Tobe Hooper: in reverence to homages and/or ripoffs AKA the best to ever do it

Review of Crocodile (2000) by screenqueeen: 👍 3/5

the thirteenth night in the lonesome hooptober day 33 film 28 cats: 0

83/100

Tobe Hooper directs a monster croc creature feature in the shell of a college sex comedy* and still manages to make it fun. you kinda need to embrace its vapidity and although this is a rip from Miner's LAKE PLACID Hooper adds to the layers of horror's internal forces of ideas. the best way that i can describe it is that it manifests in an ouroboros of sorts. like early on in CROCODILE Hooper has a scene with the kids around a campfire, one telling them all the legend of the killer crocodile that is said to hunt down those who endanger her children, ripping the pages right out of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART II.

Hooper knew what he was doing and pays Steve Miner his due. i'm getting a little sad that i only have three outright horror films Hooper directed that i get to watch for the first time in future seasons before i revisit them all in time. throughout a stretch of this the investigating forces aren't sure if they're dealing with the monster mommy croc of legends past or some escaped gator so they do some searching at the local 'gator farm. this may be my favorite scene with Shurkin (Terrance Evans, who played Monty Hewitt [Leatherface's uncle] in the two TEXAS CHAINSAW reboot efforts) channeling Jim Siedow's Cook as he belittles his scarred and marred employee in front of the sheriff, who very entertainingly doesn't care all that much and does juuuust the bare minimum (you'll see for certain when he pilots a boat with Shurkin later as they split a handle of hooch). wouldn't you if it was just a handful of college kids having their own APOCALYPSE NOW: SPRING BREAK EDITION sex and booze bender in a houseboat?

i truly had fun with this one and wasn't expecting to. thank you, Tobe. <3

*TOBE HOOPER'S MTV's SPRING BREAK