What To Do If Your Basement Gets Flooded

Well, if it's the basement in the movie "Crawl," don't go down there.  Because, during a Florida hurricane, you never know how many hungry alligators might be swimming around.

If that sounds like a preposterous plot of a horror movie, it probably is.  But, at the same time, "Crawl," tautly crafted by director Alexandre Aja, is perfect movie fare for a summer's evening.   At a crisp and compact running time of 90 minutes, Aja wastes no time in entertaining and scaring his audience.  You will be eagerly munching on your caramel corn as the gators are busy munching on those looters down at the local gas station.  Yum.

What is great about "Crawl" is the fact that you really only have two main characters to worry.  Haley, played by Kaya Scodelaro (think Emma Stone without the freckles), is a swimmer for the Florida Gators college team...wink, wink.   Some category ten hurricane is on its way and she needs to check on her dad (Barry Pepper) who has been depressed following a divorce and holed up in the old ramshackle of a family home.  

That, my friends, is all you need to know.   Just like in "Jaws," it takes a little while for the toothy villain to show up.   And when it happens, there are two of those blasted things swimming around the cellar which is slowly filling up with water.  And then the buffet table is officially open.

There's a lot of backstory unveiled in the dialogue between Haley and Dad.  And the best part of that is the conversations are steeped in gallows humor as they wonder just when and where the next feeding will begin.

As in every really good horror film, there are some really dynamic scares as well as some rollicking laughs.   Just when you think a movie like this shouldn't work, it does.  Of course, you know the gators are fake, but it doesn't make a difference.   They scare the shit out of you regardless.

A production note: read the closing credits and try to pronounce some of the names on the crew.   They all end with "ic" as virtually the entire population of Serbia contributed to the making of this movie.   Whether it be Serbia or Canada who apparently funded the film, they should be content to know that they have put together a truly fun movie.   

Munch, munch.

LEN'S RATING:  Three-and-a-half stars.

Dinner last night:  Salad.