Film Review: The Flood (2023) – A Creature Feature That Bites
The Flood (2023) is a high-stakes action-horror thriller directed by Brandon Slagle that plunges viewers into a claustrophobic nightmare filled with natural disaster, human conflict, and deadly predators. Set against the backdrop of a Louisiana jail during a torrential hurricane, the film blends elements of creature horror and prison-break suspense, delivering an adrenaline-pumping ride for fans of monster movies.
The story unfolds as a group of dangerous prisoners are transported to a temporary holding facility in a small-town Louisiana jail. Among them is Russell Cody (played by Casper Van Dien), a quiet but dangerous man with a mysterious past. As the inmates arrive, a massive hurricane strikes the region, causing the prison to flood. But the rising water isn’t the only threat. With the storm comes a swarm of monstrous alligators, washed into the facility and now hunting anything that moves.
Trapped in a crumbling building with a broken security system, flooded corridors, and tension boiling between guards and inmates, survival becomes a desperate fight. The unlikely allies must choose whether to band together or let mistrust seal their doom—while the apex predators close in from all sides.
Casper Van Dien leads the cast with a gritty, understated performance. His character Cody emerges as both a moral compass and reluctant action hero. Nicky Whelan also delivers a solid turn as Sheriff Jo Newman, caught between upholding the law and protecting lives. The supporting cast includes a mix of prisoners and officers, each given enough personality to create suspense about who will survive and who won’t.
What makes The Flood stand out isn’t necessarily its characters, but how it treats them within the structure of a classic monster movie. Unlike many creature features where characters serve merely as fodder, here there’s a sincere attempt to give everyone a motive, a backstory, and a chance to fight back.
Director Brandon Slagle maintains a tight pace, combining moments of horror with action-heavy sequences. The setting—a dimly lit, flooding prison—adds a layer of claustrophobia that amplifies the fear. The alligators, brought to life through a combination of CGI and practical effects, are impressively rendered. While the CGI is not always seamless, it’s serviceable and delivers enough gore and shock value to keep fans entertained.
The film’s production design deserves praise, using the dilapidated prison and storm visuals to great effect. The lighting and sound design heighten the tension, especially when characters wade through dark, waterlogged hallways, unsure of what’s lurking beneath the surface.
At its core, The Flood is a survival movie. It plays with themes of redemption, trust, and the blurred line between good and bad. Inmates and guards must put aside their roles and judgments in order to outsmart a threat that sees no difference between them. The film also critiques the prison system, though these themes are secondary to its main goal: thrills.
The Flood (2023) isn’t groundbreaking, but it’s a fun, bloody, and tightly executed creature feature. With intense set-pieces, decent performances, and a satisfyingly menacing threat, it delivers exactly what fans of the genre crave: chaos, carnage, and creatures with teeth. If you’re in the mood for a disaster movie with a bite, The Flood is worth the plunge.
