Lake Placid Movies in Order & How Many Are There
Welcome to the world of Lake Placid, where giant, man-eating crocodiles roam the waters of Black Lake, Maine. The Lake Placid film series is a popular and enduring franchise that has been terrifying and delighting audiences since its first installment in 1999. Created by David E. Kelley and produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, this monster horror/comedy series has grown to include multiple movies, with each installment building on the mythology of the ferocious crocodiles and the hapless humans who cross their path.
Starting with the original Lake Placid film directed by Steve Miner, the series has continued to expand and evolve. Directed by various talented filmmakers, including David Flores, Griff Furst, and Don Michael Paul, each movie in the series presents a new and terrifying scenario in which the monstrous creatures wreak havoc on unsuspecting victims. So, grab your life jacket and prepare to explore the wild and terrifying world of the Lake Placid movies.
How many Lake Placid movies are there?
There are a total of six movies in the Lake Placid film series. Here’s a list of all the movies in the franchise, along with their respective release years:
- Lake Placid (1999)
- Lake Placid 2 (2007)
- Lake Placid 3 (2010)
- Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012)
- Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015)
- Lake Placid: Legacy (2018)
Each movie in the series follows a similar premise, with a group of people attempting to survive and defeat the monstrous crocodiles that inhabit the waters of Black Lake, Maine. Despite the predictable formula, the series has remained popular with horror movie fans thanks to its blend of humor, gore, and suspenseful thrills.
Lake Placid movies in order
Although the Lake Placid movies belong to the same series, and it is recommended that you watch them in order of release, it is worth noting that each movie is largely independent and usually focuses on different characters. With that in mind, we will provide a brief overview of what each movie is about.
Lake Placid (1999)
Kelly Scott (B. Fonda) is a capable young paleontologist at the New York Museum of Natural History, she is an attractive girl who, upon learning that her boyfriend and co-worker Kevin (A. Arkin) is cheating on her with her colleague Myra (M. Hargitay), is relieved to go on an urgent assignment at Black Lake in Maine. After a mysterious giant beast with huge jaws killed one of Kelly’s colleagues, the local sheriff Hank Keough (B. Gleeson), in whose presence the unfortunate man lost his life, immediately alerted the police and asked for help from New York.
Along with Kelly, sheriff Keogh is joined by determined Superintendent Jack Wells (B. Pullman), Kelly’s eccentric colleague Hector Cyr (O. Platt), who soon clashes with Keough, and sheriff’s deputies Sharon Gare (M. Salenger) and Burke. (J. Rees). Setting up camp by the lake, Kelly and the others set out to examine the tracks and collect evidence about the beast and soon meet Delores Bickerman (B. White), a slightly demented old woman who lives on memories of the past, in a house on the shore. When the beast attacks again and kills Burke, Wells, and Cyr conclude that it is a giant Asian-Pacific crocodile with unusually large jaws. Although this type of crocodile has never been recorded in America, someone seems to have been feeding me for years…
Lake Placid 2 (2007)
Eight years ago, two huge crocodiles struck fear into the bones of people who found themselves near Lake Placid, and it seems that something similar is happening today. Sheriff James Riley (John Schneider) investigates a series of attacks on swimmers in the same lake and quickly discovers that the crocodiles that got rid of the inhabitants have left behind offspring – four cubs that share their parents’ thirst for human blood.
Riley’s effort to stop the bloodthirsty animals will be thwarted by Sadie Bickerman (Cloris Leachman), who has been feeding crocodiles to people who annoy her for a long time.
Lake Placid 3 (2010)
On Black Lake, in Aroostook, a young couple (Roxanne Pallett) and Jason (James Marchant) attacked and ate groups of baby crocodiles. Meanwhile, at the home of the late Sadie Bickerman, her nephew Nathan (Colin Ferguson), his wife Susan (Kirsty Mitchell), and their son Connor (Jordan Kennedy) are cleaning out the house, intending to sell it.
However, Sheriff Tony Willinger (Michael Ironside) soon arrives and convinces Nathan and Susan not to sell her. Connor runs to the lake, where he meets a baby crocodile and begins to feed it secretly. Two years later, Connor still feeds the crocodiles with meat stolen from the supermarket, so he gets caught. But the disappearances of those who visit the lake are starting to happen…
Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012)
Lake Placid is home to crocodiles, which love human flesh, so they installed an electric fence around the lake because of the danger. One night, someone forgets to lock the fence, and the crocodiles escape, spreading fear and trembling among the high school students who came to the park. The babysitter Reba and the sheriff try to save the children while the dangerous wild hunter Bicker uses the situation to his advantage.
Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015)
Anacondas are so big they can smash the average SUV. Crocodiles are strong enough to jump onto speeding ships. When not looking for human prey, they are more than willing to go after each other. Get ready for constant gore as you’ve never seen before in this exciting and tense battle between crocodiles and genetically engineered anacondas.
Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015) is the fifth movie in the Lake Placid film series and a crossover with the Anaconda film franchise.
Lake Placid: Legacy (2018)
A group of explorers finds a secret base erased from all maps, and in it, they come across a huge crocodile. They try to discover what is happening and escape, but the crocodile kills them individually.
Do you need to watch Lake Placid movies in order?
No, watching the Lake Placid movies in order is unnecessary, as each film typically features different characters and storylines.
Will there be more Lake Placid movies in the future?
As of now, there have been no official updates or announcements regarding a new installment in the Lake Placid film series. Despite the franchise’s enduring popularity and the continued success of monster movies in general, there has been no word from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment or any other studio regarding a new Lake Placid movie. It’s worth noting, however, that the series has never been known for frequent releases, with several years passing between each movie.
