‘Crocs on the dock. Snakes on the lake.’
Lake Placid vs. Anaconda is a 2015 action horror film in which a giant crocodile battles a super-sized snake.
Directed by A.B. Stone from a screenplay by Berkeley Anderson (Robocroc; Monster Ark; S.S. Doomtrooper).
The made-for-TV movie stars Robert Englund, Yancy Butler (previous two Lake Placid films; Shark Week; Hansel & Gretel Get Baked), Skye Lourie and Corin Nemec (Sand Sharks; Rise of the Dinosaurs; Haunted: 333).
Plot:
A giant alligator battles with a giant anaconda snake. The town sheriff must find a way to destroy the two monsters before they kill the whole town…
Review:
Lake Placid vs. Anaconda is a bit of a tribute to such classic monster movies as King Kong vs. Godzilla and … well, any other movie where Godzilla ended up fighting another big monster. In this case, it’s a battle between the giant crocodiles from the Lake Placid films and the giant snakes from the Anaconda films. However, it’s not much of a battle. The crocodiles don’t meet the snakes until the last 20 minutes of the film and the battle pretty much ends in a draw.
Instead, the majority of the film deals with the typical collection of SyFy character types trying to escape from the beach and surrounding wilderness without getting devoured. There’s a group of sorority girls, all of whom are slaves to the hilariously bitchy Tiffani (Laura Dale, who appears to be having a lot of fun with her role). There’s the tough, no-nonsense Sheriff (Yancy Butler), who always seems to be on the verge of declaring that she’s “too old for this …. shit!” There’s the forest ranger (Corin Nemec) who is trying to rescue his daughter, who happens to be one of the sorority girls.
My favourite group, however, was a group of mercenaries hired by Sarah Murdoch (Annabel Wright), the evil CEO of Wexel Pharmaceuticals. Sarah is so evil that she even talks about her evil plans while casually undressing in front of her subordinates. Now, I have to be honest. I have sat through this movie twice and I’m still not quite sure what Sarah’s evil plan actually was. It involved a blood orchid and capturing an anaconda. But, regardless of what the actual scheme was, Sarah and the mercenaries were so melodramatic that it was impossible not to be entertained by them.
Anyway, Lake Placid vs. Anaconda takes way too long to get the creatures on screen together and the final battle is a bit of a letdown. Fortunately, however, Robert Englund is there to joyfully chew up all the scenery until the crocodiles and the snakes arrive. Englund plays a crocodile hunter. He drinks too much, he talks too much, and 
he’s missing an eye, a leg, and an arm. The former Freddy appears to be having a lot of fun playing the role and he’s the best thing about this movie.
Lake Placid vs. Anaconda can’t compare to any of the excellent shark films that often premiere on SyFy but it’s worth seeing for Annabel Wright and Robert Englund.
Lisa Marie Bowman – check out more of Lisa’s reviews at Through the Shattered Lens
Choice dialogue:
Jim Bickerman [Robert Englund]: “You do realise she’s a sociopath, right?”
Reba [Yancy Butler]: “Looks like your extraction team just got extracted.”
Cast and characters:
Corin Nemec … Tull; Yancy Butler … Reba; Skye Lourie … Bethany; Robert Englund … Jim Bickerman; Annabel Wright … Sarah Murdoch; Oliver Walker … Deputy Ferguson; Laura Dale … Tiffani; Ali Eagle … Margo; Georgia Jay … Jennifer (as Georgina Philipps); Heather Gilbert … Jane; Jenny May Darcy … Melissa; Nigel Barber … Mayor; Kalina Stoimenova … Megan; Carolina Bratanova … Heather; Sophia Lorenti … Amber; Vanessa Dimitrova … Cassie; Deni Tsvetkova … Angela; Luke Dinchev … Andrew; Anton Poriazov … Brett; David Roth … Earl; Adara Stone … Margi; Derek Morse … Bartender; Velislav Pavlov … First Scientist; Nikolay Bakalov … Second Scientist; Jason Small … Coroner; Isaac Haig … Jason; Natasha Jane Pyne … Daphne
Filming locations:
Bulgaria
LAKE PLACID 3 (2010) Reviews and overview
LAKE PLACID: THE FINAL CHAPTER Reviews and free to watch on YouTube
Lake Placid movies timeline:
MOVIES & MANIA provides previews of new films, our own movie reviews/ratings, and links to other reviews from trustworthy recommended sources - all in one handy web location. Plus, links to legitimately watch 1000s OF MOVIES FREE ONLINE via platforms such as Amazon Prime, Plex, Roku, Tubi and on YouTube. As an Amazon Associate, we earn a very tiny amount from any qualifying purchases.