Throughout cinema history filmmakers have always seeked out new ways to bring terror to the screen. Historically you had Universal Classic Monsters leading the charge between the ‘30s and ‘50s, but by the time the ‘60s rolled around, changes began to occur. It was at this point you had the mainstream introduction of zombies, with George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in 1968, but let us not forget other classics like Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 feature The Birds. Speaking of which, Hitchcock’s nature striking back concept took a whole new life in the ‘70s when wild animals wrecked havoc all over the place. You had rats taking a bite in 1972’s Ben, killer sharks terrorizing local beaches in 1975’s Jaws, bears haunting campers in 1976’s Grizzly, and ravenous fish in 1978’s Piranha.
Prime time for the wild kingdom, this trend continued throughout the ‘70s, and joining the party in the latter part of the decade was a film out of the Asian region called Crocodile. Put together by Thailand’s Chaiyo Productions (a company founded by internationally known Filmmaker Sompote Sands), Crocodile has quite an interesting, yet confusing history surrounding it. First off, the original title was Crocodile Fangs (Agowa Gongpo), and according to original Director Lee Won-Se, filmed in Thailand starting some time in March of 1977. Secondly, after a 1978 release in Thailand, different versions of the film began popping up all over for theatrical runs. Adding more confusion, because so much is unknown, different cast names are used for the original Crocodile Fangs and Crocodile (even though they are the same movie, but with slightly different edits). With some fake names listed, there are different directors credited for the different cuts of the film! Simplifying it some, what is known is that American Producer Dick Randall indeed worked on English-language inserts for the picture, Sands was responsible for the monstrously oversized crocodile, and Won-Se was brought on as the original director.
Beyond this, let us just say trying to make sense of the who, what, when, and where will give you a migraine… so perhaps you better just take it all at face value. This in mind, in the USA market Crocodile debuted in 1981 through Cobra Media on VHS. From here, it lay in obscurity for some time before emerging on DVD back in 2002 under the production name of Herman Cohen (famously known for producing films such as 1957’s I Was a Teenage Werewolf), and yet again in a rather low budget edition in 2013, put out by Desert Island Films. Truly the definition of a cult classic, now in 2024 Synapse Films are prepared to give Crocodile its most complete release ever.
Set for release on July 9th, this new home media option presents Crocodile in a newly restored transfer to Blu-ray for the first time ever. Somehow getting their hands on the original 35mm camera negative, this edition features the most pristinely clean imagery most have ever seen. Yes, there are some scenes more clarified than others, but by and large, you get the 92-minute US cut of Crocodile masterfully restored. Perfect if you are someone who may have seen it years ago and want to revisit it, or if you are simply someone who has heard of it and is curious to check it out, this new release should not disappoint.
Which leads us to the actual film itself… is it any good? Well, that all depends on who you ask and their tastes. In truth, the story does very much feel like a derivative of Jaws, only replacing the shark with a mutant crocodile. Not selling it short, there is still plenty of entertainment value to be had for those who enjoy these types of features. Furthermore, it is recommended to check out the video interview with Won-se Lee as one of the special features; because it may connect some dots as the background of this film.
Overall, Synapse Films saved Crocodile from obscurity and gave it new life. The transfer is great, and if you are interested, there is also going to be a Limited Edition “Nude” slipcover version available for purchase; but only through Synapse Films and DiabolikDVD, so act fast. A fun reminder that humans can mess with nature, but it will always bite them back, Cryptic Rock gives Synapse Films’ release of Crocodile 4 out of 5 stars.
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