Review
by Bruce Walsh | Lightning Home Video
In
1986, the heyday of Empire International
Pictures, David Schmoeller wrote and directed
this lovely little romp through the mind
of a now-adult Hitler Youth. Voyeurism.
Sadism. Masochism. Misogyny. Euthanasia.
Sorry, I'm back now. I was just reminiscing.
There's a nice precredit scene
with a nifty implement gizmo. Then Klaus
(Dr. Gunther) Kinski kicks in, with a delightful
game of Russian Roulette. I know, you're
saying that this is all well and good, but
is there a plot? You bet! Dr. Gunther (the
father) was executed for crimes against
humanity because of his "experiments."
Dr. Gunther (the son) worked in several
hospitals where many patients happened to
die under his care, including the brother
of Joseph Steiner, a Truman Capote lookin'
bastard now set on revenge.
There's also a bunch of mindless
bimbos 'cause Dr. G prefers to rent rooms
to them due to the fact that he crawls through
an elaborate duct system to keep an eye
on them. Sally Brown plays Martha (the girl
in the cage) who "can't talk because
I cut out her tongue." Talia Balsam
is basically the babe element.
If you saw his when it first
came out and didn't think it a solid piece
of cinema, give it a second chance –
CRAWLSPACE is a barrel of laughs.
