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

11/30/2020

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

07/09/2019

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

07/09/2019

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

07/23/2025

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

04/06/2022

C+

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

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

12/30/2020

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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J H

@UpstateNYThriller Jul 22

4/10 Poor CGI big gator

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Justin T.

@RT29681041 Jun 1

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

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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Emilio P.

@RT60488406 May 4

This movie is probably the best in its category. It's funny and fun to watch.

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GotRizz237

@RT94619608 Apr 21

Lake Placid was a pretty good watch, definitely an 8/10 movie. Would watch again

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Sean H.

@Seandh Feb 14

One of the best croc movies. How can u not laugh at Betty White f bombs?

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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)