Review by Jon Donnis
Not since Lake Placid has we had a truly great Alligator/Crocodile type film, well The Flood tries it's best to do just that, but does it succeed? Read onto find out.
The Flood begins with Sommer (played by Devanny Pinn) and Clarence (played by John Garrett Mahlmeister) seeking shelter from Hurricane Clarence in an abandoned building. While they hope it will shield them from the rain, they soon discover that the storm isn't the most menacing aspect of their situation.
Both the criminals and the sheriffs soon learn that the torrential floodwaters have attracted a horde of ravenous alligators to the town. The alligators have capitalized on the storm's aftermath to infiltrate the small town, including the jail, and now everyone finds themselves in a deadly hunt for survival.
Simultaneously, the storm forces a bus carrying a group of dangerous criminals, Big Jim (portrayed by Eoin O'Brien), Floyd (played by Mike Ferguson), Jox (played by Randall J. Bacon), Angelo (played by Bear Williams), and Russel Cody (played by Casper Van Dien), to seek refuge overnight in a simple jail in a small town. The jail is overseen by Sheriff Jo Newman (played by Nicky Whelan).
This is a simple and straightforward creature horror film, the alligators are a creature that we can all recognise, and are aware of, so act as the perfect bad guys in this film, although I have to admit I was cheering them on for most of the film.
At about 88 minutes the length is fine, but this is a low budget film, so as such you are not going to get high quality CGI, and much of the film is shot indoors. The actors do their best, and I thought Nicky Whelan was great as the Sherrif.
The Good
Although the budget is very low, everyone does their best, the alligators look ok when wondering around not interacting with anyone. The story is a simple one, easy to follow. And yes you will cheer on the alligators.
The Bad
The low budget really does hurt the film, some of the alligator attacks look a bit dodgy.
Overall
Ok, this is a simple horror film with alligators, it does deliver on what it promises, even with the low budget.
I will give The Flood a very generous 7/10, putting all the limitations into perspective.
Out on Apple TV at https://apple.co/43ylJCO and Amazon at https://amzn.to/44pZgt0
