| The Crawlers | |
| Director: | Fabrizio Laurenti Joe D'Amato (uncredited) |
| Producer: | Joe D'Amato |
| Starring: | Mary Sellers Jason Saucier Bubba Reeves Chelsi Stahr Vince O'Neil |
| Music: | Carlo Maria Cordio[1] |
| Cinematography: | Larry Revene |
| Distributor: | Epic Productions Columbia/Tri-Star Home Video |
| Studio: | Filmirage |
| Runtime: | 91 minutes |
| Country: | Italy |
| Language: | English |
The Crawlers (also known as Troll 3, Creepers or Contamination .7) is a 1991 Italian horror film directed by Fabrizio Laurenti[2] [3] under the pseudonym Martin Newlin. Some parts of the film were also directed by producer Joe D'Amato, uncredited.[4] [5] It is the fourth installment of the Troll film series.
After a small town nuclear power plant dumps hazardous waste into a forest surrounding the town, people begin dying in increasingly gruesome ways. No one can pinpoint the source of the deaths until the EPA investigates; the forests' roots were mutated due to the waste, causing them to kill and eat people. The plants attempt to break loose, but the EPA bulldozes the plants, killing them, but leaving the possibility that some plants may have survived.
Filming began at summer in 1990 and wrapped in summer 1991. The film was mostly filmed in Porterville, Utah, where Troll 2 was also filmed.
The Crawlers is also known by the titles Troll 3, Creepers and Contamination .7. Despite the Troll 3 title, the film has no narrative connections to Troll or Troll 2, the latter of which itself has no narrative connections to Troll. The Crawlers does not feature trolls, and does not share any cast members with either Troll film. It is also unconnected to the Italian science fiction horror film Contamination.
D'Amato's fantasy film Quest for the Mighty Sword was released as Troll 3 in Germany, so these two films have been confused in some reference sources.
Originally slated for theatrical release in the United States in 1992, the film ended up instead as a direct-to-video release (as The Crawlers) in 1993 by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.
Scream Factory (under license from MGM Home Entertainment) released the film on DVD for the first time under the title Contamination .7, along with The Dungeonmaster, Catacombs and Cellar Dweller, in a 4 Horror Movie marathon collection on October 29, 2013.
The film received a Blu-ray release by Scream Factory, again under the title Contamination .7 in April 2017.[6] [7]