A tranquil lake in New England has a reclusive, but ravenous resident, a huge crocodile. How people have not spotted the monster before is something of a mystery, but not really of any great concern, this just isn't that kind of movie. The above average cast for this kind of genre makes for great, preposterous entertainment; the special effects are spot on, but not over done and the biting sarcasm that the central characters relentlessly share with each other almost makes the need for severed limbs and gargantuan jaws redundant. Lake Placid is an excellent horror comedy.