Joseph Douglas Ball (January 7, 1896[2][1] – September 24, 1938)[1] was an American murderer and suspected serial killer, sometimes referred to as the "Alligator Man",[3] the "Butcher of Elmendorf"[2] and the "Bluebeard of South Texas".

[2] After serving on the frontlines in Europe during World War I, Ball started his career as a bootlegger, providing illegal liquor to those who could pay for it.

He built a pond that contained five alligators and charged people to view them, especially during feeding time; the food consisted mostly of live cats and dogs.

When two Bexar County deputy sheriffs went to question him in 1938, Ball pulled a handgun from his cash register and killed himself with a bullet through the heart (as noted on his death certificate by the coroner, but some sources report that he shot himself in the head).

The film features a man named Judd, a serial killer who runs a hotel and disposes of his victims' bodies by feeding them to a Nile crocodile.