Alligator-Hurricane Flick Crawl Is the Perfect Schlocky Summer Movie
To grow up in Florida is to develop a complicated relationship with alligators. From a young age you..
To grow up in Florida is to develop a complicated relationship with alligators. From a young age youre inundated with local lore—gruesome tales of gator cannibalism and golfers eaten whole—paired with “helpful” survival tips about running in a zigzag if one ever starts chasing you. In real life, alligators tend to be far lazier than their reputations would suggest—but they live up to their apex predator status just often enough to inspire understandable fear. One might say that in a movie landscape that now includes at least one shark-monster movie per year, these paddle-faced killing machines have been long overdue for the horror treatment.
Enter Crawl, the latest entry from French director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, Piranha 3D, Horns), which premiered on Friday. The films premise is simple: a Category 5 hurricane strikes Florida, unleashing a torrent of wind, rain, and bloodthirsty gators. As one might imagine, Ajas creatures are not regular alligators: theyre gators on steroids, like the mammoth gator seen lumbering across a golf course earlier this year, but much faster—and also apparently rabid.
In recent years much has been made of the “elevated horror” trend—a nebulous distinction designed to characterize films like this years Us and Midsommar as somehow more thoughtful and pensive than the typical scary movie. But Crawl takes the opposite approach, offering a refreshingly straightforward dive into the genres most basic, visceral depths—to sensational results.
The film opens on a University of Florida swim meet, where Haley (Kaya Scodelario) is trying to improve her time in order to hold on to her scholarship. (U.F. is, of course, home to the Florida Gators.) Haleys worried sister calls to see if shes evacuated ahead of Hurricane Wendy, a looming superstorm that should send even the most jaded Floridian packing for the interstate. This being a horror film, Haley has decided to stay put—and vows, against her sisters wishes, to drive further south to check on their estranged father, who was also once her swim coach.
Its the first of many deliciously bad decisions. As Haley quickly discovers, the road to her fathers house is closed—but she blows past the traffic cops, stopping first by her fathers sad divorcé condo and picking up the family dog, Sugar, before continuing to her old family home. Her father—played by grizzled Matthew McConaughey type Barry Pepper—has apparently decided to ride out the storm there, but when Haley finds him, hes trapped in the crawl space under the house. Turns out theres a big ol alligator down there too. Its taken a big bite out of Dads shoulder. And there are plenty more where that came from.
Crawl embraces its B movie roots, delivering just enough gRead More – Source
