Coventry 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".

suegrantmayaseth I was pleased to see this old TV-movie was on DVD; we'd had the novel around the house when I was a kid, and I always wondered what this movie would be like. I just finished watching it a few minutes ago, and in my opinion, it's pretty much of a mess. If you're curious about these old 70s TV-movies, it's worth your time, but its brisk running time is actually one of the biggest problems. The plot moves so quickly, and so unrealistically, that some of it was almost laughable. It might be interesting to read the novel, as there MUST be more to this story than its choppy rendering here. It has that grainy, creepy early 70s feel (reminded me of "Let's Scare Jessica to Death" in that way), but don't rent/buy it expecting much, or I think you'll be very disappointed.

Rapeman Albert and Alice Graves are a retired elderly couple who discover a wild-looking homeless man named Richard living in the crawlspace of their basement. At first they are a little worried and ponder ways to get rid of him but eventually their sympathetic side gets the better of them (as well as Alice's motherly tendencies) and they take him in. First they begin leaving food outside his hole and then Alice even knits him a wee jumper for Xmas. In return Richard helps around the house, mainly chopping wood (he seems have a thing for axes).Everything is going along swimmingly until the jock at the grocery store rips off Richard $20 and he goes back that night and trashes the store with an axe. Albert and Alice cover up for Richard as they are beginning to think of him as the son they never had, but one night after returning home from the orchestra, the couple discover Richard has smashed Alice's loom (he has abandonment issues) and they begin to get a little worried. As time goes on Richard's behaviour becomes more and more psychotic & violent and the old couple basically become prisoners in their own home as Richard refuses to leave & won't let them leave either. This all culminates into a pretty bleak finale involving drunken jocks, the police and an axe (surprise, surprise).Based on a novel by Herbert Lieberman and directed by John Newland (Don't be Afraid of the Dark), Crawlspace is a decent little low-budget 70s thriller. Arthur Kennedy's (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Emmanuelle on Taboo Island) performance as Albert and Tom Happer's as Richard are both brilliant and Jerry Goldsmith's eerie score adds loads to the already tense & claustrophobic atmosphere. 4/10

Ainsley_Jo_Phillips 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.