Crawl is indie horror at it’s best. The film is written and directed by Paul China, and features a great cast of character actors. It stars Georgina Haig (Fringe), George Shevtsov (Love Serenade, Dead Calm), Catherine Miller (Terra Nova) and Lynda Stoner (Prisoner). It is currently available on DVD and VOD. There is also still time to win this film in our contest here.
The film is set in a rural Australian town, and revolves around a local bar owner has hired a stranger (Shevtsov) to murder someone that owes him money. The murder goes off without a hitch, but a planned double-cross of the bar owner backfires. As a result an innocent waitress (Haig) to be held hostage. This causes a suspenseful and gruesome chain of events to occur, all building up to a climax you have to see to believe.
Crawl is the perfect example of a slow burn, it starts off at a snails pace but has some brutal moments that will leave you speechless. If you are a fan of any movie from the Coen Brothers, you will enjoy Crawl. It felt like a blend of No Country for Old Men and Blood Simple. Just like those films, Crawl has some cool characters.
The character development is very minimal, but that is likely due to the fact that there are not many lines in the film.Crawl is by no means a silent film, but it does have a lot of scenes with only the score playing. Speaking of the music, the score will creep you out just like John Williams’ Jaws score does. The music is very ominous and adds to the tension on the screen.
The cast is solid for an indie, with Haig putting in a great performance as the waitress. Shevtsov is super creepy as The Stranger. He spends most of his scenes silent, with a solid gaze. He is also tall and lanky and seems out of place wearing his Western attire. There are some great scenes where his character is moving along at a slow pace behind his prey that are wonderfully shot. I enjoyed China’s camera angles and tight shots in various scenes.
Crawl is one indie horror that you should not miss. It is the perfect film to watch this weekend on Amazon. If you have already seen this movie, sound off in the comments below.
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