REVIEW - The Silent Crawlspace (Directed by Richard Benter)

Directed by Richard Benter (Nobody Looks Up, Protocol 734, Final Transit, A Still Eye), The Silent Crawlspace is a dramatic feature following a group of friends on a idyllic break in a remote cabin - and granted the isolated cabin in the woods is a classic setting for a tense thriller or horror, but there is a twist here (and a serious message too) as for a change, in this movie, the threat to the group does not come from outside the cabin - it actually comes from inside the cabin, and further still from within themselves...

We're talking about addiction, and Benter's effort here to highlight the problem and raise awareness of this serious and devastating issue is commendable and makes for an interesting watch.

With a run time of just over 93 minutes, The Silent Crawlspace is a detailed story with an array of thought-provoking characters, and with little development of these in the opening, absolutely no time is wasted in introducing them to the viewer - setting the wheels in motion; and quickly we are introduced to our protagonist Shane, a talented musician, played by Taylor Wood (Anna, CrankGameplays, Last King of the Cross) who the bulk of the story to follow centres around.

As the group of friends arrive at the cabin, greeting one another Shane seats himself at a piano in an adjacent room, where he plays beautiful music as the friends settled into the cabin and make themselves at home. The friends converse and gossip and as they do so, we learn of emerging concerns and worries shared among some of the group about Shane's drug use and behaviour - having developed an addiction to opioids. Shane continues to play the piano, but as the conversation continues the music he's playing becomes more jarring and unsettling, which serves nicely to highlight the unease of the group as their worries and concerns heighten.

Quoting the movie's synopsis: "The emotional balance of the group changes as they try to understand the devastating effects of addiction and its fallout on their lives."

And from here, things begin to unravel, progressively picking up speed, as Shane becomes evermore consumed by his addiction and seems increasingly determined to hit life's self-destruct button - without a care about any collateral damage, or who he might take out with him. Viewers are clued in to Shane's potential downward spiral throughout the movie, as scenes are intercut with exterior shots of Shane in a zombie-like state, staggering through a dark forest at night, vulnerable, dishevelled, and seemingly lost - foretelling by visual metaphor his future destiny should he fail to overcome his demons.

A tad cheesy and clichéd in places but making a very serious point, The Silent Crawlspace is a movie made with good intentions, and with potential to be a useful an educational device to communicate, convey and highlight the devastating effects of Fentanyl addiction to its audience; whilst also touching on other sensitive issues, such as domestic violence, and acts of dishonesty and deception, as well as the accumulative and far-reaching impact that these can have on our friends, families, loved-ones, relationships, social circles, careers and more broadly, our lives.

The set and location are excellent, and lend themselves very well to the atmosphere, which is at times ominous and eerie, and the performances for the most-part are decent. The complex issue of addiction and drug use is an important one, and hats off to Benter for highlighting it here, with a great deal of effort and creativity to be commended.