MartinHafer Albert and Alice Graves (Arthur Kennedy and Teresa Russell) have a most unusual infestation in their house. Instead of rats, bugs or raccoons they have a teenager who has taken up residence in the crawlspace under their house!! Do they call Orkin or some other pest control company? Nope. Do they call the police or social services? Nah. Instead they decide to keep him and take care of him like a member of their family!! After all, they don't have kids and they sort of adopt the guy. Their response to this weirdo is anything but typical, that's for sure!! And as for this weirdo they name Richard, he is super-odd--looking a bit like a caveman and having some obvious emotional and possibly intellectual problems. It certainly is NOT like an episode of "Father Knows Best"!! So, what's to become of this odd family? Will they have a happily ever after or will Richard end up actually being a serial killer or, worse, an used car salesman?! Look for the film on YouTube to find out for yourself.Interestingly, although the plot for this made for TV movie sounds ultra- bizarre, for the ABC Movie, it's actually relatively tame. After all, this is the same series that brought us alien impregnation ("The Stranger Within"), Witches reincarnated from the colonial period ("Crowhaven Farm"), Monsters living in the chimney ("Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"), a possessed piece of equipment ("Killdozer") and Hauntings ("The House That Would Not Die")...among other weird topics. Sure, many of the films were more mundane...but the network has got to be commended for approving pretty much any strange idea the writers came up with during the course of the series! So is this a great made for TV movie? No. The plot leaves many plot holes unanswered--such as the couple never trying to get Richard any counseling as well as how quickly they went from a happy family to a couple under siege (their change in attitude towards Richar was simply too fast to be believable)! And, when they later had really SERIOUS problems, why didn't the couple go to the police and why did they behave like they did?! But on the other hand it is never dull in the least and deserves to be seen.In some ways, this plot sounds like it was reworked into another made for TV movie, "Bad Ronald"...it's also about a young man living within the walls of a home and some unsuspecting folks movie in to the place! It came out two years after "Crawlspace", so it looks like "Crawlspace" spawned at least one imitator!

Woodyanders Albert Graves (splendidly played by Arthur Kennedy) and his wife Alice (a top-drawer performance by Teresa Wright) are a nice middle-aged couple who discover young, homeless, troubled Richard Atley (a frightfully edgy portrayal by Tom Happer) residing in a crawlspace in the basement of their house. They adopt Richard as if he was the son they never had. Things work out for a spell, but eventually turn sour when Richard's volatile nature asserts itself with tragic results. Director John Newland (who also gave us the terrifically freaky "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"), working from an intriguing script by Ernest Kinoy, does an able and effective job of creating and maintaining an absorbingly mysterious tone. Jerry Goldsmith's beautifully classy and eerie score adds substantially to the tension. Urs Furrer's slick, pretty cinematography likewise hits the spot. Kennedy and Wright do sterling work in the leads; they receive bang-up support from Happer, Eugene Roche as folksy, responsible sheriff Emil Birge, Dan Morgan as doddery old shopkeeper Harlow, and Matthew Cowles as local troublemaker Dave Freeman. This offbeat and enjoyable little winner would make a perfect double bill with the similarly solid and unnerving "Bad Ronald."

halinen mari I saw this movie when I was 18 and never forgot it. It is a shame that it is not shown in re-runs. It was absolutely unforgettable. One of the most powerful short films I ever saw, for being a made for TV movie.It was so relevant to the times,the end of the Hippie culture. It also played on the generation gap conflict that was part of the 60's and early 70's.The characters draw you in because they are so real and believable. If they ever tried to redo it, they would have to find really convincing actors for the parts. I encourage everyone to try to find a copy of this film, it ranks up with Duel.They made some really good short made for TV films in that series.

Desecr89 I'm afraid the other poster may be misremembering--I believe they are thinking of Bad Ronald, another ABC TV-movie of this period. Crawlspace, anyway, is about a retired couple who discover a young drifter living in their--surprise!--crawlspace and attempt to "adopt" him to fill a void in their lives. They try to socialize him and include him in their new "family," with tragic results.I bought a used copy of the book online. I haven't read it since 7th grade, but so far it is just as good as I remember. My recollection is that the movie is entertaining, but not as good as the novel. Arthur Kennedy and Theresa Wright were both excellent, and it was pretty suspenseful for a movie-of-the-week.