Let out into the wild in the same era as the wildly loved Bad Ronald, the 1972 made for t.v. horror-shocker Crawlspace has a very similar air of contention. It feels right at home among the rarity ranks of being so obscure that the highly sought after dvd print of it is in the $90-$200 price range-for even a used copy among us collectors that would snag a copy if the occasion ever arose. Which of course means that it is out of print. What a drag. Fear not. There are always digital sources to find Crawlspace dwelling in for your weird thirst, and I'm of course here to let all of you zits and zombies know that it is very much worth the long search. The frame that this film is built upon stands up by the means of a man named Richard that comes to repair some things in the Graves' home one night. They soon realize that after his job is done, he is sneaking into their basement/cellar/crawlspace (whatever you want to refer to it as) at night while they snore because he has nowhere to go. He carves the word "God" in huge letters on the door to the cellar. The Graves' take him in because they never had any children of their own when they were younger and they wanted to do their part and help out someone in need. But Richard can't adjust. He finds himself obsessed with the dark corners of the crawlspace and never, ever wants to leave. Ever. Once you reach this point in the film, the Christmas scene is where you think that Rich is starting to open up a little. It's warm, loving, inviting and makes you wish you were spending that time with your own family. But things take a bad turn after that. Bad, bad turn.
Oh my God-no more plumbing nightmares.
What a weird, shifty motherfucker.
Hey, fruity Jim Carey-stop asking nosy questions and get the hell out of my house.
What a spectacular crawlspace... there's a dead rabbit, a rat skull, cobwebs and a cigar box with which contains an iron cross. WWII era.
No one ever said being vengeful or paranoid were bad. They're just not good.
"Over the hills and through the woods to break into your cellar door."
Yeah, Richard. Get a job.
Never disappoint mama at Christmas dinner.
Geico caveman love shrimp!
At least Richard is happy. He has a sense of purpose at your house, Mr. Graves.
Crawlspace is about friendship, loneliness and isolation. Everyone needs someone whether they think they do or not, and the relationship between Richard and the couple that takes him in to live in their crawlspace perfectly embodies the struggle of helping someone in need. Anything can happen in that sort of situation, and this flick makes everything feel real. After Richard loses it and tears up the local grocery store, that's when the real terror of what he is all about finally comes to light. There's absolutely no way that I'm going to spoil the ending or really anything from this film for you, but just know this-the ending is about as tragic as they come. It's pretty sad. It's not a tearjerker or anything like that, but you've been through this bizarre house of mirrors with these characters for almost 70 minutes, and once the story comes to a head at the end... it just knocks you down. I can't say enough about how powerful Crawlspace was for me, and I hope to own a hard copy someday for my collection. Now, since my basement is leaking, I must dam it up. Watch those stragglers.
Oh my God-no more plumbing nightmares.
What a weird, shifty motherfucker.
Hey, fruity Jim Carey-stop asking nosy questions and get the hell out of my house.
What a spectacular crawlspace... there's a dead rabbit, a rat skull, cobwebs and a cigar box with which contains an iron cross. WWII era.
No one ever said being vengeful or paranoid were bad. They're just not good.
"Over the hills and through the woods to break into your cellar door."
Yeah, Richard. Get a job.
Never disappoint mama at Christmas dinner.
Geico caveman love shrimp!
At least Richard is happy. He has a sense of purpose at your house, Mr. Graves.
Crawlspace is about friendship, loneliness and isolation. Everyone needs someone whether they think they do or not, and the relationship between Richard and the couple that takes him in to live in their crawlspace perfectly embodies the struggle of helping someone in need. Anything can happen in that sort of situation, and this flick makes everything feel real. After Richard loses it and tears up the local grocery store, that's when the real terror of what he is all about finally comes to light. There's absolutely no way that I'm going to spoil the ending or really anything from this film for you, but just know this-the ending is about as tragic as they come. It's pretty sad. It's not a tearjerker or anything like that, but you've been through this bizarre house of mirrors with these characters for almost 70 minutes, and once the story comes to a head at the end... it just knocks you down. I can't say enough about how powerful Crawlspace was for me, and I hope to own a hard copy someday for my collection. Now, since my basement is leaking, I must dam it up. Watch those stragglers.
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