Crawl (2019)

 

How about an uncomplicated horrorfilm that doesn't waste anyone's time and gets to the meat of the story in about ten minutes flat and doesn't let up until the very end? 

Look no further than 'Crawl', which is a hell of a good time as far as creature features are concerned. It delivers what you expect and does so with gusto. 

Kaya Scodelario is Hayley, a young girl who is member of the swimteam at college. Her mom lives in Boston close to her sister, but she remained in Florida, like her dad. But she doesn't really see him all that much anymore. When a hurricane hits the state, her sister asks her to go check on their dad, as he won't pick up his phone. Turns out dad went to the original family home, where Hayley finds him severely wounded in the crawlspace underneath the house. 

Why? Because there are alligators there that attacked him, that's why. 

So now Hayley has to try and escape with her dad, as the storm still rages on and the water in the crawlspace begins to rise. Time is not on their side, to say the least, and outside more alligators gather... 

That's it, that's the entire film and it works. Director Alexandre Aja purposefully keeps things nice and simple: two people in (almost) one location and they need to escape. Scodelario has to carry most of the film, as Barry Pepper (who plays her dad) doesn't have that much to do besides being injured. But that's okay and she does a great job of mixing dread with the tenacity of trying to stay alive, whatever it takes. And the film is actually rather tense at times. Yes, there are of course the obligatory jumpscares and the like, but it is well shot and you get sucked in to the tension. So well played, Aja. 

The alligators are mostly CG with some practical effects present, and they look pretty realistic most of the time. Sure, they overdid the yellow in the alligator's eyes, as in murky water or the dark, you can't really see them anyway, but this is just a little embellishment to highlight the supposedly 'evil' nature of the reptiles. But most people know alligators don't malevolently go after people, but then you would have a rather dull film if they did nothing, right?

'Crawl' is a surprisingly fun horrorfilm that might have slipped under the radar, but it is one I highly recommend, doubly so of you like monsterflicks or reptiles. You won't regret it.