Posted: 07/27/2011

Dincocroc vs. Supergator

(2010)

by Robert Baum

Low-budget movie mogul Roger Corman brings yet another tale which will garner him the prestigious Thalberg Award. Well, not quite. And definitely not this time.

It’s an effort that owes much to the many creatures of the cinema past, but obviously lacking the budgets afforded to the efforts of Spielberg and Corman’s noted protege, James Cameron. Despite a title bound to induce plenty of laughs, Dinocroc vs. Supergator for cinematic aficionados who grew up on 50s monster flicks is something of a treat.

This effort, which premiered on the Syfy network, is essentially Jurassic Park at a fraction of the budget of Spielberg’s pre-Avatar box office blockbuster. Directed by Corman colleague Jay Andrews (better known as Jim Wnorski who helmed the Corman production Chopping Mall and a number of direct-to-video titles starring many a barely-clad starlets looking to get their pay their dues and/ or get their SAG membership), the film is also notable for an extended cameo courtesy of the late David Carradine (himself a star of such Corman products as Boxcar Bertha and Deathrace 2000) in one of his last roles.

Like many a cheap creature feature produced by Corman (Piranha and Humanoids from the Deep come to mind) it has an appeal, though greatly lacking the panache and genuine terror shown in such noted efforts as Jaws. It was actually shot on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i, where much of Jurassic Park was shot, along with the jungle sequences in Raiders of the Lost Ark, as Corman and Andrews note on the commentary track.

The effects are laughably cheesy, but Corman himself is probably responsible for producing more cheese than Wisconsin. Still, for those who look to find amusement in horror, and with far less gore than most cinematic exercises in excess bloodletting of late, Dinocroc vs. Supergator makes for a pain-free guilty pleasure.

Robert Baum is currently a Bryn Mawr, PA-based film afficanado and pop culture junkie.

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