2 thoughts on “Considering Horror Cinema Ep. 010: Trapped Among Beasts Within — A Beastly Freaks Special”

1. Happy Birthday Jay!

   I enjoyed this episode and knew that Crawl was right up your alley. The whole beastly freak/survival/siege scenarios that this movie presents are much of what you appreciate. I saw the film last weekend and was very excited by it. I thought it had really good pacing and lots of good action as the story progresses. It’s a very simple premise, but Alex Aja does a great job of reaching it’s full potential here. I also thought the effects were done well. They had to rely on CG for a number of effects, but it did look convincing. There are some great kills in this one as well.

   My only criticism is that there is some awkward dialogue in the beginning of the film for exposition purposes that I thought could have been written better. There is the one scene of melodrama in the middle, but this is expected and does not detract from the story. Sure, you are not quite aware of the layout of the crawlspace under the house, other than the stairs in the middle, but the space underneath the house isn’t going to be obvious in terms of what is above and how that corresponds below. I would not expect it to be obvious. The space was already in shambles before the hurricane’s effects flooded the space out. Also, the disorientation adds to the suspense, because you don’t know where the gators are. These things are minor.

   I really thought in terms of all the things the film was trying to accomplish, I thought they pretty much nailed it. You have a fast paced story with little to distract from the main premise. You have capable actors, you have good effects, some great kills, effective suspense and a solid conclusion. The actual filming of the sequences and how the camera follows all the action was also a highlight. You feel the claustrophobia of the enclosed space and you feel the dread and danger around every corner. I loved this film also. This movie has tons of replay value and I can see enjoying this one on many future views. I think it’s an 8.5 out of 10, definitely see it in the theater and purchase the blu ray upon release.

   I also enjoy Lake Placid quite a bit and consider it a classic. Of course we can’t forget Lewis Teague’s Alligator from 1980, a film that needs a blu ray release. Another one that I enjoy is Sergio Martino’s The Great Alligator from 1979 with Barbara Bach.

   I’ll have to check out Black Water and Rogue, though I do admit, I am not that familiar with Australian horror. Also, speaking of Lewis Teague and beastly freaks, I really enjoyed Cujo. Dee Wallace is amazing for sure. The adultery thread was really unneeded and did nothing for the story, but I know this is also in King’s novel, so I can give that a pass. Otherwise, Cujo also does everything it sets out to do. The dog actor did a great job as well and the make-up effects were scary. The child actor who portrayed the son was also very good, yes I really enjoyed the acting performances and once they get to the mechanic’s house, the movie really gets good. Once Dee Wallace realizes that her son is about to expire, you know the dog is now the one who is in trouble and she rains down fury on that St. Bernard. At no point do I feel sorry for the dog and this is really important, so I give Teague a bunch of credit for making the film be so effective in all the critical areas. Sure, it’s a slow burn at first, but it’s setting everything up for the siege/survival horror that is to come. This also has a ton of replay value as well and can be enjoyed on multiple repeat views. I really think that these well-done beastly freak movies do have lots of replay value due to the nature of the stories and how they play out. You can watch films like Jaws or Crawl many times over and continue to enjoy and appreciate them.

   Thanks for another great episode and will be looking for that MPW episode that you mention in a couple of days. I am actually listening to the back episodes of MPW now, working through them backwards. I am on episode 171, which was the first episode of 2016.

   God bless,
   Sean

   Reply ↓

2. I watched Crawl this past weekend and listened to this podcast on my drive home from the theater. Great stuff Jay! You introduced me to Burning Bright years ago, a movie I appreciate and need to revisit. As you know, I’m not a huge horror fan, but I think I find the “Beastly Freaks” sub-genre pretty appealing.

   Crawl was a lot of fun. I kind of wish some of the sub-characters stayed around for a bit longer. The film went in a The Shallows direction when it could have had more of a Tremors feel (which would have been a welcome surprise). Still, what was there was a ton of fun. I also thought it had one of the most appealing cut to credits and credit song choice in recent memory.

   Reply ↓