Plot
After refusing a demand for anal sex from a scummy customer named Buck, naïve prostitute Clara Wood is evicted from the town brothel by the madame, Miss Hattie. Clara makes her way to the decrepit Starlight Hotel, located deep in the remote swampland of rural Texas, where she encounters the hotel's mentally disturbed proprietor, Judd. Judd chases her outside, then attacks and kills her with a pitchfork before feeding her to his pet Nile crocodile that lives in the swamp beside the hotel.
Some days later, a fractious couple, the well-dressed, pill-popping Faye and her disturbed husband Roy, arrive at the hotel with their young daughter, Angie. Shortly after their arrival, the family dog, Snoopy, is brutally attacked by the resident crocodile, which shocks little Angie. In retaliation, Roy goes out to kill the carnivorous swamp creature but is attacked by Judd, who is wielding a large scythe. In the struggle, Roy manages to shoot Judd in the foot, but Judd—who has a false leg—is uninjured and kills Roy. Judd then violently beats and straps Faye onto her bed and attempts to grab Angie, but she escapes and hides under the hotel's porch.
Later, Harvey Wood and his daughter Libby also arrive at the Starlight Hotel, seeking information on the now-deceased Clara, who is Harvey's runaway daughter, but they leave when Judd denies having seen her. Accompanied by Sheriff Martin, Harvey and Libby question Miss Hattie, who also denies ever seeing Clara. Harvey returns to the creepy swamp hotel alone, while Libby goes for dinner and drinks with the sheriff. After Harvey discovers a captive Faye in her hotel room, Judd murders him, once again utilizing his large scythe.
Meanwhile, after being kicked out of a bar by the sheriff, Buck and his underaged girlfriend Lynette venture to the Starlight, much to the annoyance of Judd. When Buck hears screams from Faye and Angie crying under the porch, he is pushed into the swamp by Judd and devoured by the crocodile. Lynette runs outside and is spotted by Judd. She runs into the woods screaming, and he pursues her. However, the fog causes Judd to lose sight of her, and Lynette is saved by a man in a passing car.
Later, Libby arrives back at the hotel and manages to untie Faye from her bed and retrieve Angie from under the porch. Consumed with madness, Judd chases the three survivors into the swamp, where he is finally attacked and killed by his pet reptile. Sheriff Martin then arrives at the hotel and rescues Libby, Faye, and Angie. Before the credits roll, Judd's false leg comes up from the water.
