Retail Price: $14.99

Reviewed by:
Ian Jane on November 16, 2007.

Shortly after Richard leaves for the evening but what the Graves don't realize is that he hasn't gone very far - in fact, he's underneath them. When Albert hears a noise coming from under the house he finds that Richard has decided to live in their crawlspace. At first the kindly old couple aren't entirely sure what to do about this rather unusual problem but soon enough Alice's maternal instincts kick in and the pair decide to let him stay. A visit from the local sheriff (TV actor Eugene Roche from Webster and SOAP), who thinks Richard might be trouble, doesn't stop them from putting plates of food downstairs for the strange young man now residing with them. Eventually Richard comes out of his shell a little bit and starts to help the Graves' out with chores around the house. He chops wood for them and does odd jobs now and again. When Albert encourages Richard to get a job and finds out that he hasn't even bothered to apply, however, his tone starts to change and soon the Graves find themselves with a most unusual house guest... the kind that prove very difficult to get rid of.

Directed by the late John Newland (who is probably best remembered for his work on One Step Beyond), Crawlspace is a surprisingly dark made for TV movie shot outside of New York City in Connecticut. The remote locations used for the Graves' wood side home make a great spot for the story to play - they're fairly removed from nearest town, making them all the more vulnerable when it starts to hit the fan. If the plot is a little bit predictable (it's pretty obvious from the very start that Richard is a little... off and that he will at some point become a problem) at least the film is well acted and at times, quite tense. The cinematography is pretty solid, with the scenes showing us Richard's obsessive behavior inside the crawlspace coming across as quite claustrophobic.

As far as the performances go, Kennedy and Wright are very well cast in their parts and both do a fine job of going back and forth between being concerned for Richard and concerned for their own well-being. Tom Happer steals the show, however, leading one to wonder why he doesn't have more credits to his name. He's quite good as the paranoid Richard, really conveying a very animalistic sense of self defense in a few scenes that lend some believability to a part that could have very easily been overplayed.

The English language Dolby Digital Mono track on this disc is riddled with hiss and a bit of distortion as well. The levels fluctuate and you'll find yourself adjusting the volume once or twice. That said, if you don't mind reaching for the remote a few times you'll at least be able to follow the film. Regardless, there's certainly a whole lot of room left for improvement in this department.

Crawlspace is a competent and well acted made-for-TV thriller with an interesting twist or two that moves at a solid pace and which proves to be a surprisingly entertaining blast from the past. Sadly, Wild Eye's disc looks pretty poor and arrives without a single extra feature of note - making this a bit of a wasted opportunity.

Arthur Kennedy, Teresa Wright, Tom Happer