Sarone would have killed the last two surviving members of the film crew otherwise. Unless you count the aforementioned BigDamnHeroes moment. Despite Eric Stoltz getting fourth billing and (at least at the time of release) being the movie's best-known actor after Jon Voight, Steven gets taken out of action fairly early on, and while he ''technically'' survives until the end, he has so little impact on the rest of the plot that he might as well have been killed. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, should nature- and animal-based horror become the next big genre trend.* DeadStarWalking: An odd variation. From Greta Thunberg to the Trump administration’s rollbacks on waterway protections and the Endangered Species Act, our environment is a major concern. It’s clear that climate change and animal preservation are two of the world’s biggest issues right now. So while the idea of a giant snake movie carrying sociopolitical overtones is silly, it doesn’t make it any less true or necessary. They’ve always been politically and socially charged. Horror films have always been our lens through which to view contemporary concerns. It was only when we thought we had nature under our control that these kinds of films fell to the wayside, becoming comedic excursions of excess in the era of Sharknado (2013).īut we don’t have nature under control. Whether we’re talking about human survival in the enormity of nature, or how attempts to play god break the natural order of the world, this current subgenre of films hark back to a long history of nature-based horror from Them! (1954) to Piranha (1978). While none of these movies are particularly deep or complex, they do have something on their mind other than body counts and teeth tearing away flesh. All of these films, though some more than others, took concepts that only a few years ago would have been relegated to TV movies on Syfy and bargain bin DVDs in Walmart and elevated them to the arena of theatrical experiences. While Crawl is the best of the recent animal-centric horror films over the past few years, it’s also following the success of The Shallows (2016), 47 Meters Down (2017), The Meg (2018) and Rampage (2018). While films of its ilk have been dismissed in the past, Crawl gained the approval of audiences and critics, and was a modest box office success for Paramount during a crowded summer season. But more than being an offbeat pick from one of Hollywood’s most pulp-loving directors, Crawl is also a wonderfully crafted horror film with strong performances from Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper - and no shortage of reptilian menace. For those familiar with the filmmaker’s best of the year of the past, which have included the likes of The Beaver (2011) and The Lone Ranger (2013), his pick of a non-award season contender shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker was quite taken with director Alexandre Aja’s film about a father and daughter trapped in a basement with alligators during a hurricane. When a director of Quentin Tarantino’s caliber can end the year by saying that his favorite movie of 2019 was Crawl, the industry is bound to take notice. What would have been a seemingly unlikely property to reboot a few years ago, now finds itself in good company as the B-movie creature feature and animals attack horror film sees a resurgence in theaters. The film spawned one theatrical sequel and three made-for-TV installments, none of which seem to have made a lasting impression, making this reboot, for many, the first Anaconda movie of note since J.Lo battled a flaming snake head in the first one.
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