These days, low budget creature features tend to exist largely in the VOD doldrums, with very few of them even managing to score a wide theatrical release, never mind find themselves drowning in critical and commercial success. Crawl was one mighty exception to the rule, though, and it deserved all the love that it got.
In fairness, hopes were reasonably high going into the $15 million flick, given that it was produced by horror icon Sam Raimi and directed by genre veteran Alexandre Aja, a filmmaker who more than knows his way around staging a bloody set piece or two laced with tension and atmosphere.
Part family drama, part survival thriller, and entirely outrageous in the best possible way, the high concept slab of massively entertaining silliness saw Kaya Scodelario go looking for her missing father in the midst of a hurricane evacuation, only to discover he’s trapped in the basement with a hungry CGI alligator for company. From there, a battle of wits and teeth ensues, with plenty of heart-stopping moments thrown in.
Three years after securing an 83 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, a $91 million haul at the box office, and a status as one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite films of 2019, Crawl has… well, crawled back onto the streaming charts. As per FlixPatrol, the instant cult classic has nabbed a Top 10 spot on the iTunes rankings in seven different countries, continuing to enhance its reputation as that most oxymoronic of things; an A-grade execution of a decidedly B-tier concept.