Black Water (2007) | Jesús Palacios

I like croc movies. Almost every kind of croc and other reptilian monster movies. But I have to say that Black Water (2007) is one of the best if you are looking for a more realistic, suspenseful and human take on the genre, in the vein of other indie productions like Open Water. In first place this is Australian, and the Australian horror is especially disturbing and peculiar, but we are far away from more fantastic and exaggerated movies like Rogue (which was made the same year: Year of the Croc) or the classic Razorback, for instance. Because in second place this is a cheap production and that forces the directors to be smart and really effective in his use of the monster, the spaces, the editing, the landscape and the rhythm. And they make great use of everything, counting with a limited but brilliant cast of only four or really three people (if we except the crocodile itself, of course) and disregarding CGI or more fantastic Fx in favor of simple tension, stylish filmmaking, atmosphere and some surprisingly terrific crocodile apparitions. Everything works thanks to the cinematography too, with the main action taking place at plain sun and showing the spectacular nature of the Australian mangrove as a constant fight for survival even between insects and little creatures. Definitely, a must see piece on croc survival horror and adventure, merciless with his credible characters and with his public, like some kind of National Geographic improbable docu-horror or something like that. And is a true story, too.Think about your next Australian vacation... and about the sound of a croc jaws eating your best friend in the middle of the night. 😈