Director – Dale Fabrigar (Very Frightening Tales, Changing Lives)
Starring – Joseph Almani (Bloodline: Lovesick 2, Battle Scares), Karlee Eldridge (Devious Maids, The Vampire Diaries), and Michael Pare (Curse of the Re-Animator, Beyond the Resonator)
Release Date – 2022
Rating – 2.5/5
I never know what’s going to show up at my door step for review. More often than not, I find myself reviewing something that is painfully in the middle of the road with no replay value. The films are fun for first time viewing but have no longevity. However, sometimes I get a film in and it completely surprises me.
Sometimes these surprises are good while others are not. Several weeks ago I received the press release for the horror film They Crawl Beneath from my friends over at Well Go USA. The film looked like it would be something I would enjoy so I replied to the email. A few days later the review copy of the film arrived, and I couldn’t wait to check it out.
**Spoiler alert** The film follows an officer who finds himself pinned under a car after a tremor knocked it off the floor jack while he was working on it. He finds himself alone and unable to get out when he realizes that his uncle died under the car when he fell. To make matters worse, a poisonous slug that grows rapidly is stalking him forcing him to fight for his life. **Spoiler Alert**
They Crawl Beneath surprised me but not in a good way. The films artwork, trailer, and synopsis made me think I was getting a Tremors clone but that was not the case. Instead, I was given a film with characters I didn’t like and a story that literally goes nowhere. I don’t know who this film was made for but it for damn sure wasn’t for your everyday horror fans.
The acting in this one is a little flat. The characters have no depth and very generic. The small cast really tries but the way the film was shot and the lonely story doesn’t give them enough room to truly shine.
The story for this one is not what I was expecting nor was it something that I enjoyed. I really wanted to watch a film about killer worm/slug things and people fighting for their lives. Instead, what we get Is a dialogue heavy first half of the film, a middle portion that moves at a snail’s pace, and a final leg of the film that tries to build atmosphere but the hallucination scenes are done in such a manner that you find yourself zoning out. The film should have been more creature heavy instead of focusing so much time to a guy pretending to be stuck under a vehicle that my fat ass could crawl under. It was such a waste of what could have been a decent story.
Finally, I did like the look of the creatures in the film but they don’t get nearly enough screen time. With that being said, that’s the extent of the effects in the film. We get some light blood and a CGI slug. Overall, They Crawl Beneath was a huge let down. As I binge as many horror films as I can this month I found myself very disappointed in this film. So much potential wasted. Honestly, if you saw the artwork and title and thought you were looking forward to a Tremors’ rip off then you will be very disappointed. Skip it.
