‘THE FLOOD’ (2023) PROVIDES A CAJUN SPICE OF TERROR WITH THIS NEW CREATURE FEATURE
It’s crazy to believe that we live in a world where “creature features” are a common thing. Not just the typical creatures that we think of from the lands of fiction like Werewolves, Frankenstine’s Monster, or even Dracula. I am talking about the everyday creatures that could be lurking in our backyards, our zoos, hell even in our very own home. These particular “creatures” that I am referring to are ones that are pretty common. Sharks, Bears, and even something as common as “Man’s Best Friend” aka a dog (you wouldn’t believe how many films are out there with killer dogs besides “Cujo”……there is even one actually called “Man’s Best Friend”, look it up….not too bad of a film actually) that could have eyes that turn from friendly to killer in a snap.
Much like the Lady Gaga song lyrics of “born this way”, there are animals out there where it is just their nature to be predators. If anything, the biggest reason why they attack humans in horror movies, or even real life, is because we intrude on their territory. We get in the way of a killer; they are most likely going to kill us to fit their needs. We all know Jason Voorhees, right? The man is a killer shark plowing through kills just because they are there in his path. I mean he most likely has a higher kill count than a shark any day of the week.
Sometimes the path of an animal predator is unavoidable, due to circumstance or in the case of the movie I recently got to enjoy, Mother Nature at her most destructive. Recently I got a chance to check out the frightfully chaotic creature feature “The Flood”. This movie stars Casper Van Dien, Nicky Whelan, Louis Mandylor, Randy Wayne, Devanny Pinn, Ryan Francis and Kim DeLonghi. The movie was written by Chad Law and Josh Ridgway. The movie was also directed by Brandon Slagle. The synopsis for this movie is as follows:
“A horde of giant and hungry alligators is unleashed on a group of in-transit prisoners and their guards after a massive hurricane floods Louisiana.”
The concept for this movie on paper alone may sound like something that has been done many times but that is a misdirect that will prevent you from watching this 91-minute intense thrill ride. Personally, I feel that this movie adds its own unique spin on creature feature thrillers. It has a great cast of characters, the occasional jump scares here and there, as well as a foundation for a very enjoyable time. From the very start of the movie, you are dropped into a multitude of chaos with a hurricane hitting Louisiana. We stumble upon two unlikely strangers Sommer (portrayed by Devanny Pinn who recently starred in and provided some amazing skills as a first-time director with the true crime thriller “Black Mass”) and Clarence (portrayed by John Garrett Mahlmeister) who are hiding out from the storm but meet an unfortunate end by our main predatory protagonists.
The fact that this movie has a couple of kills within the first five minutes is pretty nice. I feel that some horror movies try to drag out the beginning of movies when most horror fans are there for a great story, but most of all the gore factor and action it brings. This method doesn’t always work for horror movies, but in this case, I feel it was done very well.
The 2nd and 3rd acts that happen within the movies time frame are well paced, as well as very well portrayed by all the main characters, such as Russell (portrayed by Casper Van Dien), Sheriff Jo (portrayed by Nicky Whelan), Jay (portrayed by Ryan Francis) and all the other people in this cast. Everyone brings a great contribution to this movie and the presence the story brings on screen. The best way I can describe this movie is “Con Air” meets “Lake Placid”. There is an action-packed foundation with the group of convicts that are being transported during the movie, as well as the terrifying nature that comes with the viciousness of alligators with the taste of human flesh fresh in their stomachs.
Nature can for sure cause animals to go insane, much like it can with any people. The nature element of this movie really adds much more intensity to the movie, as well as how beautiful the cinematography looks with this movie. There is gloom all around this movie with the way it is lit and also the way it is shot. I love when movies do that and when they do it right. Cinematography is not very easy, especially with any budget and the stress of working under pressure from studio executives, but that is a rant for another time.
I honestly feel this is a very enjoyable movie, not only for me but truly really anyone who is a big fan of intense thrills and also some crazy animal attacks (seriously I would rank it up there with being as awesome as Nature Is Metal on Instagram. If you haven’t seen that check it out and then you will know what I am talking about) with a really solid foundation.
The thing that stood out to me was not only the cinematography and animal attacks that I previously mentioned, but they way that each cast member uses each other’s energy to provide a really great performance on screen. I have mentioned this before in some of my reviews, but you can clearly see when the chemistry isn’t there on screen with the cast. This is definitely one of those movies where everyone had a great time working together.
Whether you see this movie in theaters (which I highly recommend as this movie is one that should be seen on the big screen) or in the relaxing environment of your home, I feel confident in saying that this will be one you will add to your collection. It will easily go with some of the greats like “Anaconda”, “Lake Placid” or even some of those more on the silly side like the “Sharknado” franchise. This genre may be one that most people enjoy but there are many out there who really love a good animal villain on screen. I truly loved this movie and highly suggest you give it a try.
“The Flood” is now available in theaters and VOD now. Be sure to check out my newest episode of my podcast “I Love Horror” with one of the stars of this movie Devanny Pinn, which will be available on all podcast platforms next week. Be sure to follow my podcast’s Instagram page @I_Love_Horror_Podcast for updates on this upcoming episode and more.
Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following MacabreDaily on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
