Alligator (1980)

A family on vacation buys their little girl a baby alligator, which is odd since they just watched a man get mauled at a gator exhibition.  Later at home, the father angrily flushes the baby gator down the toilet for no discernible reason. 

Twelve years later, we see a local pet store owner supplying dogs to a laboratory doing genetic experiments. When the dogs die, the lab gives the bodies back to the owner who is responsible for disposing of them.  He does this by going into the sewer and dropping them over a railing into the runoff.  This is unfortunate since the chemical laden corpses have been feeding the now giant gator flushed so many years ago.

The police are called when human body parts are found in the sewer. David and his partner investigate, but their exploration goes badly when only David makes it out.  His boss is skeptical about the giant alligator living in the sewers, but they agree to do a sweep. Nothing is found and David is eventually fired.

He continues to work on solving this issue because he knows it’s only a matter of time before more people die.  He doesn’t need to wait long to be vindicated when the gator breaks up through the sidewalk while kids play ball in the street.  And when the evil guy who owns the lab throws a huge party, well you just know that gator is going to make an appearance.

It’s entertaining enough and features a number of recognizable actors.

Amusing dialogue

David: How did I get here?

Nurse: Well you just popped out of a manhole on Campbell Street and started yelling “Alligator!”

Nothing better than night baseball

Gator breaking through the sidewalk