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Alligator (1980) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1980 · 91 min · English
JustWatch #10,655 5
Directed by
Lewis Teague
Starring
Robert Forster, Sydney Lassick, Henry Silva, Bart Braverman, Dean Jagger, Jack Carter

A discarded pet alligator, grown to enormous size, terrorizes a city. A herpetologist and a detective team up to hunt the massive reptile, discovering a disturbing connection to its unusual growth. The investigation reveals a dark secret and a dangerous threat to the unsuspecting public as they struggle to stop the alligator before it causes further destruction.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (14)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Alligator
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Alligator (1980)

Where can you watch Alligator? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV and Night Flight Plus: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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14 events in order · contains spoilers

Alligator Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Alligator (1980) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Alligator Stunt Show

    The film opens with a young girl attending a thrilling alligator stunt show in sunny Florida. Spectators are both amazed and terrified as the alligators perform various feats, creating a lively atmosphere filled with excitement.

    Where
    Florida
  2. Chaos at the Show

    During the show, chaos erupts as one of the performers is unexpectedly attacked and mauled by an alligator. This shocking incident leaves the audience in horror while the proprietors swiftly attempt to profit from the situation by selling baby alligators as souvenirs.

    Where
    Florida
  3. Bringing Ramon Home

    Captivated by the experience, the little girl purchases a baby alligator and names him Ramon. She takes him home to Chicago, delighting in her new pet, only to face a grim fate for Ramon soon after.

    Where
    Chicago
  4. Ramon's Dismissal

    In a fit of anger, the girl's father flushes Ramon down the toilet, believing he is better off gone. Unbeknownst to them, Ramon survives the ordeal and begins a new life in the Chicago sewer system.

    Where
    Chicago
  5. Twelve Years Later

    Fast forward twelve years, we meet David Madison, a Chicago police detective burdened by a tragic event involving his partner's death. He is determined to overcome his past and solve the mystery behind the gruesome events occurring in the city.

    When
    12 years later
    Where
    Chicago
  6. Mysterious Disappearances

    As body parts start surfacing in the city's water filtration systems, Madison realizes he is confronted with a terrifying mystery. Driven to find answers, he begins his investigation, delving into the dangerous sewers of Chicago.

    Where
    Chicago Sewer
  7. Encounter with Ramon

    During his descent into the sewer with a rookie officer, Madison encounters a gigantic alligator, revealed to be none other than Ramon, who has grown to a staggering 36 feet. The terrifying encounter ends with the rookie falling victim to the alligator.

    Where
    Chicago Sewer
  8. Seeking Expert Help

    Desperate for assistance, Madison turns to Marisa Kendall, a zoologist who is also the young girl from the show's beginning. Her initial skepticism turns to alarm when new evidence arises indicating the alligator's survival in the sewers.

  9. Link to the Pharmaceutical Company

    Madison uncovers a sinister connection between Ramon's existence and a pharmaceutical company conducting questionable experiments with growth hormones. This discovery links the alligator’s unnatural growth to the company's disposal of deceased animals.

    Where
    Chicago
  10. Alligator's Rampage

    As the alligator becomes increasingly threatened by activity in its territory, it surfaces in the city, wreaking havoc and causing panic among the residents. Madison, despite facing opposition from his department, continues his pursuit of revenge.

    Where
    Chicago
  11. Hiring the Hunter

    In an attempt to eliminate the alligator menace, the city hires an arrogant big-game hunter. However, the audacious hunter becomes prey himself when the alligator ambushes him in a dark alley, further escalating the chaos.

    Where
    Chicago
  12. Crash at the Black-Tie Event

    The culmination of terror unfolds when the alligator crashes a lavish black-tie party hosted by the owner of the pharmaceutical company. Guests scatter in fear as they meet grisly ends, highlighting the monster's complete domination over the city.

    Where
    Chicago
  13. The Final Plan

    In a desperate effort to put an end to the alligator's rampage, Madison and Marisa devise a risky plan. Madison enters the sewer armed with a bomb while Marisa coordinates from above, leading to a tense race against time.

    Where
    Chicago Sewer
  14. Explosive Conclusion

    In a thrilling climax, Madison manages to destroy Ramon with an explosion just as the situation turns dire. Their triumph is bittersweet as they confront the reminder of the cycle repeating, with a new baby alligator emerging from the sewer.

    Where
    Chicago Sewer

Last updated: November 03, 2024 at 12:24

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Timeline questions answered

Alligator Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Alligator (1980): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

How did the alligator survive being flushed down the toilet?

Ramon survived because alligators can survive for extended periods without food and are extremely resilient. When the girl's father flushed him, Ramon was still a small baby alligator, allowing him to navigate the toilet's plumbing and emerge safely into the sewer system where he could survive and grow.

  • sewer survival
  • flushed alligator
  • pet alligator
Q2

What caused the alligator to grow to 36 feet?

The alligator grew to massive proportions because a pharmaceutical company was disposing of deceased experimental animals (dogs treated with growth hormones) into the sewer system. Ramon fed on these contaminated corpses over twelve years, absorbing the growth hormones which caused his unprecedented and unnatural size.

  • growth hormones
  • pharmaceutical experiments
  • monster growth
Q3

Why is Detective Madison so determined to kill the alligator?

Madison is driven by both professional duty and personal trauma. The alligator already killed his rookie partner during their first encounter in the sewer. Additionally, Madison is trying to redeem himself after a previous incident that resulted in another partner's death, making his quest for the alligator partly about proving himself and seeking vengeance.

  • detective madison
  • revenge
  • partner death
  • redemption
Q4

Who is Marisa Kendall and what is her connection to the alligator?

Marisa Kendall is the young girl from the opening scene who bought Ramon at the alligator stunt show in Florida. She took him home to Chicago as a pet before her father flushed him down the toilet. Twelve years later, she has become a zoologist who Madison recruits to help track and understand the creature.

  • marisa kendall
  • original owner
  • little girl
  • zooologist
Q5

Why does the alligator start attacking people in the city?

The alligator surfaces and attacks because increased human activity in the sewer system (from investigators and police) disturbs its territory. As the sewer searches intensify, the alligator becomes increasingly agitated and ventures above ground in search of food and to protect its domain, leading to the attacks.

  • alligator attacks
  • sewer territory
  • city rampage
Q6

What does the ending reveal - is there another alligator?

The ending shows another baby alligator emerging from a drainpipe in the sewer, implying the cycle will repeat. This suggests either Ramon had offspring or other baby alligators were flushed by other owners, setting up the possibility of another dangerous situation in the future.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene shows the alligator farm selling baby alligators as souvenirs, hinting this could happen again.

  • ending
  • baby alligator
  • sequel setup
  • cycle continues
Q7

Why does the big-game hunter fail to kill the alligator?

The hunter fails because he underestimates the alligator. He approaches the hunt with arrogance and overconfidence, treating it like a typical safari animal. The alligator ambushes him in a dark alley, turning the hunter into prey. His failure highlights that conventional big-game hunting methods are ineffective against a mutated urban predator.

  • big game hunter
  • failed hunting
  • ambush
Q8

What happens to the pharmaceutical company owner?

The owner of the pharmaceutical company is killed inside his limousine when the alligator crashes his black-tie party. The creature invades the lavish event, kills several guests, and specifically targets the owner, eliminating him as punishment for his company's illegal disposal of experimental animals that enabled the alligator's growth.

  • company owner death
  • black tie party
  • comeuppance
Q9

What happens to the rookie officer in the sewer?

The rookie officer is killed during Madison's first descent into the sewer. While exploring the tunnels with Madison, they encounter the gigantic alligator, and the rookie becomes one of its victims. This tragedy motivates Madison's continued pursuit of the creature and adds to his burden of guilt over losing partners.

  • rookie cop death
  • sewer attack
  • partner killed
Q10

How do Madison and Marisa plan to kill the alligator?

Their plan involves Madison descending into the sewer armed with a bomb while Marisa manages the escape route from above. They coordinate their efforts, with Marisa helping to guide Madison and ensure his exit isn't blocked. Madison successfully plants and detonates the bomb, destroying the alligator in the explosive climax.

  • bomb plan
  • sewer mission
  • explosive finale
Q11

What illegal activity is the pharmaceutical company doing?

The pharmaceutical company is conducting unethical experiments using growth hormones on dogs. When the animals die from these experiments, the company illegally disposes of the bodies by dumping them into the Chicago sewer system. This improper disposal not only creates an environmental hazard but also creates an unnatural food source that causes Ramon's monstrous growth.

  • corporate crime
  • illegal dumping
  • animal experiments

Movie threads

More Movies Like Alligator, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Alligator tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Urban Creature Horror like Alligator

Where human greed creates monstrous threats in the city's underbelly. Find more movies like Alligator, where corporate corruption or scientific hubris creates a monstrous threat in an urban environment. If you enjoyed the fast-paced hunt and darkly comedic tone of Alligator, these similar thrillers and horror films deliver the same chaotic energy and gritty scares.

  • tense
  • gritty
  • thrilling
  • darkly humorous
  • chaotic
  • foreboding
  • Tone: dark, thrilling, darkly humorous
  • Pacing: fast, chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically begins with a cover-up or unethical act (like illegal dumping or experimentation) that creates a monstrous being. The story follows a ragtag team—often including a scientist and a law enforcement figure—as they uncover the truth while the creature escalates its attacks, leading to a final, destructive confrontation.

Why they belong together: Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared premise of 'man-made' monsters and the theme of corporate accountability. They blend horror, action, and often a satirical edge, creating a specific subgenre where the real villain is often human greed, and the monster is merely a consequence.

Gritty Monster Hunt Movies like Alligator

Ground-level stories of desperate hunts for terrifying, tangible monsters. Discover more gritty monster hunt movies similar to Alligator. If you liked the practical effects, the tense urban setting, and the dynamic between the detective and the expert in Alligator, these films offer the same hands-on, thrilling experience of hunting a tangible creature.

  • tense
  • anxious
  • thrilling
  • gritty
  • practical effects
  • creature feature
  • Tone: tense, dark, with humorous relief
  • Pacing: fast, action-packed
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The plot is straightforward, focusing on the hunt. A monster is introduced, it begins a rampage, and a team forms to track and destroy it. The journey involves investigating the monster's origins and weaknesses, facing several failed attempts and close calls before a final, often destructive, showdown.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their emphasis on practical effects, creating a tactile and believable monster. They share a specific mood—a mix of high tension, gritty realism, and a B-movie sensibility that often includes witty dialogue and a focus on the procedural aspects of the hunt.

If you liked this

Movies Like Alligator

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Every angle

Alligator (1980) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Alligator in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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