Crocodile Man is a widely acclaimed Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

n horror film

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

 released in 1972 by Hui Keung. It starred famous Khmer actress Dy Saveth

Dy Saveth

Dy Saveth is a renowned Cambodian actress and first Miss Cambodia . She featured several films throughout the 1960s until the communist takeover in 1975, and later from 1993 to present. She married Huoy Keng, an actor, producer and film director, during the 1970s. Just as Van Vanak ran his own...

. It was released in Thailand and Hong Kong along with another 1972 Khmer film, The Snake King's Wife

The Snake King's Wife

The Snake Man is a 1970 Cambodian drama horror film based on a Cambodian myth about a snake goddess, starring Khmer famous actress at era, Dy Saveth and Chea Yuthorn who was hugely popular in Thailand after the film release...

, which brought back a successful grossing. It has become one of the more enduring creations from the nation's pre-communist

Khmer Rouge

The Khmer Rouge literally translated as Red Cambodians was the name given to the followers of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who were the ruling party in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, led by Pol Pot, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Son Sen and Khieu Samphan...

era and copies are still sold today with English and Chinese subtitles.

Plot

The relationship of two students who were taught by the same teacher (Ta Esey) for fighting lessons were suddenly split by the fact that each accused the other of being a murderer. Charavann, one of the students who could turn into a crocodile, went under water where he was taught by a water hermit and married two beautiful crocodile girls. He went back to the land in order to seek revenge on Kraitoung, the other student, for killing a woman. One day he took a beautiful daughter of a millionaire, Sompiov Meas, underwater with him, instead of marrying her. However, his two wives refused and put a spell on Sampov Meas. To save Sampov Meas with the intent of marrying her, Kraitoung went underwater to rescue her after many warriors were killed attempting to save the millionaire's daughter. He killed Charavan and his wives for their cruel actions and saved Sampov Meas safely. For his prize, finally, Kraitoung married Sampov Meas, also her sister, Sampov Keav, and lived happily ever after.

Pronunciation differences

• Khmer pronounce Kraithoung, Thai pronounce Kraithong.
• Khmer pronounce Charavann, Thai pronounce Chalawan.