Crawlspace

Many a time the problem with a movie (and 'horror' movies in particular) is that you don't care about the characters. As 'Cabin in the Woods' pointed out, the 'stars' of such films are little more than: 'Generic Blonde A,' the 'Jock, the Slut' and 'the Best Friend.' So, for a start, they're not particularly entertaining and, secondly, you don't really care about them when they meet their grisly end.

However, in 'The Attic,' the characters are actually quite well-written. The main cast are all a family, who have just moved into a nice suburban house in America. And, they're actually quite likable. They're likable, largely because they behave like a real family, i.e. they bicker and get at each other, plus no one has been written as a deliberate 'comic element.' So, in a cheap B-movie, I found myself actually wanting to watch more and really enjoying the film. Unfortunately, although the writers can definitely do 'characters' and dialogue, they're not too good at story or plausibility.

The family move into their new home, only to discover that the previous occupant is still living in the attic (and he doesn't take too kindly to newcomers in 'his' house). And that's where the story falls down. You may guess that a certain amount of murders follow and no one seems to notice. People just disappear from the property and no one really bothers to look into it. Plus the badguy himself is pretty lame and not particularly threatening.

The death-scenes are at least inventive on the low budget and some of the kills are clever (if possibly a little unrealistic). And special mention to the youngest member of the family. He's not in it that much, so he doesn't have a lot to do, but his 'one-liners' are quite amusing.

All in all, I really enjoyed the dialogue and family interaction. It was just the plot and lack of realism that spoiled it. I'd quite like to see the same family in a different (horror) situation, as they were definitely the film's high point.

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In "Crawlspace," Aunt Becky and the guy from "Weekend at Bernie's" move their family into their dream house, only to discover that two children previously drowned in the pool. Meanwhile, Brian from "Wings" is living undetected in their attic, raising questions about his waste disposal methods, which remain a mystery to this reviewer. Surprisingly, they never hear him moving around.

The movie fails to deliver genuine scares or thrills. The most shocking aspect is what the brother does to the babysitter, an act that would never be acceptable today. The film leans more towards a thriller than a horror genre and overall, it's pretty lame.

However, Steven Weber's scenes are a highlight, and the gruesome kills, especially the vacuum cleaner kill, make it somewhat worth watching. Despite these moments, the movie barely scratches the surface of what it could have been.

Rating: 5/10

Final Thoughts: While "Crawlspace" has a few redeeming qualities, it's ultimately a forgettable thriller. Watch it for Steven Weber and the occasional gruesome kill, but don't expect much more.

A mentally disturbed man hides in the attic of his former home to take revenge on the bank employee who forced the foreclosure of the property in order to buy it for his own family.

Crawlspace is not a remake of the 1986 Klaus Kinski film of the same name. It's much more akin to the 1989 Gary Busey thriller Hider in the House, in which a family are oblivious to the fact that a stranger is living unseen in their home (and, to some extent, another Busey film, A Crack in the Floor). So it's not exactly original.

Crawlspace's biggest problem, however, is not the lack of fresh ideas - the basic concept is strong enough to withstand reinvention (see also Freehold from 2017) - but rather its badly written script, poor acting, shoddy editing and weak direction. Two sex scenes and some reasonably bloody deaths aside, the whole thing looks and feels like a cheap made-for-TV movie, with zero style and implausible plot developments.

There are two gory moments that hint at what could have been had writer/director Josh Stolberg just gone all out with the outrageousness: the death of hot babysitter Mae (Nikki Moore), who has her neck gashed by a car window, and a murder by curling tongs, which are rammed through the victim's head. Unfortunately, the rest of the killings are less effective: the death by vaccum cleaner is lame, the garbage disposal scene doesn't deliver the graphic splatter, and the murder of the pest exterminator is bloodless.

Crawlspace is too dumb to work as a genuinely scary film, so why not just dial up the craziness and have fun with it?

This film is your standard formula horror film but in a good way - it delivers. Featuring great performances mainly from Steven Weber it also boasts some really creative death scenes. People who are fans of home invasion horror films should really appreciate the film. Surprised this isn't rated a lot higher. It's highly entertaining. Passed my expectations for it. Highly recommended.

This movie us weirdly retro, it has a Stepford Kids/Stepfather/people Across the Lake feel to it, I had to double check it was 2013 as it feels so dated! I'm not saying that as a negative btw.) It's far from the worst film I've ever seen. It was reasonably well acted, script was quite cringeworthy, mildly gory, there was some sex, (one with no boobs and one with boobs) usual highly implausible execution but it's a budget horror movie so I'll let it go. Usual horror flick rules apply, eg- don't over analyse the plot or ask how this can possibly be going on. How can people go missing and no - one notices.

Standard home invasion, enjoyable and disposable. Corny and charming.

4.5/10