NATURE taking its revenge on mankind is a popular theme in horror and sci-fi movies. Rarely has the subject been handled in such a cack-handed, halfwitted yet ultimately hugely entertaining way as it is in Frogs, though.
Originally released in 1972 and reissued by 88 Films on blu-ray for the first time, it’s a mad and slightly unhinged tale of Mother Nature getting her own back on the human race through a swarm of mutated frogs, outsize snakes and other similarly slimy creatures of the swamp. In short, it is utterly off its head and all the better for that if you ask me.
It’s worth noting up front that the film is not really what you think it’s going to be when you first encounter the DVD sleeve that boasts a huge, harmless looking frog with a human hand jutting from its mouth. That, and the movie poster strap line that promises “A tidal wave of slithering, slimy horror”, couldn’t be further from the mark.
In reality Frogs is a cheap and gaudy stab at ecologically aware horror that is neither ecologically sound nor even remotely horrific – unless you count some of the scenery chomping that passes for acting, that is. It almost goes without saying that it’s also a vast amount of fun and just the sort of bug eyed, brain bypasser of a movie that Saturday nights in were made for.
Sam Elliott, way back before he and his luxuriant moustache played bar-propping mentor to The Dude in The Big Lebowski, is photographer Pickett Smith who spends his time snapping pics of all the trash and poisonous chemical gunk that seems to be clogging up a once-scenic lake that he’s been canoeing around on.
Without warning a speedboat driven by a drunken local called Clint Crockett (Adam Roarke) and his air headed sister Karen (Joan Van Ark) knocks him into the water. Before he has time to take out a claim against the couple he is invited back to the palatial Crockett family estate where he meets the clearly mad head of the family Jason (played by the great Ray Milland, a long way down the line from his glory days of Lost Weekend and such like).
It turns out the Crocketts have been keeping their land extra green and lush by pumping all sorts of evil fertilisers and poisons into the earth. The result of this illegal dumping is wildly mutating amphibians and that’s where the real fun starts. Basically the overgrown creatures begin to pick off members of the group gathered at the annual Crockett get together in neatly nasty ways. Frogs may hog the cover art but there are mutated alligators, tarantulas and even the odd evil leech to enjoy here.
Amid all this nonsense Elliott is as cool as ever. The effects are minimal with most attacks happening conveniently off screen but that doesn’t detract from the general atmosphere of insanity.
Should you happen to fear frogs this may make you quiver to your core. For everyone else it’s just good B-movie fun.
