''Crawl'' is a 2011 Australian suspense-thriller written and directed by Paul China and produced by Benjamin China. The film stars George Shevtsov,
Georgina Haig and Paul Holmes.
Plot
Slim Walding (Paul Holmes), a bar owner, hires a Croatian (George Shevtsov) to kill an acquaintance over an unpaid debt. The crime is carried out, but the culprit leaves behind the murder weapon, an antique pistol belonging to Slim (thus framing him for the homicide). As the Croatian makes his getaway, he accidentally runs down a stranded motorist. The murderer seeks refuge at a nearby, isolated house, where he holds a young woman, Marilyn Burns (
Georgina Haig), hostage.
The Croatian learns that Marilyn's fiancé is the motorist he has killed. To escape on a motorcycle (the only vehicle at hand), he returns to the crash site to retrieve the man's keys. There, the Croatian murders the fiancé, after discovering he is still alive. Later, Slim realizes that his prized pistol has been stolen and that he has been set up. Learning the Croatian's whereabouts, he heads off looking for revenge. At the house, however, after freeing bound-and-gagged Marilyn, Slim is killed when the Croatian unexpectedly attacks him with an axe. Marilyn then kills the Croatian.
Cast
*George Shevtsov as The Stranger
*
Georgina Haig as Marilyn Burns
*Paul Holmes as Slim Walding
*Lauren Dillon as Holly
*
Lynda Stoner as Eileen
*Catherine Miller as Annie
*Andy Barclay as Travis
*Bob Newman as Rusty Sapp
*Paul Bryant as Sergeant Byrd
*John Rees-Osbourne as Constable Rolly
Production
The film was shot on location in
Queensland, Australia
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
in late 2010.
Soundtrack
Australian composer
Christopher Gordon scored the film.
Release
''Crawl'' played at over thirty international film festivals, including
Sitges Film Festival
The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear ...
in Spain,
FrightFest in the UK, and
Brisbane International Film Festival
The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held in Brisbane, Australia. Organised by the Screen Culture unit at Screen Queensland, the festival has taken place since 1992, with the program including features, ...
in Australia.
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music ...
released the film in the US on 1 September 2012, and
Arrow Films released the film theatrically in the UK on 22 February 2013.
Reception
''Crawl'' has received positive reviews from critics, scoring fresh rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
based on reviews, with an average score of . Sean Decker of
Dread Central
Dread Central is an American website founded in 2006 that is dedicated to horror news, interviews, and reviews. It covers horror films, comics, novels, and toys. Dread Central has won the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Website ...
said the film ″rivals ''
No Country For Old Men
''No Country for Old Men'' is a 2007 American neo-Western crime thriller film written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on Cormac McCarthy's 2005 novel of the same name. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin, the ...
'' in gritty style and suspense″ and was an ″assured
Hitchcockian slow-burn.″
Journalist Alan Jones awarded the film four stars saying ″not since the Coen Brothers' ''Blood Simple'' has there been a more exciting thriller debut...a nail-bitingly effective study in slow-burning terror...scary, sly and sexy...a twisted and skillful homage to film noir.″
Accolades
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 1848832
''Crawl''at
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
2011 films
Australian thriller films
2011 directorial debut films
2010s English-language films