It is often easy to criticize a film for being by-the-numbers, but it is equally as easy to forget just how hard doing something by-the-numbers is. At least, until you actually see something that works as effectively as something like Crawl. For anyone not aware, Crawl is the latest film from Alexandre Aja, of The Hills Have Eyes remake and Piranha 3D fame, who is working in collaboration with writers, Michael and Shawn Rasmussen, and producer, Sam Raimi.
The film has a simple but killer premise, a competitive swimmer Haley (Kaya Scodelario), drives into her hometown in southern Florida as a category 5 hurricane makes its way, in order to check on her father, Dave (Barry Pepper), who hasn’t been in contact recently. However, she discovers that he is injured in the crawl space under the house. But as she attempts to get him out, she realizes there are several hungry alligators about, leaving the duo trapped as the hurricane gets more and more intense.
By all accounts, Crawl is a fairly predictable and standard b-horror movie, but what pulls the film through on transcending those initial reservations is all the work put into the movie by the filmmakers to keep it as engaging as possible while retaining a strong sense of economic storytelling and indulging in all the possibilities that the premise allows.
I recall not particularly enjoying neither Aja’s remake of The Hills Have Eyes nor Piranha 3D (though, it has been a very long time since I’ve seen them); I did not like Horns, and I have yet to see his breakthrough film, High Tension. So, I don’t currently get why he seems to have a bit of a following in horror fandom, but I was very impressed by his work with Crawl. It’s a vicious and visceral experience that makes a fantastic use of its claustrophobic settings.
The film clocks in at a mere 87 minutes, but it’s a strong and deeply satisfying 87 minutes. It’s a tightly constructed film that wastes absolutely zero time. It very quickly establishes the characters, the dynamic between Haley and Dave, and all the little fun, little setups that will pay off later. We get alligator action almost immediately upon Haley’s discovery of her father, and by that point, the stakes are firmly established, and the tension is raised expertly as the characters go through as many different scenarios one could explore with the idea of being stuck with alligators. The scares and kills have a good balance of shock and playfulness, and the gore effects are appropriately gnarly.
Thankfully, the filmmakers also remain mindful of the characters, putting a lot of thought into their actions and the consequences that can result from them. The drama between Haley and Dave is hardly groundbreaking. He feels he isn’t worth saving due to failures as a husband and father, she believes he pushed her mother away because he gave her swimming more attention, and struggles to reckon with the fact that only he has been able to push her limits. The resolution of their arc is also not that surprising, but it’s still effective nonetheless. The actors give it their all, and you’re quick to root for them.
The summer has had its highs and lows with all the blockbusters we’ve been getting, but Crawl manages to come through and show everyone how it’s done, while also dealing with limited resources and a short runtime. It really feels like a breath of fresh air to see something that can take all the basics, and show how to best utilize every tool at their disposal to deliver a fun, nasty, thrilling horror crowd pleaser. The whole film went by so fast that by the time the credits rolled, I wouldn’t have minded seeing the movie again right after. I haven’t felt that specific feeling in any of the recent summer movies, or even most of the movies I’ve seen this year, as far as I’m concerned. It’s just a damn good time at the movies, and deserves to be seen on a big screen with a big crowd.