Crabs! (2022)

A movie is only as good as its cheese factor. If a film is filled with cheesy dialogue, terrible acting, and laughable plot lines, then it's a guaranteed good time. There's something strangely satisfying about watching a bad movie and being able to laugh at its cheesiness. It's the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon; you can make fun of the dialogue, the acting, and the terrible special effects. Crabs! is one such movie.

There's no denying that Crabs! is a movie designed solely for entertainment value. From the outset, it is clear what kind of movie this is and what it aims to deliver. This movie aspires to be a low-budget horror-comedy that is very openly influenced by other films. It has a Troma-like spirit while also paying homage to and making fun of well-known cult classics. Its particular type of manic energy and straightforward style is probably best appreciated by an audience looking for a lighthearted, bloody movie to watch late at night.

Director Pierce Berolzheimer starts with a quick explanation of why horseshoe crabs are running amok in a small coastal town that is about to have its prom night. He does not dwell on the power plant failures that caused the horseshoe crabs to become monstrous carnivores but instead focuses on the chaos and destruction they wreak.

At the center of all the craziness is disabled teenager Phillip, his best friend and potential love interest Maddie, Phillip's older brother Hunter, and Maddie's mother, Annalise. Annalise is also the attractive science teacher everyone wishes they could have. Radu is also a foreign exchange student with an eccentric personality and accent. He embodies the movie's chaotic sense of humor, hoping that some jokes will land amidst the onslaught of gags.

While Snyder and Jennings play their characters with a carefree innocence that helps to anchor the antics somewhat, it is only when Berolzheimer lets loose with his creatures that Crabs! truly hits its stride. The eponymous beasts mutate in scope, size, and brutality by using a combination of crude, low-fi VFX, puppets, and rubber-suited monsters. When prom night hits, it's party time for the ravenous horde. They present many comical and bloody scenes, including a more dangerous version of Gremlins' iconic bar scene. However, the movie is most enjoyable when the creatures get to cause mayhem.

At some point, Crabs! pauses for a moment to explain that it knows that horseshoe crabs aren't technically crabs. It's a self-aware joke that lets the viewer know that this isn't a film that cares about rules, reasoning, or good taste. That's clear on every level, even down to small pieces of dialogue or visual references. Instead, Berolzheimer just mixes it all up like a kaiju seafood smoothie.

Crabs! is nonsense, and it doesn't care about trying to make sense. Radu quickly outstays his welcome, too, with a random end credit theme song being the exception. Crabs! embraces its low budget and uses that to its advantage. This movie is so stupid it's funny. It's so outrageous that you can't help but laugh. These mischievous, gremlin-like monsters and their equally fun following stages of evolution make it a crowd-pleaser.