Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

MartinHafer Albert and Alice Graves (Arthur Kennedy and Teresa Russell) have a most unusual infestation in their house. Instead of rats, bugs or raccoons they have a teenager who has taken up residence in the crawlspace under their house!! Do they call Orkin or some other pest control company? Nope. Do they call the police or social services? Nah. Instead they decide to keep him and take care of him like a member of their family!! After all, they don't have kids and they sort of adopt the guy. Their response to this weirdo is anything but typical, that's for sure!! And as for this weirdo they name Richard, he is super-odd--looking a bit like a caveman and having some obvious emotional and possibly intellectual problems. It certainly is NOT like an episode of "Father Knows Best"!! So, what's to become of this odd family? Will they have a happily ever after or will Richard end up actually being a serial killer or, worse, an used car salesman?! Look for the film on YouTube to find out for yourself.Interestingly, although the plot for this made for TV movie sounds ultra- bizarre, for the ABC Movie, it's actually relatively tame. After all, this is the same series that brought us alien impregnation ("The Stranger Within"), Witches reincarnated from the colonial period ("Crowhaven Farm"), Monsters living in the chimney ("Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"), a possessed piece of equipment ("Killdozer") and Hauntings ("The House That Would Not Die")...among other weird topics. Sure, many of the films were more mundane...but the network has got to be commended for approving pretty much any strange idea the writers came up with during the course of the series! So is this a great made for TV movie? No. The plot leaves many plot holes unanswered--such as the couple never trying to get Richard any counseling as well as how quickly they went from a happy family to a couple under siege (their change in attitude towards Richar was simply too fast to be believable)! And, when they later had really SERIOUS problems, why didn't the couple go to the police and why did they behave like they did?! But on the other hand it is never dull in the least and deserves to be seen.In some ways, this plot sounds like it was reworked into another made for TV movie, "Bad Ronald"...it's also about a young man living within the walls of a home and some unsuspecting folks movie in to the place! It came out two years after "Crawlspace", so it looks like "Crawlspace" spawned at least one imitator!

Coventry I had nearly given up all hope to ever see this particular "Crawlspace"! When you're actively searching for this title, you can encounter a couple of interesting cult movies, but not easily this 1972 made-for-TV movie. Now that I did finally get my eager little hands on a decent copy, I can safely state that it's another delightfully curious and out-of-the-ordinary TV-gem! On one hand it's a typical 70s TV-thriller, meaning that it is short and low- budgeted and not featuring any special effects, but on the other hand this also means that the plot is uniquely bizarre and that the atmosphere is moody and unsettling throughout. Additionally, it also means that it stars several adequate actors and actresses and that the story, although highly implausible and far-fetched, remains stuck in your mind and keeps you contemplating. Albert and Alice form a lovable elderly couple living in a remote countryside mansion. One day, they discover that the 20-something homeless and extremely introvert Richard has moved into the crawlspace underneath their house uninvited. So Albert and Alice react like any normally functioning person would react… They feed him milk & cookies, knit winter sweaters for him and invite him over to the family Christmas diner! They adopt and welcome Richard like the son they always wanted but never had, in fact. Problems arise when Richard turns out to be a bit of an aggressive sociopath and runs into a dispute with the local grocery boy. Based on a novel that I haven't read, the intriguing basic concept and character developments are undoubtedly the strongest points of this film. These, along with the excellent performances of Arthur Kennedy and Theresa Wright, make "Crawlspace" one of the finest TV-thrillers I have seen in my life. The pacing is slow but intense, the music and ambiance are continuously eerie and the inevitable climax is almost emotional. Matthew Coles also gives a good performance as the arrogant small-town bully, while Tom Happer (as the crawlspace resident) hits the exact right tone being simultaneously pathetic and menacing. Believe you me, this thriller is way better than director John Newland's widely acclaimed but vastly overrated "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark".

wes-connors Older couple Arthur Kennedy and Teresa Wright (as Albert and Alice Graves) are in their New England retirement home when handsome young Tom Happer (as Richard Atlee) emerges from their basement, where he has "put in a new coil". Strangely attracted to Mr. Happer, Ms. Wright asks him to stay for supper, and Mr. Kennedy lets him borrow a rare addition of Blake from his library. Happer enjoys his stay, and drives off with the book of poetry. Later, Kennedy goes into the basement to investigate an electoral problem and discovers some of Happer's belongings in the "Crawlspace" under his house, including the borrowed book.Sometime later, Kennedy and Wright realize the young man is living in the "Crawlspace" under their house. They decide to feed him, and try to get him to move into the spare bedroom. Kennedy wants to find him a job and Wright adds his name to her sister's Christmas card, "Love from Albert, Alice and Richard." The childless couple has obviously "adopted" their intruder has a surrogate son. But, Happer is weird - he carves "GOD" in the garage door, and refuses to come out of the basement for almost two months. Finally, at Christmas, he emerges from the "Crawlspace".Now nearly mute, Happer helps around the house and yard; and, the three are happy. Still, Happer refuses to sleep in his bedroom, and retires to the "Crawlspace" at night. One day, chief of police Eugene Roche (as Emil Birge) drops by to warn Kennedy and Wright about long-haired Happer, who he believes might be a college drop-out involved with drugs. Happer reveals, when quizzed, that he formerly lived in a cave, and moved to the "Crawlspace" for the winter. Kennedy learns he is actually from Wyoming. All goes well, until Happer begins to interact with the small town's intolerant citizens… Perhaps because it sticks to Herbert Lieberman's 1967 novel (until the ending), this is an above average edition of the "New CBS Friday Night Movies". Probably, because it was not part of ABC's top-rated Tuesday line-up, "Crawlspace" fell through the cracks. Veterans Kennedy and Wright are terrific as the lonely, unfulfilled couple. And, Happer is extraordinary as the personification of troubled youth - in an extremely difficult role, he manages to make his character both scary and sympathetic - and, he never succumbs to the temptation to overact the part.If it had aired earlier in the season, the three might have been considered for Emmy Awards. Interestingly, acclaimed director Buzz Kulik did win an "Emmy" during the 1971-72 eligibility period for "Brian's Song" - the movie which dominated the awards that year. Mr. Kulik was replaced on "Crawlspace" by director John Newland, but would return to the creepy loner guy fold with ABC's "Bad Ronald" (1974). But, for the truest version of the alienated, isolated, and/or insane 1970s counterculture outcast youth, Happer's "Richard" shouldn't be missed.Happer looks like he should have become a much more successful actor. He was one of the many "Dark Shadows" stars awarded parts in TV and theatrical movies during the early 1970s - he played a "Romeo"-type role on "Shadows", and would have continued on the show, had it been renewed for Spring 1971 season. Undoubtedly, Happer was one of the many "Dark Shadows" cast believing "DS" was a small part of a larger career; but, with a few exceptions, fans wanted them to remain in the "Shadows" eternally.A more successful soap opera career was had by Matthew Cowles (as Dave Freeman), who plays a villainous townie. Jerry Goldsmith's score is also worth noting. "Crawlspace" was released on DVD in unfortunately "un-restored" condition (it's worth looking to see if CBS had a different edit, in some warehouse or vault). Until (if ever!) it's restored, the good folks at "Wild Eye" should receive "Dark Shadows" thanks for making Tom Happer's "Crawlspace" and Jonathan Frid's "The Devil's Daughter" the first two movies in their "TV Movie Terror Collection".******** Crawlspace (2/11/72) Buzz Kulik, John Newland ~ Arthur Kennedy, Teresa Wright, Tom Happer

lou-maiorino The movie was partly filmed in my father's old grocery store in 1972 in East Norwalk, CT. I was only 13 years old and all I remember was eating the many different kinds of cereals that were used for props in my father's store. I know that it took about 1.5 to 2 days to complete the shooting of the store scene. I was told that part of the movie was also shot in Westport or Weston, CT. There was also another movie shot in my father's store about a year later, but I am not sure what then name of it was. I would be interested in purchasing a DVD of this movie if I could find one. I have seen the movie when I was 13 year old, but I only remember the store scene and the scene were the boy lived in the crawlspace of a house.