'Gator Bait (1973)

Desiree lives deep in the swamp and supports herself and her siblings by poaching. Ben and deputy Billy hope to get a little sexual comfort from the "Cajun swamp rat" when they catch ... See full summary »

Directors:

Beverly Sebastian, Ferd Sebastian

Writer:

Beverly Sebastian (original story and screenplay)

Stars:

Claudia Jennings, Sam Gilman, Douglas Dirkson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Claudia Jennings	...	Desiree Thibodeau
Sam Gilman	...	T.J. Bracken
Douglas Dirkson	...	Leroy Bracken (as Doug Dirkson)
Clyde Ventura	...	Deputy - Billy Boy
Bill Thurman	...	Sheriff Joe Bob Thomas
Don Baldwin	...	Pete Bracken
Ben Sebastian	...	Ben Bracken
Janit Baldwin	...	Julie
Tracy Sebastian	...	Big T

Storyline

Desiree lives deep in the swamp and supports herself and her siblings by poaching. Ben and deputy Billy hope to get a little sexual comfort from the "Cajun swamp rat" when they catch Desiree trapping 'gators, and give chase. Desiree outsmarts them but Billy accidentally shoots Ben and tells his sheriff dad that Desiree did it. Ben's dad and sons join them in the search party and quickly get out of control. Soon the hunters become the hunted as Desiree exacts her revenge for their violence against her family.

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Plot Keywords:

attempted rape | female nudity | murder of sister | hixploitation | swamp | 

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Taglines:

Swamp Behind -- Hell Ahead!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gator Bait

Filming Locations:

Caddo Lake, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sebastian Films Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The bulk of this movie was shot with a hand-held camera.

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Quotes

Deputy - Billy Boy: Gonna stop 'em, T.J.?
T.J. Bracken: Ain't no business o' mine. Boys'll be boys. 'Sides, they ain't gonna do nothin' she wouldn't want 'em to do.

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Alternate Versions

The 1986 UK video version was cut by 3 minutes 8 secs and heavily reduced the murder of Julie. The US video appears to be uncut.

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Connections

Followed by Gatorbait II: Cajun Justice (1988)

User Reviews

Not quite as pathetic as it looks.

The cover of ‘Gator Bait makes it look like a ridiculous, mindless film with few redeeming qualities other than an abundance of inexplicable nudity. While there is nudity in the film (and unnecessary nudity, at that), it is a relatively low quantity of it, and there are even a few elements of the film that were well done – even if extremely few.

The acting on all parts was just awful, but some performances were less idiotic than others. While it's true that the line `Boys will be boys' was uttered in response to an attempted rape, and one of the men attempting to capture Desiree actually SHOOK HIS FIST at her in one scene, it's not entirely the actors' faults that this movie was impossible to take seriously. Nope, even if ineffectively, all of the actors delivered honest performances – it's the SCREENWRITER that should be drug out into the street and shot. And the cinematographer was no genius either. The day-for-night photography was some of the worst I've ever seen – even worse than that seen in Dr. No, which was filmed 14 years earlier than ‘Gator Bait. Also, there is so much ridiculous dialogue in this movie that it becomes a form of comic relief in itself (`Leroy, you pick that boy up or I'm gonna blow yer head off!'). And I better not even get started on Desiree's laughable lines.

It's no secret that ‘Gator Bait is cheese. Everything about the film is ugly – especially those damn actors. Some of these guys are so ugly that sometimes it's hard to believe that they're real people. But despite this, they make for an effective team of angry (and excessively horny) rednecks, and the way that they get picked off one by one by this country girl not only provides an ironic bit of an interesting story, but also illustrates the extent of their collective stupidity. In the final shot of the film, with Pa standing in the swamp, the camera tilts slowly down to his reflection on the water, providing an unexpected hint toward meaningful direction.

But for the most part, this is garbage. You just can't take something like this seriously at all. Let me put it in the immortal words of the great Sam Gerard, `Who's the ugliest, dumbest, most inbred country son of a bitch out here?' Well, whoever that person is, he or she is sure to get a kick out of ‘Gator Bait.