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Creature From The Hillbilly Lagoon
[Shock-O-Rama]
2007; color
Directed by Richard Griffin
Starring: Andrew Vellenoweth, Tanith Fiedler, William Decoff, Heather Christine & V. Orion Delwaterman
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When I first got a gander at the box cover of this movie I was excited about watching it; and, at the same time, I was dreading watching it. Both my fears and expectations were lived up to as Creature From The Hillbilly Lagoon delivered and disappointed in a number of ways. Utilizing the tried-and-true 'toxic dumping = hideous killer mutants' equation, director / writer Richard Griffin spins an often unfocused yarn that manages to somehow tie in enviro-friendly college students, hillbillies, rednecks, mutant killer man-fish (that's plural), the Feds, and a whole other handful of godknowswhat into a relatively watchable, yet almost unbearably unfocused horror flick. While it's not completely wince-free as far as the acting goes, a couple of the ensemble offer up an acceptable slasher film level of acting that allows the film to retain at least a little redeemability. As far plot goes, if you're at all familiar with any of the — ahem — mutations of the above cited equation, then you know pretty much what you're in for. For those unfamiliar with this basic premise (there can't possibly be that many of you reading this but...) you'll have to look elsewhere for a detailed plot synopsis. Despite the fact there are at least eight different storylines (there might be more than a dozen for all I know; at a certain point I honestly lost track), you do get a healthy amount of creature-riffic action with yokels turned into mutant fish freaks that kill anyone and everyone in their sights. (As a side note, I also love how they manage to convey that there are a number of creatures roaming about the area in question, yet they only show one at a time so there's actually only one costume that keeps getting re-used.) Of all the subplots, my favorite has to be the redneck sheriff's horny redneck daughter, who gets a Troy McClure-like fixation on one of the college students who's been bitten by a fish creature and is transforming into a man-fish. Once she sets her eyes on him, she's "going to Seaworld, baby!" much to Daddy's dismay. Not to worry, Daddy'll be dead soon enough. In fact, every major and minor character dies except for the sheriff's daughter and her newfound love, and a thrown-together couple of college students. (One of whom is actually an employee of the chemical company who polluted the lake and caused the mutations in the first place… don't ask.) Paring this down by, say, 20 minutes, would have helped but for that to happen you would have to have fewer subplots, which kind of brings us back to problem one. Not unwatchable, but swim in this lagoon at your own risk.
—the Kommandant
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