A quick note up top. The purpose of this blog, outside of creating more stuff for our little slice of the internet, is to connect horror movies to the folks who I think would enjoy them. Not every film is for every reader, but I like to think I am offering up options for every type of viewer. I’ve primarily done this with a self-imposed rubric of my own creation. While I’ve appreciated the structure as a way to help me get my thoughts out, I think I can convey the same information in a way that feels more natural to me, so I’m going to try something different moving forward.
I was on vacation this past week with my family at a rented house in Wisconsin and many elements of our stay prompted me to recommend this eco-horror film from the 70s. If you’ve seen this film, that probably sounds insane lol, but amongst other things, there were a ton of frogs at the house, it was a family get together, and this is a favorite of my wife’s and mine.
Swear to god this is that cowboy you know.
Sam Elliott, without a mustache, plays a wildlife photographer who encounters a wealthy family at their island estate. The family is celebrating the 4th of July and the patriarch’s birthday when the plants and animals of the swamp start killing them one by one. I already told you this is an eco-horror film, so you can probably guess why nature is getting revenge on the family. And while this isn’t a particularly scary movie in the traditional sense, there are a lot of ominous shots of frogs and other animals.
I can’t tell you that this is what people would consider ‘good’, but I can tell you that I have watched it several times and always have a blast. It is corny in all the best ways, with over the top characters and just so many insane deaths. A guy shoots himself on accident, moss traps him, and tarantulas kill him. A lady gets freaked by baby gators, falls into a pool of leeches, and then dies by a rattlesnake. Is this where a rattlesnake lives? No, but fuck you it’s sick as hell. Gators, lizards, moths, turtles, eagles–they’re all here, man. If this sounds good to you, celebrate our shitty country’s 250th year of misery by watching this movie.