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Crawl is one of my favorite films of 2019. Didn't see that coming? Yeah, neither did I. I walked into my first screening with high hopes for a wild ride, but not only did Crawl far exceed my expectations as far as creature feature thrills go, but it also boasts phenomenal lead performances (Sugar the dog included!) and a ton of wildly impressive craftsmanship.

The movie stars Kata Scodelario as Haley, a competitive swimmer who becomes concerned when a hurricane hits Florida and she can't get ahold of her father (Barry Pepper). Haley refuses to leave without knowing he's safe so ignores the evacuation orders and heads straight into the storm. Turns out, her father was attacked by an alligator, is trapped in the crawlspace of his home and now the two of them must find a way out with the floodwaters rising and swarming with gators.

Given the fact that much of Crawl plays out in this house, director Alexandre Aja had his work cut out for him when it came to creating dynamic imagery that consistently upped the suspense and energy. On top of that? He had to incorporate a slew of extremely challenging looking stunts and also a significant amount of water. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a brief behind-the-scenes clip that gives you a glimpse at what it took to send rising floodwaters rushing through the set. Check it out for yourself in the video clip at the top of this article!

Crawl and its special features are available on Digital release today. You can also grab a Blu-ray combo back when that becomes available on October 15th.

Here’s the official synopsis for Crawl:

When a massive hurricane hits her Florida hometown, Haley (Kaya Scodelario) ignores evacuation orders to search for her missing father (Barry Pepper). Finding him gravely injured in the crawl space of their family home, the two become trapped by quickly encroaching floodwaters. As time runs out to escape the strengthening storm, Haley and her father discover that the rising water level is the least of their fears.