Young police officer Danny is working on an antique car at his uncle’s remote ranch when a major earthquake hits, pinning him under the vehicle and leaving him bloodied, alone, and with no way to call for help. When he thinks the claustrophobic nightmare can’t get any worse, something genuinely horrifying emerges from the fissures in the ground, forcing Danny to engage in a brutal fight for his life — and his sanity.
Director Dale Fabrigar made his film “They Crawl Beneath” with Ron Underwood’s cult classic “Tremors” in mind. Underground worms being released into the world via an earth tremor was taken directly out of the 1990 classic starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, but that is the only element both movies share. “Tremors” never took itself too seriously, utilizing perfectly the combination of earnestness and self-parody, but “They Crawl Beneath” has no earthly idea what it wants to be. It has almost no humor throughout its 88-minute runtime, and while it is listed as a horror film, writer Tricia Aurand tries to imbue the narrative with psychological elements that fall flat every time they are utilized.
Joseph Almani plays Danny, an off-duty cop visiting his uncle Bill (Michael Paré) on Thanksgiving. While working underneath Bill’s car in his garage, an earth tremor knocks the car off its jack stands, essentially trapping Danny and killing Bill. While pinned under the car, giant killer earthworms attack Danny until he can free himself of the wreckage and wait for help to arrive but having been bitten twice, will he survive?
The problem with “They Crawl Beneath” is that it is entirely devoid of any humor, excitement, or horror, the very foundations “Tremors” was built on. While immobilized for most of the film, Danny begins to have hallucinations of his dead uncle talking to him. We are also informed that (gasp) Bill is not his uncle but his father and that his father, as he knew him, was a good man who came along after meeting his mother and took on the responsibility of raising Danny when Bill left. Seriously, this supposed horror film turns into a family drama with emotional scenes performed by some of the worst actors in cinematic history.
One thing to remember when making a film that transpires in a single location is to keep it exciting and fresh. John Carpenter’s “The Thing” takes place in a research facility in Antarctica, “Misery” in an isolated cabin during a snowstorm, “Train to Busan” on a runaway train, and the list goes on. Limiting a movie’s locale to one destination is a precarious proposition, and “They Crawl Beneath” is the perfect example of how not to do it. Director Dale Fabrigar cannot keep things moving along smoothly; instead of focusing on one particular genre, in this instance horror, hence the title, he suddenly turns into Francis Ford Coppola and tries to infuse the movie with overly dramatic performances from actors unable to emote, and story elements he probably considered award-winning, but in reality, are cringeworthy.
By the looks of things, “They Crawl Beneath” had a minuscule budget, and it shows. Sometimes, depending on the director’s creativity, they can work magic and make the lowest budgeted movie appear bigger and better than it is. Unfortunately, Dale Fabrigar has no imagination or resourcefulness, so “They Crawl Beneath” winds up being an exercise in futility. For a movie that tries to pay homage to “Tremors,” it fails on every conceivable level. I would not recommend it at all, suggesting any of the lowest-rated “Tremors” sequels over this disaster instead. You have been warned!
Available on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital October 4th
