Lake Placid (film series)

Lore & Background

The series began with Lake Placid (1999), directed by Steve Miner, in which a massive crocodile terrorizes Black Lake, Maine, and a group including a paleontologist, sheriff, and wildlife expert must stop it. The creature is eventually linked to reclusive owner Delores Bickerman. The film's animatronic crocodile, built by Stan Winston Studios, was 30 feet long, covered in water-resistant urethane, and operated underwater via waterproofed hydraulics. According to director Steve Miner, Stan Winston began building the croc before financing was secured, spending nearly a million dollars on it. When the project had been rejected by all studios, producer Mike Medavoy brought French investors to see the animatronic in action, and its performance convinced them to fund the film, leading to Fox picking it up.

Reader's Guide

The Lake Placid series is significant as a long-running direct-to-television horror franchise that maintained a consistent premise—giant crocodiles in a remote lake—while introducing variations such as a crossover with the Anaconda series. The original film's production story, in which Stan Winston's animatronic crocodile effectively sold the project to investors, highlights the importance of practical effects in securing film financing. The series also features the recurring Bickerman family (except in the 2018 film Lake Placid: Legacy, which acts as a direct sequel to the 1999 film and ignores the other sequels). The franchise's legacy includes two promotional video games, Lake Placid: Croc Drop (1999) and Lake Placid 2: Croc Alley (2007).

Did You Know?

• Stan Winston Studios built a 30-foot animatronic crocodile for the original film, covered in water-resistant urethane and operated with waterproofed hydraulics.
• The original film had been turned down by all studios before Fox picked it up after French investors saw the animatronic croc in action.
• Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015) is a crossover with the Anaconda film series.
• Lake Placid: Legacy (2018) ignores the other four sequels and acts as a direct sequel to the 1999 film.