As much as I love Lake Placid, I haven’t thought about it for a while. That is, until Scream Factory gave me a reason to think about it, by stuffing their new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of the film in my mailbox. I had no idea before sitting down to revisit the film in beautiful high definition that a lot of people seem to consider this a “bad” movie. This is shocking to me. This is one of the most sarcastic movies ever made, and I love every second of it. How can someone sit down to watch a movie that contains Betty White feeding live cows to a giant crocodile, AND calling law enforcement agents “cocksuckers”, and not love it? It’s hilarious. This is one of the greatest modern examples of the horror/comedy hybrid. I have no idea how anyone could hate this movie, but you can’t please everyone, I guess. I never got to see this at the theater, but my friend that worked at a video store at the time called me to come and pick it up the day that it arrived. He also gave me one of the posters they were sent to promote the film, which hung on my wall for a long time, until I had to move. It may still be in the closet up there, with the hundreds of other posters. I’ll have to check and see. Meanwhile, let’s examine this great  Blu-ray release of Lake Placid that Scream Factory are dropping on us, just in time for the summer season.

From Shout Factory’s Website:

“Fantastic stuff. Tense and silly and very, very funny, this is easily the best horror comedy for years.”

 – Total Film

Bill Pullman (Independence Day, The Grudge), Bridget Fonda (Jackie Brown), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Platt (X-Men: First Class) share an appetite for sheer adventure when a tranquil New England lakefront erupts into an action-packed den of destruction in this “monster of a hit” (Wireless Magazine)!

An investigative team, armed with state-of-the-art equipment, high-powered weaponry and a biting sense of sarcasm, must work together to defeat Black Lake’s most ferocious resident: a 30-foot prehistoric crocodile! Written by David E. Kelley (Ally Mcbeal, Boston Legal), directed by Steve Miner(Halloween H20, Friday The 13^th Part 2), and co-starring Betty White as the cantankerous Mrs. Bickerman, this terrifying tale of survival “combines humor and thrills with remarkable deftness” (New York Post).

What is it that makes Lake Placid so much better than other, similar films? Is it the $27 Million dollar budget, which is huge for a film like this? Is it the spectacular cast? Is it the fact that it is extremely well-shot and edited? It’s all of these things, and many more. Most people that love this film, remember it mainly for the foul-mouthed Betty White, and her comedic relief in an already hilarious film. And, don’t get me wrong, she is an absolute genius in this film, with pitch-perfect timing and delivery. But the entire cast does a phenomenal job at delivering some of the most sarcastic one-liners that every survived the nineties. Lake Placid, as hilarious as it is, manages to straddle the line between self-aware comedy, and serious monster movie, better than most movies of its type. The characters are all smartasses, but each one in their own unique way. In today’s climate, I don’t see a studio pouring next to $30 million dollars, and A-list talent into a comedy about a giant killer crocodile. Lake Placid still holds up extremely well – better than most movies that came from the nineties – while similar films from the same era feel extremely dated. This is a rare timeless classic, and I’m thrilled to finally have it in my Blu-ray collection, thanks to my favorite home video distributor, Scream Factory.

Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of Lake Placid is finally presented in proper widescreen form, featuring a 1080p AVC encoded transfer in 2.40:1, and a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track to fill the corners of your living room up with the sounds of thrashing waters, tearing flesh, and more one-liners than you could shake a stick at. As mentioned before, this is practically a $30 million dollar picture, and that price tag shows in all of the right places. Lake Placid is beautifully shot, and it has that rare quality that, when the picture kicks in, you say to yourself, “Now that looks like a movie.” The picture and sound are both superb, and unquestionably the best that this film has ever looked on home video. Scream Factory have given us quite a treat with this Blu-ray release, as this is the perfect film to revisit during the sweaty months. And once you’re done reliving and loving Lake Placid all over again, this release comes with quite a few extras to whet your whistle. The special features on the disc include new interviews with Steve Miner, Bill Pullman, and the director of photography, Daryn Okada. There are new interviews with the members of the special effects team, a vintage promotional featurette, TV spots, the theatrical trailer, and more. Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of the hugely entertaining Lake Placid is highly recommended. It will be released this Tuesday, July 8th. Visit Shout Factory’s website to buy your copy.

Bonus features:

• The Making of LAKE PLACID featuring new interviews with director Steve Miner, actor Bill Pullman, director of photography Daryn Okada, editor Marshall Harvey, Production Designer John Willett, Effects supervisor Nick Marra and Puppeteer Toby Lindala
• Vintage Featurette featuring interviews with actors Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt, Brendon Gleason, Bette White and director Steve Miner
• Behind the Scenes Still Gallery
• Animatronic Croc Test Footage
• TV Spots
• Theatrical Trailer

(9/10)