Plot: Against all logic, the competitive swimmer, Haley (Kaya Scodelario), drives into the mouth of a furiously destructive Category 5 hurricane on a collision course with her hometown of Florida, to check in on her estranged father, Dave (Berry Pepper). There, in their weather-beaten house amid a rapidly sinking and alligator-infested town, Haley and her father find themselves trapped in the labyrinthine mess of their flooded crawl space, where a merciless pair of six-metre predators is silently stalking them. Now--as Haley and Dave are gasping for air in the claustrophobic basement--only their will to survive can help them stand a chance against the scaly adversaries' powerful jaws. Can they escape without getting eaten alive?
The heroes: A girl, her father and his dog.
The antagonists: Bloodthirsty alligators. And seriously, the Hargans and Pennywise have nothing on those toothy motherfuckers. They are savage.
Best scene: Honestly the whole movie is a bit over 80 minutes long and it's a series of exciting and very well done scenes.
Oh-oh something's not right line: There's two of them!
What makes it so great? First of all, let's get the most important thing out of the way - the dog is FINE. You can safely watch it, that little sweetheart is OK in the end. Crawl had a relatively small budget and didn't have screenings in advance for critics. In spite of that it is, right after Midsommar and Ready or Not, both one of the best and best looking horror movies of the year. It looks really stunning, the sound design is top notch and while the story is very simple, thanks to short runtime and likable heroes, the film is a lot of fun to watch. Compared to its budget it went on to earn a lot of money and got great reviews, so we are probably getting a shitty sequel to it in the future.
Morbid trivia: This movie was inspired by a true alligator event from Hurricane Florence.
Scare factor:
- 3/5 evil pumpkins - the jump scares that are here are really fucking great. Jump scares get bad rep but they are so well executed in this one you can't possibly dislike those moments.Gore factor:
- 3/5 bloody Leatherfaces -
there are some gruesome kills in this movie.Is there a twist? No, it's very straightforward.
Unsuitable for: People who live anywhere near alligators.
Repercussions: Fear of alligators and of Florida (even bigger fear than the one you should already feel, that is)
I missed this one when I was away and didn't really think anything of it, and it turns out it was actually really good! Going to watch this one as soon as possible!
ReplyDeleteYES! I hope you'll like it!
DeleteAwesome review! I've been hearing nothing but good things about this movie. Now I so want to watch this movie!
ReplyDeleteIt's so much fun! And it is so short, so it's a nice thing to watch this month for Halloween :)
DeleteI laughed at "Fear of Florida" They really are the bastard child of the U.S
ReplyDeleteI skipped this in theaters but I'll definitely give it a watch after reading this.
It's really good! And yeah even here we know Florida sux :)
DeleteThe spider scene was the most terrifying part. I would have been dead cause I'd be back in the water to get them off me :) Luckily I have no desire to ever go anywhere near Florida!
ReplyDeleteFlorida legit seems scary, just guns and alligators :P
DeleteUsually when something happens that is insane and so completely off-the-rails... I assume it's taking place in Florida. Great review! I've been dying to see this one, and yes I always check on the dog before I check out any scary movie. :D
ReplyDeleteI always go to that doesthedog die website, I just can't stand when it happens! It's the worst horror trope out there
DeleteFor me this thing was more fun than it had any right to be. I went into it with very light expectations and ended up having a blast. Silly, sure. Fun, absolutely.
ReplyDeleteYeah it was so entertaining! And it was very well done especially given the budget
DeleteI was surprised to hear good reviews for it, no idea why but I guess I have a preset assumption that creature horror movies are rarely good. That being said, I'm at a point where I really want to see this! Your review just pushed me to see it faster. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHope you'll like it, it's a lot of fun!
DeleteI love this one, especially how they managed to use the jump-scares quite effectively. After all, what to expect from an alligator movie? Lol. Yes, the dog is FINE. I feel you, too. Great writing!
ReplyDeleteThose jump scares were so good! So many came out of nowhere and really got me
DeleteYes, yes....yessssss. This movie was so ridiculously good for a disaster flick, I almost died watching it (it's the loudest movie I've ever seen, too...which gets it bonus points).
ReplyDeleteThank God Sugar made it. I think I would have thrown my drink through the screen had anything happened to that pup.
Hey, great call on the look of this film. All things considered, it was gorgeous!
I'm glad I watched it at home, those jump scares would have killed me in the loud cinema!
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