"Crawlers" Review: Eight-Legged Terror and Brainless Decisions Make for Average Horror
Roadside Attractions and Saban Films unleash a building full of eight-legged nightmares in “Crawlers,” a creature feature from director Ángel Gómez Hernández and screenwriter Jayson Rothwell. Starring Matilda Lutz, Gregg Sulkin, William Miller, and Melina Matthews, the film has a simple premise: trap a group of residents inside an apartment complex with venomous spiders and see who makes it out.
After a mysterious death, building manager Serena (Lutz) discovers that the complex has a serious pest problem. And no, we're not talking about something a quick call to the exterminator can fix. The spiders are multiplying, the police have placed the building under quarantine, and Serena must use her knowledge of the property to help her neighbors survive while confronting her own fears.
Anybody who knows me knows I can forgive a lot when it comes to horror. People will investigate noises they should run from, wander off alone, and ignore warnings that couldn't be any clearer. That's part of the genre. Let's be serious: if everybody made smart decisions, half these movies would be over before the opening credits finished.
But there has to be a balance. It's one thing to make a foolish choice in a panic. It's another to behave like common sense has left the building entirely. “Crawlers” crosses that line more than once, and instead of worrying about the characters, I found myself questioning what on earth they were thinking. And when that keeps happening, the spiders start looking smarter than the people they're chasing.
Lutz gives the chaos a capable center in Serena, whose familiarity with the apartment complex at least gives her a sensible reason to take charge. Beyond that, though, the supporting residents leave little impression. I didn’t need lengthy histories for everyone, but a few more reasons to care who survived would’ve made the danger hit harder.
The film's short running time is a blessing. Hernández keeps things moving, and I never felt the story needed another half hour of people discovering that spiders bite. Still, moving quickly isn't the same as building suspense. There’s a difference between watching characters scramble and genuinely fearing for them.
Naturally, the ending leaves the door open for a sequel. Whether we need another visit to this apartment complex is another question. “Crawlers” has enough creepy-crawly mayhem to pass the time, but not enough imagination or believable character choices to make it memorable.
Final Grade: C
"Crawlers" is in theaters today.
