During a Florida hurricane, Haley (Kayla Scodelario) heads home to track down her father Dave (Barry Pepper), who is not responding to phone calls. Upon arriving at her father’s house, Haley finds the family dog, Sugar, unattended. Exploring the property, Haley finds her father unconscious and wounded in the cramped basement, and he’s not alone – a giant alligator is keeping him company in the claustrophobic crawlspace. One that seems intent on preventing Haley or her dad from escaping. It’s telling that, while Crawl’s costume department had just one crew member, Serbian designer Momirka Bailovic, the movie’s make-up team consisted of nine individuals. That’s because as the storm rages through Florida and the basement fills up with water, Haley and Dave’s situation goes from bad to worse – and so does their appearance. Their steady deterioration is convincingly rendered as their reptilian captors nip away at them, and injuries are realistically and gruesomely portrayed by the special effects team.
