Crawl (2019)

A category 5 hurricane is headed for the Florida coast and most of the towns have been evacuated. When a competitive swimmer (Kaya Scodelario) hasn't heard from her father (Barry Pepper) who is in the path of the hurricane, she drives down to see if he's okay. But she finds him unconscious and injured in the cellar. But the hurricane is the least of their problems as alligators have infested the area because of the flooding. Directed by Alexandre Aja, this is an intense edge of your seat creature vs. man horror thriller. Predatory animals/insects/fish vs. man have been a staple of the genre for decades and they range from the sublime (JAWS) to the ridiculous (EMPIRE OF THE ANTS). This minor thriller is no JAWS but it delivers on its promises and does what is sets out to do. This is a lean and tight horror feature (it runs under 90 minutes) that eschews romantic interests, character backstories, "cute" kids (though it does have a dog I was waiting to get devoured by the gators) and concentrates on action. I found myself literally biting my nails. The appealing Scodelario gives a feisty performance which anchors the film. Horror aficionados should find much to like here.