Film - Crawl or Die (2014)
I love Indie Horror films.
And the Indie scene is thriving with fantastic material. I personally think that a large portion of Indie Horror films (and non-genre Indie) are made with more passion, more belief in the project and the story than a large number of mainstream Hollywood movies, and for a much lower budget. It is an area of film that captures original ideas, and visible blood, sweat and tears. 2014's Horror/SF masterpiece Crawl or Die is certainly no exception.
After a devastating virus, an elite military squad are given the mammoth task of delivering the Earth's last known surviving fertile female to a far away uninhabited Blue Planet (Earth two.)
After landing, the squad and the package find themselves in an underground bunker.
They soon realize that they are really not alone and they are being hunted. Their only option is to crawl through the seemingly never-ending tunnels for their survival. "We have to crawl!” cries the film’s lead role, Tank, played by the magnificent Nicole Alonso who is also the producer and theme music composer.
The film's director, writer, editor, producer, and cinematographer, Oklahoma Ward, has created a horror movie that will stand the test of time. Whilst paying homage to its different influences, it doesn't rely on them and stands out in its uniqueness but Horror/SF fans can also appreciate the nods to highly influential cinema. The one hour and thirty minute thrill ride is paced beautifully and, right from the beginning, the film drags you right into the tunnels. The sparse amount of dialogue takes nothing away from the movie or the story itself. If anything it adds to it and builds the tension of each scene. I'm glad that this is a decision Ward made, as pointless monologues and Tarantino-esque ramblings would have just been superfluous and distracting. The claustrophobic scenes are not for the faint hearted and, after it had finished, I had to go outside to catch my breath. The camera angles really add to the claustrophobic element of the tunnel crawling scene and almost make it a little disorienting. Bear in mind too that, as we follow Tank's squad and the package through the miles of tunnels, they are being hunted by something that isn't very friendly which adds to the tension and discomfort.
Which brings me on nicely to Nicole Alonso aka Tank, whose performance is most definitely one of the film's many highlights. Alonso's portrayal of the character was truly magnificent, the emotion that the actor conveyed was palpable and believable. She brought a fantastic character to life and made the viewer care about her. In other words, even with the few lines of dialog, Alonso gave Tank a strong voice and a screen commanding presence from the start. This is one character that deserves a place in the top of any list of badass movie females. I would like to see what Nicole Alonso does next, as well as the planned sequels for this groovy movie, as she is a wonderful, talented actor and there are many roles that I think she would be perfect for.
A Claustro-horror with SF elements that will have you gasping for air, whilst leave you wanting more, Crawl or Die is an absolute masterpiece in Indie Horror and I know that I will be a fan of this movie for life.
All that is left for me to say is, go and watch it.
Image - Amazon
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