CRAWLSPACE (1986) – out-of-print on DVD, Netflix Instant provides a shockingly crisp and clear transfer of this loopy slasher movie helmed by the insane lunatic known as Klaus Kinski. Mr. Gunther (Kinski) is the well-mannered landlord of a boarding house (supposedly in California, but actually an Italian soundstage) populated by sexy single ladies. Mr. Gunther is not only a good example of the small businessman in America, but he’s also an ex-Nazi with a tongueless slave in a cage who slithers through the ventilation system spying on his tenants and tormenting them with remote controlled rat holes. Also, he sometimes kills his tenants and the occasional nosy jerk with elaborate death traps. A cleanly made slasher film from the tail end of the 80′s slasher movie craze, what elevates Crawlspace is Kinski’s deliriously bizarre performance, an acting job so filthy and kinky that by the time the movie’s over you’ll want to take a long hot shower. Kinski’s off-balanced thesping seems to have infected the entire movie, imbuing the proceedings with a weirdness that gets downright unhealthy as the movie proceeds. Shooting this movie was apparently a horror show in and of itself, so don’t miss director David Schmoeller’s 10-minute short film about the making of Crawlspace called Please Kill Mr. Kinski. (And here’s an interview with the director) (Watch it!)
