'Gator Bait (1973)


Beverly and Ferd Sebastian were a husband-and-wife filmmaking team.  Making their first films in the 1960s, Beverly branched out into writing scripts, bringing the whole production business further in-house.  Besides her and her husband, their children and other relatives would often appear in their movies, which were general drive-in fare and exploitation films.

One of those films they made was The Single Girls, a movie about swingers being stalked by a killer, and one of the members of the cast was Claudia Jennings, who happened to be Playmate of the Month in 1970.  She had been building her acting career since getting noticed in Playboy and asked Beverly once The Single Girls was complete if she could write a script specifically for her, just not give her a ton of dialog.  From that one of the most famous hixploitation films was born. 

Desiree Thibodeau (Jennings) is a Cajun woman who lives and hunts in a swamp in Louisiana.  Since she doesn't have a permit, local law enforcement officers Billy Boy (Clyde Ventura) and Ben Bracken (Ben Sebastian) decide to catch her in the act and offer her a deal of either letting them have their way with her or going to jail.  Things don't go as planned and Billy Boy accidentally shoots Ben and sinks his own boat.  When he returns to town he lies to his father, the local Sheriff named Joe Bob (Bill Thurman), saying Desiree killed Ben. 

The two inform Ben's kin - father T. J. (Sam Gilman) and his degenerate sons Leroy (Douglas Dirkson) and Pete (Don Baldwin) - and they proceed to search for Desiree in her swamp.  What they find is her sister Julie (Janit Baldwin) and brother Big T (Tracy Sebastian).  Billy Boy and Pete decide to have some fun with Julie, resulting in her death.  When Big T informs Desiree she begins a one-woman war against the men who have brought death and sorrow to her swamp.

This has about every negative Southern stereotype that would fit, from incest and rape to having the Brackens in ragged clothing and none-too-bright.  Every single guy other than T. J. and the Sheriff, who share a tense past, seems to treat women as if they were good for one thing.  While it isn't as brutal with some of its scenes as I Spit on Your Grave, it's the aftermath - particularly a quick shot of Julie - that is shocking.  

My problem is that I expected a movie called 'Gator Bait to have more gators, and a lot more killing.  It does suffer from the same thing many '70s exploitation films do, which is not delivering the goods and going through slow stretches.  It does deliver in a few scenes, but there is no major death by alligator and even Desiree's revenge attempts often fall short.  It does have a satisfying ending and when the offenders do get picked off it is fun to watch, but it needed a lot more killing to live up to its premise.

'Gator Bait is shot well and, for a movie of its type, has a decent script and is well-acted.  Claudia Jennings fits the role perfectly and provides a sexy hero to cheer for.  It also has that creepy feel one gets from these types of films.  Still, it's surprising lack of violence and kills holds it back from being what it wants to be. 

'Gator Bait (1973)
Time: 88 minutes
Starring: Claudia Jennings, Sam Gilman, Douglas Dirkson, Clyde Ventura, Bill Thurman, Don Baldwin, Janit Baldwin, Tracy Sebastian
Directors: Beverly Sebastian, Ferd Sebastian 

 

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