Crawlspace

Screen veterans Arthur Kennedy ("The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue") and Teresa Wright ("Shadow of a Doubt") play Albert and Alice Graves, a childless middle-aged couple living outside a small town, on the edge of the woods. They discover that Richard Roy Atlee (Tom Happer), a young man who's recently left his job, is now squatting in a crawlspace underneath their kitchen. Initially disturbed, they come to welcome his presence, and although somewhat sullen and withdrawn, he does appreciate the kindness that they show towards him. He never does, however, take them up on their offer to move into one of their actual rooms; he prefers the crawlspace.

There is a feeling of grim inevitability to this engaging made for TV combination of character study and psychological horror. Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise when Richard displays a dark side to his personality. Yet, one can't really hate him; you do feel some sympathy towards him, and realize that he is mentally imbalanced and needs family ties & a sense of belonging.

Of course, this being a TV movie, it's disturbing without being graphic in any way, even when people are felled by bullets or an axe. It's all directed with efficiency by John Newland, who went on to make 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark', one of the most famous TV horror movies of the 1970s. It gets by largely due to convincing performances by the main trio of actors, and capable work by character actors Eugene Roche ("Slaughterhouse-Five"), as the concerned local police chief, and Matthew Cowles ('All My Children') as a young troublemaker. Kudos, also, to Jerry Goldsmith for his affecting music score and the filmmakers for creating a sombre atmosphere.

Good, if not great, material was scripted by Ernest Kinoy, a TV veteran who worked on things such as 'The Defenders' and 'Roots', from the novel by Herbert Lieberman. It doesn't conclude as strongly as it starts, but it keeps its grip for a decently paced 75 minutes.

Seven out of 10.

I had nearly given up all hope to ever see this particular "Crawlspace"! When you're actively searching for this title, you can encounter a couple of interesting cult movies, but not easily this 1972 made-for-TV movie. Now that I did finally get my eager little hands on a decent copy, I can safely state that it's another delightfully curious and out-of-the-ordinary TV-gem! On one hand it's a typical 70s TV-thriller, meaning that it is short and low- budgeted and not featuring any special effects, but on the other hand this also means that the plot is uniquely bizarre and that the atmosphere is moody and unsettling throughout. Additionally, it also means that it stars several adequate actors and actresses and that the story, although highly implausible and far-fetched, remains stuck in your mind and keeps you contemplating. Albert and Alice form a lovable elderly couple living in a remote countryside mansion. One day, they discover that the 20-something homeless and extremely introvert Richard has moved into the crawlspace underneath their house uninvited. So Albert and Alice react like any normally functioning person would react… They feed him milk & cookies, knit winter sweaters for him and invite him over to the family Christmas diner! They adopt and welcome Richard like the son they always wanted but never had, in fact. Problems arise when Richard turns out to be a bit of an aggressive sociopath and runs into a dispute with the local grocery boy. Based on a novel that I haven't read, the intriguing basic concept and character developments are undoubtedly the strongest points of this film. These, along with the excellent performances of Arthur Kennedy and Theresa Wright, make "Crawlspace" one of the finest TV-thrillers I have seen in my life. The pacing is slow but intense, the music and ambiance are continuously eerie and the inevitable climax is almost emotional. Matthew Coles also gives a good performance as the arrogant small-town bully, while Tom Happer (as the crawlspace resident) hits the exact right tone being simultaneously pathetic and menacing. Believe you me, this thriller is way better than director John Newland's widely acclaimed but vastly overrated "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark".

Ernest Kinoy adapted this bizarre story from a novel by Herbert Lieberman, concerning a young, unemployed electrician in a small town who returns to the last house he worked at--that of a friendly, elderly couple--and lives in seclusion in the basement. The couple, who have no children of their own, are initially disturbed to learn the kid has been sleeping in a damp, cramped crawlspace under their house...but soon they find themselves welcoming his appearances, fixing him dinner, buying him clothes, and giving him things to do. The local sheriff, and apparently some of the town residents, quickly find out about this unspoken arrangement between the wayward youth and his benefactors, causing all hell to break loose. For a TV-movie, this is pretty strong stuff, commendably given a matter-of-fact treatment which helps the plot unfold naturally (even if the material itself is unconventional). Unfortunately, Kinoy's teleplay goes awry in the third act, changing the personalities of its key players without warning and concluding on an absurdly melodramatic note. Otherwise, two-thirds of a good picture, and the performances are excellent all around.

It's been awhile since I've seen this one, but I remember what it was about. A different young man is taunted by the so-called "normal" kids until he's finally driven to kill violently. This movie may be almost 30 years old, but (unfortunately) its message is still timely. Time to dust this one off and show it again. Good to watch as a family with discussion afterwards.

I'm afraid the other poster may be misremembering--I believe they are thinking of Bad Ronald, another ABC TV-movie of this period. Crawlspace, anyway, is about a retired couple who discover a young drifter living in their--surprise!--crawlspace and attempt to "adopt" him to fill a void in their lives. They try to socialize him and include him in their new "family," with tragic results.

I bought a used copy of the book online. I haven't read it since 7th grade, but so far it is just as good as I remember. My recollection is that the movie is entertaining, but not as good as the novel. Arthur Kennedy and Theresa Wright were both excellent, and it was pretty suspenseful for a movie-of-the-week.