Director: David Schmoeller
Screenplay: David Schmoeller
Starring: Klaus Kinski, Talia Balsam, Barbara Whinnery, Carol Francis, Tané, Sally Brown, Kenneth Robert Shippy
Country: United States
Running Time: 80 min
Year: 1986
BBFC Certificate: 15
German actor Klaus Kinski was famed for his volatile personality, being incredibly difficult to work with on set, and for intense performances. He appeared in over 130 movies, including five with director Werner Herzog, and was adept at pretty much any genre you can think of.
A candidate for one of the oddest, creepiest and nastiest (as least in the themes and content, whether shown or alluded to) Kinski made, is Crawlspace, which sees him playing a crazed maniac who is obsessed with taking young women, locking them up and slowly torturing them.
Kinski is the main reason to watch this film and that aforementioned intensity is very much at the fore – and the extras show that his volatile nature was on show during the making of the picture, like others before it. Check out the making of, which contains some fascinating behind the scenes footage of the actor during the making of the movie and the commentary for background on Kinski the actor and allegations about him as a human being, which I shan’t go into here, but which are eloquently described in the accompanying commentary.
Crawlspace was directed by David Schmoeller for Charles Band’s Empire Pictures in Italy, on sets used for the film Troll. The film follows Karl Guenther (Kinski), the son of a Nazi doctor who seems pleasant enough on the surface, but hides a dark secret, which, as mentioned, is that he traps women in the apartment block he runs, and tortures then. However, he doesn’t aim to kill them, at least at first, rather keeping them alive so he has someone to talk to. He also loves to set traps, giving the film a bit off a Saw vibe, without the puzzles to solve.
The opening pre-credits sequence sees a woman walking through an apartment block looking for Guenther, and discovering a room containing rats in cages which she is subsequently locked in. She discovers a woman who is locked in a cage, her tongue having been cut out. Guenther appears and the woman who has been trying to find him is killed.
It’s a creepy and nasty opening and that creepiness and nastiness with continue. Kinski’s character is a voyeur watching women from the apartment building’s ventilation shaft or creeping up behind them and scaring them. He also narrates his life, where we learn about his Nazi father.
Much of the first hour is a character study; we get to know Guenther and what’s driven him mad, we meet a man who thinks Guenther killed his brother when he worked at a hospital in Buenos Aires, and we meet various tenants of the apartment and adjacent apartment.
Then the final 20 minutes happen. The gloves are off. The body count rises. Guenther becomes a modern day Nazi, giving himself a reason for his horrific acts, and a cat and mouse chase ensues with one potential victims, which includes the quite remarkable sight of Kinski slide through a ventilation shaft – the crawlspace – to chase his next victim. It’s quite a finale.
The score and cinematography are also worthy of mention. There’s a very eerie score by Italian maestro Pino Donaggio, known for Don’t Look Now and numerous collaborations with Brian De Palma, which at times includes a creepy lullaby-like song, and at others some 80s synth. The cinematography is wonderful and is by Italian genre great Sergio Salvati, who worked with gore maestro Lucio Fulci as Director of Photography on 11 films.
In short, Crawlspace is a gripping thriller and a real oddity, anchored by that unhinged Kinski performance which builds up the atmosphere and creepiness to a truly memorable final act.
Film: 
Crawlspace is released on Region B UK Blu-ray by 88 Films on 30th September 2024. The picture is pretty good throughout, detail is fine and it feels very natural. It feels as though it could have looked even better though if it had been newly restored. No issues with the audio; the score shines through suitably creepily as do the sound effects, which are a key part of the film.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
First pressing slipcase and poster
HD (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
2.0 English Stereo
Optional English SDH Subtitles
Audio Commentary by Film Journalists Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain
Mind Trap: Inside Crawlspace – An Interview with Director David Schmoeller
The Making of Crawlspace
Please Kill Mr Kinski
Featurette
Original Trailer
VHS Promo
TV Spots
Stills Gallery
Brand-new artwork by Graham Humphreys and reversible sleeve featuring original poster art
In their audio commentary, film journalists Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain don’t mince their words in their views of Kinski the person or shy away from the well publicised allegations about him as a man, but explain that Crawlspace wouldn’t be the same film without the actor in the main role. They spend a lot of time on the actor, as well as pointing out director Schmoeller’s cameo, and touch on pretty much everything you’d want to know about the film and its production. It’s a phenomenal commentary track.
Mind Space: Inside Crawlspace – An interview with director David Schmoeller, is an easy watch. During its 17 minutes we hear the director’s views on Kinski, and his memories of the production.
The Making of Crawlspace start with behind the scenes footage from the making of the film which shows plenty of Kinski at work when we see him being very clear about his dislike at aspects that are playing out in the direction of the film. The 47 minute piece then spends the bulk of its running time on an extended interview with the acto. It’s oddly shot at times, handheld but missing Kinski from the frame on occasion (which is to be explained by the the fact Kinski only agreed to doing the interview if he couldn’t see the camera). Kinski doesn’t really let up during the interview giving his unambiguous views on directors and studios. It gives a great insight into the actor.
Please Kill Mr Kinski features director Schmoeller giving a tongue in cheek dramatic explanation of his views on Kinski and “how much trouble he was in” when signing up to Crawlspace which would see him direct the actor. It includes behind the scenes footage and footage from the interview with Kinski. Schmoeller shares the much publicised claims that producer Roberto Bessi attempted to have Kinski killed due to his hostility towards the crew. A neat archival inclusion.
The four minute featurette is equal parts extended trailer and equal parts focused on the “unusual actor” Kinski, with snippets of an interview with Schmoeller and that extended interview with Kinski.
The trailer runs for just over a minute and certainly gets across the creepiness of the film, with a typically 1980s voiceover.
The VHS promo does a similar job to the trailer, again for just over a minute.
Two 30 second TV spots are included, one which sees brief scenes play out and the other which is like a cutdown version of the trailer.
The photo gallery runs for just over two minutes and contains a number of production and behind the scenes stills plus promotional materials.
Crawlspace is well presented on Blu-ray by 88 Films, although it would have benefited from a brand new restoration. The new audio commentary is worth the price of admission alone, and a wealth of rewarding archival features have also been included, meaning this 1980s curio and very creepy thriller is well served for its UK Blu-ray debut.
Disc/Package:
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