Lake Placid

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Lake Placid

R

1999

1h 22m

Horror

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

96 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When a mysterious creature violently kills a man in a Maine lake, Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), the local game warden, looks into the bizarre case, along with Sheriff Hank Keough (Brendan Gleeson) and visiting paleontologist Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda). Looking for clues in a tooth that the beast left behind, Kelly and the others eventually locate the monster, a massive and vicious reptile eager to devour anything in its path. Can the crocodile-like creature be stopped?

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Anthony Lane

The New Yorker

Nov 30, 2020

This may be no more than a squib of a B movie, and it remains about as frightening as a fish tank, but, if you have any poetry in your soul, you will surely thrill to a film that ends with a crocodile sticking its head in a helicopter.

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Stephen Thompson

AV Club

Jul 9, 2019

The lazy finale makes Lake Placid seem more marginal and forgettable than it already was, which is actually something of a feat.

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Paul Tatara

CNN.com

Jul 9, 2019

Miner's thoroughly unimaginative visual style sees to it that "Lake Placid" is not the least bit frightening, and the entire undertaking generates maybe one decent laugh. That is, if you don't count Fonda's chronic inability to act.

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Jose Solís

Common Sense Media

Jul 23, 2025

Originally dismissed when it was released, this killer croc film has grown into a strange B-movie gem from the legendary year of 1999. Clocking in at

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Apr 6, 2022

C+

It's Jaws, with a croc instead of a shark.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Dec 30, 2020

2/5

Kelley is an inspired choice for a screenwriter but none of this is actually funny. Also, less than 4 minutes of screen time for the croc in a 78-minute movie? No thank you!

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Ryan T

@RT91888008 5 days ago

Eat them all. This entire movie should have been eaten!

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Jade W

@giveemsomethingto_jade Sep 15, 2026

It was bad, but funny.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 5, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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J H

@UpstateNYThriller Jul 22, 2026

4/10 Poor CGI big gator

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Justin T.

@RT29681041 Jun 1, 2026

Very Good If You Enjoy Crocodile Movies With A Little Suspense To Have You Guessing This Is Right Up Your Alley

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Jack H

@JackH245 May 13, 2026

One of my all time favourite creature features. Great casting in Bill Pullman, Brendan Gleeson, Platt and Fonda. Crocodile effects are superb. Funny dialogue and gruesome kills make for a great viewing!

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Steve Miner

Director

Bill Pullman

Jack Wells

Bridget Fonda

Kelly Scott

Oliver Platt

Hector Cyr

Brendan Gleeson

Sheriff Hank Keough

Betty White

Mrs. Delores Bickerman

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Synopsis

When a mysterious creature violently kills a man in a Maine lake, Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), the local game warden, looks into the bizarre case, along with Sheriff Hank Keough (Brendan Gleeson) and visiting paleontologist Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda). Looking for clues in a tooth that the beast left behind, Kelly and the others eventually locate the monster, a massive and vicious reptile eager to devour anything in its path. Can the crocodile-like creature be stopped?

Director: Steve Miner
Producer: David E. Kelley, Michael Pressman
Screenwriter: David E. Kelley
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Phoenix Pictures, Rocking Chair Productions, Fox 2000 Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 16, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.8M
Runtime: 1h 22m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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