Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.0

Killer Crocodile 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 22, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Killer Crocodile.

The internet can often be a wild and woolly place, but it can also occasionally offer a tidbit or two of humor. In doing background research on this release from Severin Films, I discovered that more than one person had actually taken the time to compile lists of "killer crocodile" films, a subgenre I frankly may have been dimly aware of due to having seen Alligator at some point in my misspent youth, but which I never really paid that much attention to. Killer Crocodile and its sequel, the imaginatively titled Killer Crocodile 2, don't waste a lot of time on overly nuanced plot mechanics or character development, but that may actually only add to their weirdly visceral qualities, as both films seem at least somewhat aware of how ridiculous they are. In that regard, there's probably a drinking game to be fashioned around how often people either fall, are pushed, or simply dive into jungle waters that are inhabited by a mutant (and evidently very hungry) crocodile, a recurring motif in both films that may actually provoke a bit of laughter after a while.

Killer Crocodile ended with a relatively effective "sting", after crusading hero Kevin (Anthony Crenna) rather strangely manages to make the titular monster explode by tossing a boat propeller into its mouth, and "happily ever after" seems a sure thing (at least for those who have survived the maelstrom). The camera pans to the bank of a river where a large egg starts moving and then, yep, you guessed it, Baby Killer Crocodile begins to hatch. Freeze frame and fade. Of course, Killer Crocodile 2 starts with this "previously on. . ." material and then promptly detours away from Kevin to introduce crusading (virtually everyone is crusading in this endeavor) investigative journalist Liza (Debra Karr), who is on the hunt for information on all that toxic chemical stuff being dumped into the waterways.

Suffice it to say that Liza basically has a "Future Damsel in Distress" label flashing on her forehead, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Kevin will come dashing in to save the day. This film doesn't have the Golden Era imprimatur of someone like Van Johnson filling out the supporting cast, and in fact I'd be surprised in many younger viewers have really heard of anyone in this production, probably including star Crenna (son of Richard). This second outing certainly suffers from "sophomore slump", though you have to give any film props that ups the victim ante by including two boatloads of orphans being shepherded by nuns.

Killer Crocodile 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Killer Crocodile 2 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Unfortunately, the back cover of this release seems to reference only the first film when it mentions a 2K scan from the original negative, and my hunch is this was sourced from either a secondary element, or alternatively if it were sourced from the negative, that negative may not have been especially well curated. This is overall a softer and less fulsomely detailed presentation than the first film, though at times fine detail is quite commendable, including in some fleeting close-ups of this film's marauding beast. The palette looks just a trifle wan throughout, though some of the outdoor material still pops appealingly enough. As with the first film, some of this film's darker scenes can look noticeably more roughhewn to the point that they appear slightly noisy at times, but otherwise grain resolves without any major issues.

Killer Crocodile 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Killer Crocodile 2 features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks in either English or Italian. Both of these tracks have some minor hurdles that weren't quite as much in evidence on the first film's audio options. As with the first film, the Italian track here sounded just slightly hotter to my ears, to the point that some of the low end synth washes in the score can crackle just a bit. There's some noticeable background hiss throughout the English language track, and recurrent popping and cracking on the Italian language track. All of this said, dialogue makes it through the gauntlet of age related wear and tear fine. Optional English subtitles for both the English and Italian language tracks are available.

Killer Crocodile 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Prince of Plasma: The Giannetto De Rossi Story (HD; 1:22:27) is a rather interesting feature length documentary profiling the Italian makeup effects artists. He's compared here to such titans as Rick Baker and Tom Savini, and there are a ton of clips from the many films de Rossi has worked on through the decades. There are both English and Italian talking heads in this feature, with English subtitles where appropriate.


• Deleted Scenes (HD; 4:13) generally look okay, but have a few pops and cracks on the soundtrack.


• Trailer (HD; 2:44)

Killer Crocodile 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Killer Crocodile 2 just doesn't seem to ever work up much energy, and there are times you can almost feel the cast collectively emanating a "can we just relax and enjoy the sun for a while" ambience. As with the first film, the creature effects are actually pretty good, though the mutant croc is typically only seen in very brief interstitial moments. This second film has somewhat dowdier video quality, and the soundtracks of both languages also encounter a few hiccups, though nothing I'd term overly problematic. The feature length documentary on Giannetto de Rossi is really quite interesting, though, for those who are considering making a purchase.