AVAILABLE ON PRIME VIDEO! It’s bad enough when a man with the face of an alligator is trying to murder you, but then you remember he has an army of alligator minions to pick off the pieces. Can anyone escape in Padraig Reynolds’ feature, Gator Face?
Sierra (Ellie Shaddix), Jess (Amariah Dionne), and Nikki (Kiara Mitjans) are on the tail end of the greatest vacation of their lives at a perfect Florida beach away from the tourists. As they head back to their hotel, they notice three words painted on the side of a house that weren’t there when they first passed it. The words are “3 Dead Inside.” The invitation is irresistible, and when the trio enters, a man with the face of a gator, known as Gator Face (Nikolas Kolasinski), gruesomely attacks and kills Sierra and Nikki, feeding Nikki to his pet gator. This leaves Jess to fend for herself.
Jess escapes and hides from Gator Face until she sees a van pull up with other spring breakers: David (Barron Regan), Claire (Tabitha Brownstone), Andy (Iain Smith), and Samara (Ella Mosca). They’ve pulled over because the van keeps overheating. Jess runs to them, warning them that Gator Face just killed her friends and they are probably next. As Gator Face approaches, they manage to start the van and head to a nearby church for safety… but are they really safe?
Jess (Amariah Dionne) holds a bloody axe as she faces a remote church in Gator Face.
“…a man with the face of a gator, known as Gator Face, gruesomely attacks and kills Sierra and Nikki, feeding Nikki to his pet gator.”
Making a B-movie horror film these days is a race for ideas. Sharks and tornadoes have already been taken. Fortunately for writer/director Padraig Reynolds, humans with gator faces had not yet been taken. Now we’re off to the races… I mean, chases.
The story opens by introducing our three unsuspecting college students, two of whom meet untimely deaths. This establishes our villain and makes Jess the through-line for the rest of the film. Once the story is restocked with more naive bait for the gators and Gator Face, Reynolds finds unique ways of picking them off one by one… I shouldn’t mention any cults appearing.
All the elements are here for a fun indie horror ride. Pretty college students get murdered with the help of cheap but effective makeup effects. Oh, the hacking, slashing, and gator-feeding are a sight to see. The constant sense of dread is beautifully contrasted with fleeting glimmers of hope. In the end, with Gator Face, we’re here for the ride, and a thrilling one it is.
Watch Gator Face on Prime Video.
"…the hacking, slashing, and gator-feeding are a sight to see."
