Crawl (2019)
(Amazon Streaming, December 2020) Expectations didn’t run high for creature-feature Crawl, in which Floridians having enough trouble with a hurricane-flooded house also have to deal with alligators moving in. But this is the kind of film where execution can make or break a premise, and in the hands of noted horror auteur Alexandre Aja, the film manages to find an interesting balance between chills and thrills: Aja’s stylish direction goes for suspense whenever it can, but thankfully draws back on the gore and delivers a happy ending of sorts. (Don’t worry, though – the body count of the film is surprisingly high for something taking place in what’s supposed to be an evacuated part of Florida.) The atmosphere of a flooded, rain-battered house is convincing, especially given all of the CGI required for a film shot in Serbian soundstages. Acting-wise, Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper make for an effective daughter-father team, and they’re our anchors in what would otherwise be just gators chomping on supporting characters. It’s not a big or great film, but Crawl manages to hit just the right spot for a competent B-movie.