Young police officer Danny (Joseph Almani) is working on an antique car at his uncle’s remote ranch when a major earthquake hits, pinning him under the vehicle and leaving him bloodied, alone, and with no way to call for help. Just when he thinks the claustrophobic nightmare can’t get any worse, something truly horrifying emerges from the fissures in the ground, forcing Danny to engage in a brutal fight for his life—and his sanity.

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Video Quality

They Crawl Beneath comes to Blu-Ray with a pretty decent AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. This film is very competently captured from a filmmaking perspective, but it is not the most visually dynamic film thanks to the large stretches that take place in a dingy garage. Certain earthy environments make an impression, but this is not a film that is bursting with colors. Everything appears natural from the bits of greens of the foliage to the pops of color in the production design.

The picture is mostly clear with only brief instances of murkiness during a few aforementioned darker scenes. The film does deliver some softer shots for creative reasons on occasion, but it fits with the intention. Black levels could stand to have a bit more depth, but there is not constant crush or artifacts. The transfer really shines in the level of detail it showcases in a few shots. Everything from the smallest facial details to the texture of dried blood is precisely detailed here. Overall, most will find this to be a good look for the film.

Audio Quality

The film comes to Blu-Ray with a commendable DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that gets the job done. The movie provides a pretty fun soundscape when it comes to environmental effects, but once again the material in the garage puts a damper on things a bit. When it is in full effect, it yields a very effective experience. The low end of the track is especially active during moments of slithering terror with a bit of wall shaking happening. The dialogue and sound effects are appropriately balanced with the music where nothing gets lost in the track. Surround channels get some nice activity during the outdoor scenes. This track is well appointed, and will be appreciated by horror fans who pick up this disc. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

They Crawl Beneath seems to be attempting to capture the fun creature features of the past, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Admittedly, when practical effects are in play, they are memorable and allow you to overlook some of the more inconsistent aspects. This is ultimately such a minor part of the film, though, that you cannot rely on it to salvage the experience. The narrative itself is so obviously kowtowing to budgetary constraints that it is a bit maddening, but even this could have been improved with a more satisfying reason to be contained to so few settings. There is also the fact that the acting is just not up to par, even for a film of this caliber. Even with a short runtime, this one proves to be a bit of a struggle to get through. Well Go USA Entertainment has delivered a typically satisfying A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features.

They Crawl Beneath is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Well Go USA Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.