Tracking the legend of Lockjaw in the new monster movie, ‘Creature’

If you turn off your brain and let Creature win you over, the monster flick can be quite enjoyable. It uses every single cliche in the horror book. From its premise to its execution, there’s not much original content in the movie. However, the cast and creative team are able to pay tribute to the great monster films of the past with their strange legend of Lockjaw, and for that it proves to be a pulsating scarefest.

Creature begins like most horror movies: A group of young, good-looking 20-somethings head out for a ride to nowhereland. This time the setting is Louisiana’s bayou, where the alligators are rampant and the spiders are nice and furry. They stop at a local general store — yet another cliche — and learn the legend of a strange Bigfoot-type creature that stalks the local woods. The backstory on the monstrosity is that he’s some type of half-man, half-alligator who is eternally looking for a new bride.

Intrigued by the legend, the group decides to head into the woods and take a closer look. It doesn’t take long for Lockjaw to attack and each victim to be picked off and chewed up.

There’s not much characterization among the group members. The men have muscles. The women take off their shirts. It’s all standard genre stuff. Mehcad Brooks and Serinda Swan are tagged early on as the couple that will probably last until the end, but don’t expect any cookie-cutter plot points in Creature. Lockjaw will go after anyone and everyone who falls within his path.

Sid Haig is funny and memorable as the proprietor of the general store. Just looking at the man can send chills up and down the spine. But he’s not the scariest part of Creature; that distinction would have to go to Daniel Bernhardt’s portrayal of Grimley, the man who becomes Lockjaw. The creature in Creature is a fairly terrifying creation. He sports scales like an alligator, but his jaw is something from a Halloween shop. Taken together, he’s a lean, mean, bone-splitting machine.

The movie is mostly bearable, but it has fallen under a tremendous amount of criticism. Some argue that it was the worst movie of 2011. Apparently these people didn’t catch The Hangover Part II. Creature is no Shakespeare, but it’s far from the worst. It probably is better suited as a Syfy Original Movie, one of those Roger Corman gorefests that appear on Saturday night. As a standard entry at the multiplex, it feels rather weak.

The strongest parts are the campy scenes where everyone knows exactly what will happen. Watching characters make bad choices and then pay the ultimate consequence always makes for unusual entertainment.

The weakest part, of which there are many candidates, comes with the needless incest/backwoods/let’s-find-him-a-bride storyline. It’s creepy, gross and adds nothing to the creature feature.

The movie, directed by Fred M. Andrews, is at its mediocre best when Lockjaw is on the screen, stalking his prey and getting ready for the next victim. He’s a slithery, slimy, terrifying monster — one that is not quickly forgotten.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Creature

• 2011

• Directed by Fred M. Andrews

• Written by Andrews and Tracy Morse

• Starring Mehcad Brooks, Serinda Swan, Dillon Casey, Lauren Schneider, Aaron Hill, Amanda Fuller, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Daniel Bernhardt and Sid Haig

• Running time: 93 minutes

• Rated R for bloody violence and grisly images, some sexual content, graphic nudity, language and brief drug use

• Rating: