The woman at the beginnning/Why Chopper maimed Karen *spoilers, I guess*

She wasn't just a random first victim, like it seemed when the movie started. She's actually kin to Captain Spauld--err, Chopper & Co.

When Chopper's fixin' to de-foot Karen, he puts a necklace on her and explains that it's been in the family for generations. Her mother, mother's mother, etc., all wore it.

That necklace was featured on the woman at the start of the movie who went a-skinny dippin' in the swamp. There was a close up of it on her when she undressed and again on the ground when she came back up out of the water and tried to crawl .

Which ties in to why Chopper cut off Karen's rubber feet. The woman at the start of the flick has her legs bitten off by the gator. So, it seems the writers decided it was part of some ritual/custom from that point on.

This all just raises more questions, of course. Like, who, exactly was that woman? Karen's grandma? Great-grandma? No time frame. Was that what happened in 1971, and they only then started hobbling their offerings?

Why so much pomp and ritual for Emily and so little for Karen? Karen was kin. Emily was not. An altar, chanting, a box of objects, Chopper wearing his ceremonial wife beater... Why? ???

Also, why bother with Emily if gatorman had successfully mated with Beth and, as it turns out, impregnated her? And if they had Karen, and they wanted to keep it in the family, why bother tricking Beth and Emily to begin with???

Clearly, they were going for something with all this confused mess, but I can't figure out what it was. I don't know why I'm even thinking so much about any of this.