The home invasion subgenre is one that’s always worth a watch provided there’s enough of a fresh spin on the formula, whether it takes place in the action or thriller space. Based on that logic, taking the tropes and trappings into supernatural territory should have worked a treat, but 2016’s Within ended up being instantly forgotten and swept under the rug.
The movie was even released under two different titles – with some markets probably knowing it better as Crawlspace if they’re even aware it exists at all – but even then, it failed to make much on an impact. Nonetheless, at-home audiences love few things more than being scared out of their seats, leading director Phil Claydon’s chiller to make an unexpected comeback on a major platform.
Per FlixPatrol, Within can be found sitting pretty as one of the 10 top-viewed features among HBO Max subscribers in the United States, even if the general consensus is that the home invasion horror doesn’t come close to maximizing the potential of a premise that’s ripe for subverting expectations and pulling the rug right from under formula.
Things start off as you’d expect with a a widower, his daughter, and new wife moving into a quaint and picturesque neighborhood. Of course, they’ve been sold one of those haunted homes that have proven to be the scourge of spooky cinema for as long as we can remember, and it doesn’t take long for Michael Vartan’s John Alexander to regret his purchase.
Maybe worth seeking out if you’ve got some time to kill and low expectations, but there’s a reason Within swooped entirely under the radar seven years ago.