'Gator Bait (1974)

Half Animal .. All Woman 

'Gator Bait

I've been reviewing quite a few horror movies lately so I thought I'd change things up a little with one of my favorite grindhouse sub-genres, hixploitation.

Exploitation films are often criticized for their graphic depictions of violence and abuse against women, but these women are often the most powerful figures in these films.  The men are portrayed as incompetent buffoons who are slaves to their primitive urges.  The women - usually to get revenge against their abusers - exploit the idiocy and the uncontrolled sexual urges of their male oppressors to triumph in the end.  'Gator Bait is one of these films.  I certainly wouldn't call it a feminist film but is does showcase a strong independent woman as the lead character.

'Gator Bait is essentially the tale of a Cajun girl's revenge against a group of redneck men in the swamps of Louisiana.  Desiree Thibodeau (Claudia Jennings) is a barefoot trapper/poacher who wears a burlap sack as a shirt and steals from traplines in the swamp to feed herself, her sister and little brother.

"Get off my lawn."

Her Cajun family has lived there for generations and the sheriff looks the other way because of that fact.  His deputy son and his hillbilly friend have other ideas.  They set up a trap to catch Desiree poaching so that they can sexually blackmail her into giving them some sugar to avoid jail time.  Things go wrong.  After a boat chase, Desiree throws a sack of poisonous snakes into their boat.  In a panic, the deputy decides that that best course of action is to shoot the snakes, the hillbilly falls overboard and the deputy accidentally shoots his friend in the head.  He then lies to the sheriff and hillbilly's family and says that Desiree shot the guy and sank the boat.  They seek revenge.  After a search they find Desiree's home in the swamp, sexually assault and kill her sister and then burn the place down.  Now Desiree goes after the men, toying with them until they turn on themselves, then letting the perils of her native swamp take care of them.  The ones she doesn't shoot, that is.

I don't care what anyone says, 'Gator Bait is a good movie.  It's not as campy as one might expect and not nearly as graphic as some other grindhouse revenge films, but still, it's a fun little romp through the swamp.

Violence Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Booby Rating: 2.5 out of 5