Crawlspace
(1972)
Wild Eye
R1 / NTSC DVD
Director: John Newland
Writer: Ernest Kinoy
Starring: Arthur Kennedy, Teresa Wright, Tom Happer & Eugene Roche
Review by Ted Jones
This made-for-TV psychological drama harkens back to the days when
network movies were actually worth watching. A retired, childless
couple that moved into a quiet New England village discover a creepy
young man named Richard living in the crawlspace at the back of
their basement. With some reservation they allow him to stay, and
before long they’re taking him meals and talking to him in the
darkness, although he rarely answers back.
At first, the wife is the protective one, while her husband is as
practical as one can be considering an unknown stranger is
homesteading in his cellar. The local police are suspicious of
Richard and warn the couple about the dangers of the situation,
while the couple try to get Richard to integrate back into normal
life by having him do simple chores around the house. Richard isn’t
the only outsider in the movie, as the couple discover that they
themselves are not quite accepted in the town by the lifelong
residents. That theme, about folk’s prejudices against those who’re
“outsiders”, runs throughout the movie.
The movie immediately starts off on an uncomfortable note, and the
tension gently ramps up throughout. The acting is damned good, the
dialog sounds authentic and it’s fun watching the attitudes of the
couple do a one-eighty as the story unfolds. Because of the nature
of television and what could be shown at the time, Richard never
really comes across as all that scary and the chilling parts are
rather watered down.
The color of the transfer is slightly shifted to the red end of the
spectrum, which made me think of… old television. It wasn’t a
distraction. The picture is clean and almost completely free of
artifacts, although it is showing its age. The musical score is
excellent, conveying the moods of the movie well. There was one
unintentional laugh-out-loud moment when Richard comes upstairs in a
suit. With his wild hair and scraggly beard, he looks like the Geico
caveman!
There are no extras on the DVD, but I really can’t think of anything
Wild Eye could have included besides trailers from their other
releases or some television commercials from that era.
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