- Director : Chalit Krileadmongkon, Pakphum Wongjinda
- Actors : Chanya McClory, Mike Angelo, Benjamin Joseph Varney, Kulteera Yordchang, David Asavanond
- Language : Thai (DTS 5.1)
- Studio : Well Go Usa
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Media Format : Subtitled, Widescreen
- Run time : 1 hour and 32 minutes
- Release date : October 3, 2023
Thailand has been contributing to the horror
genre for decades, significantly contributing inspiration for several films in
the wave of Asian horror remakes coming from Hollywood in the early 2000s.
Perhaps for that reason it should come as no surprise that the film Creepy
Crawly (originally titled The One Hundred) is one the first horror
movies to directly address the Covid pandemic within a narrative about a
contagion let loose in a confined area. Unfortunately, while there is relevance
in the societal context of the narrative, that does not make the quality of the
filmmaking any more effective.
Although the
concept for the narrative is apparently taken from a historical story told during
the reign of King Chulalongkorn, it has been adopted to modern times by
involving Covid-19. Set in a Thailand hotel, a group of guests with nowhere
else to go are quarantined in the building during the pandemic. The hotel’s
owner simply wants to capitalize on the situation, which is why he refuses to
believe there may be a larger threat than Covid lurking amongst them in the
form of a large creature.
The invading creature resembles a
large centipede, while controlling smaller ones infesting the hotel, and has
the ability to take over the bodies of humans. In some ways the film resembles John
Carpenter’s The Thing or any iteration of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers,
though it gets increasingly ridiculous when the invading creature displays an
ability to communicate and heal the human bodies it is occupying. This is all
made even more absurd by the less-than-believable CGI effects to depict the creature.
It also reaches new heights of silliness when the monster displays a desire to
occupy the body of a specific hotel occupant.
Despite the simple premise, Creepy
Crawly overcomplicates everything else about the narrative. There are too many
characters, too complex motivations for the creature, and even a level of visual
excess made worse by the sub-par special effects. In short, it starts strong
and quickly devolves into a sloppy and silly mess of melodrama and unconvincing
creature violence. While I think it is a good thing that more nations are being
included in the horror genre, this is unlikely to be the film to bring Thailand
into the fold.
The Blu-ray is about what you would
expect from a film like this. The title has been changed to entice audiences
and the cover art is an image of the creature not revealed until the final act,
almost as if marketing tricks were the only way to promote the film. It may
also explain why no effort has been made to provide special features on the disc.
Entertainment Value:
3.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 3/10
Historical
Significance: 4/10
Special Features: 0/10
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