator Alley, kinda reminds me of Swamp Shark, only with more silliness to it. The rednecks fighting gator rednecks is one thing, but then theey actually turn gator into the very same gators? Now it's getting kinda silly. Finally the ending will take you in one of either direction. 1) You’ll laugh out loud, 2) you might be slightly disgusted to think there’s something intimate between Avery and her newly formed beau or 3) you’ll shrug your shoulders and go “welp, that’s the south for ya”. Oh and betwixt the two white families there’s a black sheriff caught in the mix. I just threw that out there so I could make this reference -
The Sheriff is a ni-BONG!!!!
The Good:
For a film made for the SyFy network, Ragin Cajun Redneck Gators isn’t all that bad; and on certain levels it can be quite entertaining if you’re ready to give your brain a rest as you won’t need it for this film. Save those mental energies for something more thought provoking, this one is pure cheese, but the fun kind of cheese. The plot is fairly decent – rednecks vs. redneck gators vs. rednecks who’ve just been turned into redneck gators; it’s so over the top but it’s ridiculous fun. Right before people start turning into mutant gators, the film sort of takes itself seriously, like a play by the book creature feature. Once you get into an entire clan turning into gators… then you get more into the silly/crazy stuff. The film is quite predictable, but still not something that detracts your attention; one of my favorite scenes is when Avery’s stepmom Candy is out looking for her dog but she and the family come face to face with a lurking gator. And the only way they can escape it is to toss the dog at it. I saw it coming and yet I couldn’t help but left. Yep this film is filled with plenty of moments like this and then some. The acting isn’t the greatest, but I think everyone performed well enough to make this film passable, no one really stands out but if I have to give a nod to anyone, then it’s definitely going out to Ritchie Montgomery as Lucien Doucette; he’s got that smooth, down home accent down pat.
The Bad:
First up, obvious bad CG is obvious and the stuff in this film is pretty bad. It’s good enough to help the story, but I think an extra million or two wouldn’t have hurt the budget much to spruce things up. But then it’s a SyFy movie, so no one should expect anything spectacular. The ending is also a head scratcher (in my eyes); I would have liked it sans the presence of a gator, because then it makes me think… nevermind, forget what I would think. It’s just a disturbing thought.
The Ugly:
There’s a lot of gory, cringe worthy scenes in this film. But if I had to choose one, it’s the director guy who gets his face chewed up.
Ragin Cajun Redneck Gators doesn’t have a home release date as of yet, but I’m sure one will be announced soon enough. It’s definitely not a terrible film, and if you’re into cheesy SyFy original efforts or just cheesy horror in general, then this is one you definitely want to give it a go. And out of TOV 5 stars, Ragin Cajun Redneck Gators gets a 3.
