The Bayou

The film opens with a DEA raid targeting a hidden meth lab deep in the Louisiana wetlands. Agents seize barrels, but the manufacturers dump purple liquid meth into the swamp as they are arrested. The contaminated water begins to affect the local alligators, making them more aggressive and territorial.

College graduate Kyle boards a small charter plane with friends including Madalena Aragão and Elisha Applebaum's characters to reach a bayou destination. Kyle carries an urn with her brother Jamie's ashes, intending to scatter them at a place meaningful to him. The group dynamics hint at unresolved grief and mounting tensions.

Mid-flight, the engine fails and the pilot struggles to keep control as altitude drops. He fights to reach a clearing, but the plane crashes into the swamp, killing the pilot on impact. The survivors are stranded among wreckage, with Kyle injured but conscious while friends suffer cuts and bruises.

The survivors encounter a mutated alligator that displays unusually aggressive behavior, pursuing them onto land and refusing to retreat. The attack results in the death of a group member, proving the danger is beyond ordinary swamp predators. The surviving group realizes they are in immediate peril.

Kyle decides to scatter Jamie's ashes in the contaminated water, hoping to provide closure. The act inadvertently attracts more meth-enhanced alligators, whose aggression increases after contact with human remains. The group confronts the moral and psychological consequences of this choice.

The survivors navigate the maze-like waterways using plane wreckage as makeshift rafts and weapons. They face repeated gator attacks—more violent, coordinated, and persistent than normal predators. The group must rely on limited supplies as morale deteriorates.

As the fight for survival continues, Kyle experiences hallucinations and guilt-driven visions of her dead brother. These episodes strain her judgment and create tension with friends who doubt her leadership. The internal conflict threatens the group's cohesion.

The group discovers an abandoned meth production facility where the contamination originated. They gather evidence about the drug operation and begin to understand why the gators have become so aggressive. However, the discovery comes too late to help them avoid further attacks.

In a desperate gambit, Kyle uses remaining aviation fuel to create an explosive trap and eliminate several of the most aggressive creatures. She sacrifices any chance of signaling for rescue in the moment. The plan buys a temporary reprieve but leaves them with heavy losses.

Kyle emerges as the sole survivor, floating on debris toward civilization. She processes her grief over Jamie's death while facing the broader environmental disaster. The ending hints that the contamination persists with more mutated creatures visible in the distance.

The disaster's reach extends beyond the immediate swamp, suggesting broader environmental impact and the possibility of more mutated creatures. Kyle's survival comes at a high personal cost as she contends with trauma and responsibility.