Folks in the Louisiana bayou have their hands full after some scientists inject a nutria (basically a swamp rat) with some human hormones which results in Nutriaman, a human sized nutria that likes to kill people. Insert your own "nutria-itious" joke. Somehow I can imagine exactly how this regional oddity came about. Two guys are fishing, one sees a nutria and says, "Dang! Can you imagine if that thing grew to be as big as us?" Tada! This could have been better than it is, but the filmmakers decide to hide the monster and skimp on the exploitation elements, putting it firmly in the company of stuff like DEATH CURSE OF TARTU. The film does a lot of shooting in the swamps but is cheap when we get to land (the sheriff always meets people in the local Ramada Inn dining room!?!). Amazingly, this took two director to make it - Martin Folse, who did nothing else, and Joe Catalanotto, who made something a year later deliciously titled FRENCH QUARTER UNDERCOVER. To the film's credit, it does contain my favorite billing of the year ("And introducing Michael Tedesco as T-Bob"). One also has to appreciate their pimping of the leading man, Billy Holiday, on the VHS cover in an attempt to fool jazz- loving horror fans.
13 Reviews
Booooring...
Nullness15 March 2004
This movie is really really borrrrring. I like crappy monster movies, but this one has nothing to offer. No gimmicks, no nudity, no gore, nada. Basically it's a lot of waiting for something to happen and when it does happen (for 2 seconds), you may blink and miss it. There's so little going on in this movie, I stopped listening to it 15 minutes it. The cover shows the only scene of gore in the movie (some ten minutes into it), and you might as well stop it right then, because the only time you ever see the monster (for like 1 second) it turns out to just be a gorilla suit. So if you want to see something campy, don't watch this. It just sucks and is really borring, and a good waste of explosions.
Where's Dick Durock When You Need Him?
Zantara Xenophobe13 June 2001
Warning: Spoilers
Warning: There may be some SPOILERS in this review, so don't read on if you plan on seeing this, which is something I would advise against.
Before we begin, let it be said that no good movie has ever taken place in a swamp. There are numerous examples, like `Dark Universe' and the `Swamp Thing' movies (though the television series was good). Here again we see the ineffective use of one of nature's most ugly places. That said, let's see exactly what it is we've got here. Well, it seems like we've got another creature-on-the-loose horror film. These movies don't have to be bad, but in this case we are given the shaft thanks to poor acting, a lousy script, and rotten direction. The latter especially destroys any chance of enjoyment, and this is most clearly evident in the many scenes where we are supposed to be seeing through the creatures eyes as it sloshes through the swamp, howls, and wastes time. These scenes are boring and contain some obvious jump-cuts. They tend to result in the creature sneaking up on redneck poachers and killing them for the heck of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to the lowering of the population of redneck poachers, but if it is this dull to do, forget about it. You basically get to see the creature's point of view as it sneaks up on the rednecks, but then the scene ends right before the violence. Let it be said that this technique is NEVER effective. I hold `The Hand' and `Jurassic Park' as examples. Anyhow, I fell asleep the first time I tried to watch it, and I had to rewind the tape and try again the next night. I shouldn't have, because it just got worse. The movie follows various characters. First there are two huge redneck poacher brothers. One is big and stupid, the other is big and just a little smarter than his brother. Whenever the creature is not around, these two are bullying innocent fishermen or yuking it up with tired comedy, like the non-funny scene where the stupider brother forgets to untie a boat and his brother yells at him. I know I was on the floor laughing! Just AT the movie and not WITH it. Let it be said that no horror movie with a dumb obese guy as comedy relief is ever great, just look at `Leprechaun' for proof, which isn't as bad as people say, but is seriously flawed. There's also a scientist and his spastic assistant that are responsible for the creature's existence. They took some creature called a `nutria' and spliced human DNA into it and turned it into a man-beast. Why? To get more fur out of it, of course! These two guys are working for a company called the Central American Fur Company. No, I am not kidding, that was its name. You know all about those Central Americans and their need for fur, don't you! These two guys wander around and offer all the rednecks in the nearby town a huge reward for the live capture of the creature, which sends a reckless group of rednecks whooping and hollering in their boats as they guzzle beer. The long, drawn out scenes with rednecks cruising about, causing trouble is enough to send shivers down the strongest of spines. These scenes are also the worst and most pointless scenes in the film, so you are advised to skip them. The main character, on the other hand, wants to bring order to the town. He works with the police, but is really just a game warden. Let it be said that no film where the main character is a game warden is any good. I hold up as examples----well----I can't think of any that exist. Since the screenplay never tries to develop this character, we are bored by his presence. Not that the creature or the rest of the cast is any more exciting. When the film is thankfully over, you're left scratching your head as to why it was concluded in such a stupid and sloppy manner.
When all is said and done, there isn't much to offer here. Everyone will be bothered by the lousy production design and script. There isn't much violence to appease the horror crowd----heck, you don't even get a clear look at the creature. People looking for a good story are not going to get one here. People looking for a good laugh sure aren't going to get one from the big brothers. Even people that rent cheap horror movies for trashy T&A won't have anything to look at. Despite being set in the South and in the swamp, there's only one woman in the cast, and those people won't want to see her in a bathing suit, which thankfully doesn't happen anyway. If you want a good movie about a giant creature, go check out the 1994 film `The Dark' or `Watchers.' If you want a horror movie with a huge man who is scary and not funny, check out `Slaughterhouse' or `Alone in the Dark.' If you want a film about a heroic game warden---well---you're on your own on that one. Zantara's score: 1 out of 10.
Before we begin, let it be said that no good movie has ever taken place in a swamp. There are numerous examples, like `Dark Universe' and the `Swamp Thing' movies (though the television series was good). Here again we see the ineffective use of one of nature's most ugly places. That said, let's see exactly what it is we've got here. Well, it seems like we've got another creature-on-the-loose horror film. These movies don't have to be bad, but in this case we are given the shaft thanks to poor acting, a lousy script, and rotten direction. The latter especially destroys any chance of enjoyment, and this is most clearly evident in the many scenes where we are supposed to be seeing through the creatures eyes as it sloshes through the swamp, howls, and wastes time. These scenes are boring and contain some obvious jump-cuts. They tend to result in the creature sneaking up on redneck poachers and killing them for the heck of it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to the lowering of the population of redneck poachers, but if it is this dull to do, forget about it. You basically get to see the creature's point of view as it sneaks up on the rednecks, but then the scene ends right before the violence. Let it be said that this technique is NEVER effective. I hold `The Hand' and `Jurassic Park' as examples. Anyhow, I fell asleep the first time I tried to watch it, and I had to rewind the tape and try again the next night. I shouldn't have, because it just got worse. The movie follows various characters. First there are two huge redneck poacher brothers. One is big and stupid, the other is big and just a little smarter than his brother. Whenever the creature is not around, these two are bullying innocent fishermen or yuking it up with tired comedy, like the non-funny scene where the stupider brother forgets to untie a boat and his brother yells at him. I know I was on the floor laughing! Just AT the movie and not WITH it. Let it be said that no horror movie with a dumb obese guy as comedy relief is ever great, just look at `Leprechaun' for proof, which isn't as bad as people say, but is seriously flawed. There's also a scientist and his spastic assistant that are responsible for the creature's existence. They took some creature called a `nutria' and spliced human DNA into it and turned it into a man-beast. Why? To get more fur out of it, of course! These two guys are working for a company called the Central American Fur Company. No, I am not kidding, that was its name. You know all about those Central Americans and their need for fur, don't you! These two guys wander around and offer all the rednecks in the nearby town a huge reward for the live capture of the creature, which sends a reckless group of rednecks whooping and hollering in their boats as they guzzle beer. The long, drawn out scenes with rednecks cruising about, causing trouble is enough to send shivers down the strongest of spines. These scenes are also the worst and most pointless scenes in the film, so you are advised to skip them. The main character, on the other hand, wants to bring order to the town. He works with the police, but is really just a game warden. Let it be said that no film where the main character is a game warden is any good. I hold up as examples----well----I can't think of any that exist. Since the screenplay never tries to develop this character, we are bored by his presence. Not that the creature or the rest of the cast is any more exciting. When the film is thankfully over, you're left scratching your head as to why it was concluded in such a stupid and sloppy manner.
When all is said and done, there isn't much to offer here. Everyone will be bothered by the lousy production design and script. There isn't much violence to appease the horror crowd----heck, you don't even get a clear look at the creature. People looking for a good story are not going to get one here. People looking for a good laugh sure aren't going to get one from the big brothers. Even people that rent cheap horror movies for trashy T&A won't have anything to look at. Despite being set in the South and in the swamp, there's only one woman in the cast, and those people won't want to see her in a bathing suit, which thankfully doesn't happen anyway. If you want a good movie about a giant creature, go check out the 1994 film `The Dark' or `Watchers.' If you want a horror movie with a huge man who is scary and not funny, check out `Slaughterhouse' or `Alone in the Dark.' If you want a film about a heroic game warden---well---you're on your own on that one. Zantara's score: 1 out of 10.
The Rednecks are more scary than the monster
Maciste_Brother27 July 2007
TERROR IN THE SWAMP was most likely greenlighted after the success of LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK, which spawn a new genre and a slew of films that have to do, more or less, with Bigfoot or Sasquatch, or other such mysterious creatures from the cryptozoology field. Unlike BOGGY CREEK, which, in its amateurish way, really scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid, TERROR IN THE SWAMP has absolutely no scary scene in it whatsoever. In fact, the Rednecks populating the landscape are more frightening than the poor bipedal hairy thing that lurks in the swamp.
Now, I don't know if this was meant as some sort of post-modern statement by the makers of this film (I doubt it) but if you call a movie TERROR IN THE SWAMP and sell it as a horror film of sorts but the human characters in it are more frightening than the actual monster advertised on the poster, well there's really something wrong here and I call it false advertising. As a fan of Bigfoot, I needed to see this film. But if you're not a Bigfoot completist, skip it. Your time is worth much more than seeing fat Rednecks arguing, drinking moonshine or blowing up mysterious creatures.
Now, I don't know if this was meant as some sort of post-modern statement by the makers of this film (I doubt it) but if you call a movie TERROR IN THE SWAMP and sell it as a horror film of sorts but the human characters in it are more frightening than the actual monster advertised on the poster, well there's really something wrong here and I call it false advertising. As a fan of Bigfoot, I needed to see this film. But if you're not a Bigfoot completist, skip it. Your time is worth much more than seeing fat Rednecks arguing, drinking moonshine or blowing up mysterious creatures.
hoo boy
eileenmchenry1 February 2004
I am loath to give such low marks to a movie but I had to vote "1" on this one. It was just so very lame. The acting was stilted and choppy, the soundtrack was just awful with very sloppy dubbing and randomly-placed music, and above all, there was very little to be seen of Nutriaman, who appeared to be more of a tallish baboon than anything else. I got quite a few laughs out of this one, but not for the reasons the filmmakers might have intended.
no thrills here, but plenty of moustache templates
divi-nation21 October 2012
This movie was purchased for 69 cents at a thrift store and we got about 20 minutes into the movie before we agreed that it was a bad watch. That being said, the idea for the movie might be a neat story for a Hollywood remake at some point with someone like Rob Zombie at the helm who might appreciate this sort of camp. Here's the gist, a mutant rodent is out in the swamp killing people. However, a humorous audience will find plenty of 80' s fashion and facial hair to keep you interested for as long as that's your bag. the music is wacky and fun, the cinematography is at times a little "Evil Dead" and the characters keep you missing the Burt Reynolds look. Overall, pretty bad-and not even in a cool way.
Houma Pride!
suzycock22 March 2006
This gem was shot in the swamps of houma, Louisiana, not even an hour from new Orleans. if you can find this rare horror flick i do suggest giving it a chance. If you are a fan of B horror films then this should do the job. it's about a half man / half nutria that kills people.. thats all i will say about the story.. the acting is awesome.. there is a scientist/doctor? character in the movie that has all of his lines poorly over dubed.. no one else but him received the overdubs. it's pretty funny. and if you pay attention there is a mistake in the editing towards the end of the movie that films are doin now a days to be hip.. but Terror in the Swamp started this trend!! don't be fooled!
For lovers of Sasquatch cinema, um... only... not a Sasquatch. But who cares?
burn241229 June 2005
This film gets a bad rep because the acting sucks, and, well... it just generally sucks, but people seem to disregard the presence of a miscast Sasquatch. Now the filmmakers would have you believe that this is in fact a giant Nutra (some type of swamp rat), and not a Quatch, but I say OH PLEASE! This is obviously a Bigfoot creature and is reminiscent (the creature, not the film) of the Creature from Black Lake. And besides, who the hell wants to see a film about a giant Nutra? This film needs to be brought to DVD. Come on you rich bastards, some cheap re-shoots, and a bit of creative editing and you have a classic Quath in the swamp stalk N slash. I keep this film amongst my Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti collection. If you have an affinity for the like then you too should peruse this gem.
Fun, campy swamp fest!
LONGSTON8 September 2001
This is a return to the 'nature gone bad' genre of horror films. Lots of great atmosphere in the movie. It's "The Legend of Boggy Creek" and "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" meet "Creature From the Black Lagoon." I loved the authentic cajun characters and accents in the movie. A lot of eerie swamp footage. I recommend this one.
Bigfoot of Louisiana swamps.
HumanoidOfFlesh18 July 2010
"Nutriaman:The Copasaw Creature":who could resist watching the film with such glorious title?A giant mutated nutria is terrorizing Louisiana swamps killing various moonshine drinking yokels,trappers and poachers.The Copasaw bayou is seen through the eyes of the monster.Only the pair of scientists know the truth because they want to create some sort of supernutria for the fur industry.Of course their latest experiment goes wrong.The victims are killed by nutria.Nutriaman or the creature from Copasaw bayou is rarely shown.The acting is pretty good and two fat redneck brothers are fun to watch.An enjoyable monster flick.6 nutrias out of 10.
Another genetic mutation runs amuck
lor_23 February 2023
My review was written in July 1985 after watching the movie on New World video cassette.
"Terror in the Swamp" is a tame horror picture available as a video cassette, bypassing domestic theatrical release. Filmed in Houma, Louisiana, in 1983, pic is typical of low-budget, regional horror filmmaking but is rather skimpy in the shocks and violence area.
The late Billy Holliday, who resembles Dabney Coleman on screen, worte and toplines as game warden Frank. He finds a mangled body on the Copasaw (local swamp area), but can't figure out whether a gator or perhaps a bear killed the man. It turns out that local scientists, funded by South American backers, have been experimenting on breeding a larger nutria (a brown-furred, webbed-foot water rodent) to be used in making fur coats. Inadvertently, a mutated nutriaman has been created and is killing local folks.
While the police, Frank and military authorities hunt the critter, good ol' boys such as the very fat T-Bob (Michael Tedesco) and his brother also head toward Poacher's Cove to kill it. An unsatisfying ending has the monster burned up on a boat.
Director Joseph Catalanotto (who reteamed with Holliday on latter's final film, "French Quarter Undercover") wisely shows the nutriaman only in long shots or obscured through bushes, avoiding a revelation of a phony guy in a hairy outfit. Main interest here is the local color and interesting regional accents of the folksy cast.
"Terror in the Swamp" is a tame horror picture available as a video cassette, bypassing domestic theatrical release. Filmed in Houma, Louisiana, in 1983, pic is typical of low-budget, regional horror filmmaking but is rather skimpy in the shocks and violence area.
The late Billy Holliday, who resembles Dabney Coleman on screen, worte and toplines as game warden Frank. He finds a mangled body on the Copasaw (local swamp area), but can't figure out whether a gator or perhaps a bear killed the man. It turns out that local scientists, funded by South American backers, have been experimenting on breeding a larger nutria (a brown-furred, webbed-foot water rodent) to be used in making fur coats. Inadvertently, a mutated nutriaman has been created and is killing local folks.
While the police, Frank and military authorities hunt the critter, good ol' boys such as the very fat T-Bob (Michael Tedesco) and his brother also head toward Poacher's Cove to kill it. An unsatisfying ending has the monster burned up on a boat.
Director Joseph Catalanotto (who reteamed with Holliday on latter's final film, "French Quarter Undercover") wisely shows the nutriaman only in long shots or obscured through bushes, avoiding a revelation of a phony guy in a hairy outfit. Main interest here is the local color and interesting regional accents of the folksy cast.
Beware of the killer mutant Nutriaman!
Woodyanders2 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
One of the all-time worst and thus most oddly enjoyable "cheap rubber suit monster on the loose" nickel'n'dime low-budget fright flicks to crawl out of the bayou and slither its moronic way onto celluloid. The trite, more prosaic than a Sunday picnic story deals with your standard bunch of enthusiastic, but unethical scientists who inject a nutria -- a too cute to easily stomach kind of swamp vermin that's basically a cuddly rat -- with human hormones, which naturally results in a murderous mutant man-rat beastie (actually, it's just some luckless chowderhead chump in a very obvious and shabby fur-covered creature costume) with a decided lack of hospitality towards homo sapiens. The hideous bloodthirsty thingofabobbit goes on a nasty killing spree, bloodlessly butchering assorted no-account moonshiners, beer-swilling hillbilly hunters, and meddlesome government folk around Poacher's Cove in Houma, Louisiana like it was open season on stupid people. Pretty soon a bunch of perpetually plastered redneck sportsmen and a crack team of three Vietnam vets who always wear black sunglasses and sullen scowls on their camouflage painted faces go venturing into the murky, pungent backwoods with guns cocked and tempers flaring, eager to bag themselves a misshapen humanoid fiend. Sound good, pardner? Well, good it sure ain't, although Joe Catalanatto's all-thumbs direction, the wooden acting by a no-name cast (Who the heck is Billy Holliday?), the connect-the-dots dead simple plot, a uniformly annoying array of one-note cardboard characters (Claudia Woods is especially irritating as nutty ol' swamp hag Sally), several choice idiotic moments (e.g., two trigger-happy hicks accidentally blast the living tar out of a hapless hunter they mistake for the monster!), and the general air of all-out inanity and ineptitude make this unmitigated stinker of a picture modestly appealing and entertaining no-brainer good ol' boy creature feature fun just the same.
A twist on the Swamp Thing and Rougarou
antistu24 June 2011
If you rate this film stand alone without knowing the storyline and local folklore background its obvious sub-par. However, given the creativity on what influence it is built upon as well as the local pride to what this film represented it's above average. How can any film represent the campfire stories in a frightening sense to those who have heard these stories for years? Usually most Boogey-Men and Big-Foot type character genres prove to be more spoof and B-level at best. I think it is important to appreciate this film with more of a tongue-in-cheek.
It is important to note Wes Craven's Swamp Thing was released in 1982 around that time Alan Moore revised Len Wein's original story to shape less hero protagonist and also (most importantly) built an atmosphere/environment around the creature as home base in Terrebonne Parish, Houma, Louisiana. There are many elements to Terror in the Swamp (as we locals know it better as "Nutriaman") from the Swamp Thing. We can only assume Martin Folse was aware of this influence when he wrote the screenplay. In addition, a great deal of influence comes from local folklore of the Rougarou (also called Loup Garou and other names). The legend of this entity has been told here in the swamps since the beginning by French Settlers, Native Americans, Englishmen, and continues today. This film serves as the closest representation of visual re-creation of these stories.
Granted most B-level films actors usually require a stretch of imagination (which is vaguely a requirement of B-Level films in general). I find it noteworthy that some of the actors in this film can still be seen around town driving delivery trucks. Any kid that grew up here in the 80s will also have a degree of pride when the film hit the spotlight. I know even today, for those who experienced watching it on the big screen at Southland Mall (as I did), when you mention "Nutriaman" it always renders a smile.
It is important to note Wes Craven's Swamp Thing was released in 1982 around that time Alan Moore revised Len Wein's original story to shape less hero protagonist and also (most importantly) built an atmosphere/environment around the creature as home base in Terrebonne Parish, Houma, Louisiana. There are many elements to Terror in the Swamp (as we locals know it better as "Nutriaman") from the Swamp Thing. We can only assume Martin Folse was aware of this influence when he wrote the screenplay. In addition, a great deal of influence comes from local folklore of the Rougarou (also called Loup Garou and other names). The legend of this entity has been told here in the swamps since the beginning by French Settlers, Native Americans, Englishmen, and continues today. This film serves as the closest representation of visual re-creation of these stories.
Granted most B-level films actors usually require a stretch of imagination (which is vaguely a requirement of B-Level films in general). I find it noteworthy that some of the actors in this film can still be seen around town driving delivery trucks. Any kid that grew up here in the 80s will also have a degree of pride when the film hit the spotlight. I know even today, for those who experienced watching it on the big screen at Southland Mall (as I did), when you mention "Nutriaman" it always renders a smile.
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