10 More Horror Movies That Lied About Their Premise

5. Primeval's "Most Prolific Serial Killer" Mystery

Primeval crocodile movie
Buena Vista Pictures

Primeval is a 2007 horror movie about a giant crocodile causing chaos in Burundi. A news crew and experts are flown in to cover this story and ideally bring the croc in alive... but of course, the end result is a whole bunch more victims for a creature affectionately known as Gustave.

Based on the initial marketing for Primeval, you'd have zero idea that this was a film centred around a crocodile. Yes, the home release of the feature has Gustave front-and-centre on the cover, but prior to hitting cinemas, all that audiences knew about Primeval was that it was "inspired by the true story of the most prolific serial killer in history".

The trailers for the film told us that this serial killer - who'd amassed 300 victims - was "elusive, intelligent, cunning, and to this day remains at large". In terms of visuals, there's almost a Texas Chain Saw Massacre feel to the bones, colour palette, and quick cuts used in those trailers. Never once do we see a crocodile, and if anything this footage alludes to some sort of supernatural presence.

But no, Primeval is absolutely a killer croc feature. As for Gustave, he is absolutely a very real crocodile in Burundi, estimated to be over 20 ft in length, weigh over 2,000 lbs, be approximately 70 years of age, and yes, has killed up to 300 people.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.