It lives 50 feet beneath the city. It's 36 feet long. It weighs 2,000 pounds...And it's about to break out!
A baby alligator is flushed down a toilet and survives by eating discarded lab animals that have been injected with growth hormones. The now gigantic animal escapes the city sewers and goes on a rampage, pursued by a cop and a big-game hunter.
Alligator (1980) is a horror, science fiction and thriller film directed by Lewis Teague, released on November 14, 1980 with a runtime of 1h 31m. It stars Robert Forster, Robin Riker, Michael V. Gazzo and Dean Jagger. Viewers rate it 6.0 out of 10 across 400 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Alligator before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Alligator.
Trailer
Featurette
Featurette
Robert Forster
as David
Robin Riker
as Marisa
Michael V. Gazzo
as Chief Clark
Dean Jagger
as Slade
Sydney Lassick
as Gutchel
Jack Carter
as Mayor
Perry Lang
as Kelly
Henry Silva
as Brock
Bart Braverman
as Kemp
John Lisbon Wood
as Mad Bomber
James Ingersoll
as Helms
Robert Doyle
as Bill
Directed by Lewis Teague, written by John Sayles, John Sayles and Frank Ray Perilli, produced by Brandon Chase and Mark L. Rosen.
Average viewer score of 6.0/10 from 400 ratings.
Genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. The best giant croc (Well I mean, it's an alligator, but in terms of what you can do with them in a horror movie, they're really the same thing) creature feature I've seen since _Rogue_. I wish someone was still making movies like this. _Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._
Reviewed on February 14, 2018
**_An oversized alligator from the sewers of Chicago breaks loose_** A baby alligator is flushed down the toilet in Chicago and mutates to great size from eating chemically contaminated dog carcasses in the sewers. A policeman (Robert Forster) and a beautiful reptile expert (Robin Riker) team-up to track down the beast when it escapes the sewers and preys on citizens. “Alligator” (1980) is kind of boring for the…
Reviewed on July 9, 2018
It's snappy. After an irate father flushes down the toilet his daughter's baby alligator, the creature feeds on dumped animals that have been tested with a growth hormone. Thus the gator grows into a 36 foot long monster that promptly terrorises Chicago. With a rather witty John Sayles script, tidy effects work and Lewis Teague's knowingly "B" movie direction, Alligator turns out to be one of the better post Jaws…
Reviewed on April 13, 2020
Not great but semi-entertaining monster-horror film has its moments and like seeing Robert Forster in the lead. Some of the effects were on the goofy side when it came to the alligator but still for its time I thought it was alright. **3.0/5**
Reviewed on March 2, 2022
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Alligator (1980) is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Philo, Shudder, Night Flight Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus and Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Alligator (1980) includes Robert Forster, Robin Riker, Michael V. Gazzo, Dean Jagger and Sydney Lassick. The film was directed by Lewis Teague. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Alligator was released on November 14, 1980 and runs for 1h 31m.
Alligator (1980) holds an average rating of 6.0 out of 10 from 400 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy horror, science fiction and thriller films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Alligator trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
