Plot: After not one, but two onslaughts from ravenous crocodiles, Lake Placid seems to finally be at peace. Of course, that doesn’t last forever and when Nathan (Colin Ferguson) inherits his late mother’s lake house, his arrival kicks a third wave of crocodile mayhem into action. He happens to be an EPA official, so he knows the dangers of even a calm lake and while we warns his son about potential safety issues, the young chap of course ignores his dad’s concerns. This leads to his son finding some small lizards in the lake and sneaking food to them, which then leads to immense growth and soon enough, the crocodiles are back at full force. As the attacks resume and the water runs red, a band of folks team up to take on the beasts, led by Nathan, local lawman Willinger (Michael Ironside), and bad ass big game hunter Reba (Yancy Butler). But can Lake Placid’s defenders once again thwart the crocodile menace or is this the end for the sunbathers and anglers of the area?

Entertainment Value: This third installment in the Lake Placid series follows the formula from the earlier movies, but I found this one to be a little more fun, as it is much campier and more ridiculous at times. The narrative falls right into line with the previous volumes, so no surprises there, but this time around, the b movie vibes are more embraced. Lake Placid 2 has a fun lead and ran with the cheese a little more, but this sequel ups the ante on the ridiculous elements. This manifests mostly in the cast and haphazard writing, which some might see as a downturn, but I think it results in more fun moments. I still wish the overall tone was more over the top and more of the horror style b movie traits were emphasized however, as there is still a lot of potential for wild action in this premise. I especially wish the crocodile attacks were more creative and memorable, but the Lake Placid formula continues to put the beasts in the background and focus on humans instead. But at least the script throws out any kind of effort to be smart or subtle this time, so we have manic characters, outlandish dialogue, and dialed up drama, all welcome elements. And while Lake Placid 3 still isn’t able to make the most of the ridiculous concept and go for broke, it feels like a minor step up from the earlier movies, so there’s that.

This movie slides in some sleaze in small doses, with several topless scenes and a full nude scene to boot. The full frontal shot is brief, but it is there and that scene also includes bare breasts and ass. All the nakedness is light and brisk, a perfect pairing with the b movie vibes of Lake Placid 3. As with the previous movies, while some crocodile attacks do unfold, they’re infrequent and not all that blood soaked. Most of the blood is CGI and not well crafted in the least, which dampens the gore factor, though the awful effects to create the crocodiles are at least humorous. So while there’s not much of the red stuff and the attacks aren’t that memorable, that is in line with Lake Placid’s ongoing formula at least. The dialogue is a lot of fun here, with Yancy Butler as the scene stealer and source of most of the wilder moments. She really goes for it as the bad ass hunter, dialing up the campiness and going way over the top, which leads to most of the movie’s funnier sequences. She yells at everyone, insults everyone, and always has a barb or two for whoever she crosses paths with. The movie has some other quirky lines, but Butler runs this show, without question. On the insanity front, aside from Butler’s wild presence, there’s not much all out madness to be found, just the expected b movie vibes throughout.

Nudity: 2/10

Blood: 2/10

Dialogue: 6/10

Overall Insanity: 2/10

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