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Fantastic Fest hosted the world premiere of Crumb Catcher. Written and directed by Chris Skotchdopole, making his feature-film debut, Crumb Catcher tells the story of a young newlywed couple going to stay at a remote house for their honeymoon. Not long after arriving, a waiter from their wedding unexpectedly shows up on their doorstep, marking the beginning of a bizarre night of sales pitches, blackmail, and maybe even murder.

There are many layers to unpack in this film. At its core, Crumb Catcher is a story about two young people from very different backgrounds. They are learning if their love for each other is enough to overcome outside influence from family, work, and even disgruntled members of the service industry. It allows for an emotional core at the heart of an increasingly outrageous film. Crumb Catcher could also be described as a home-invasion thriller, even though the antagonists never technically break in.

The waiter has an outwardly jovial, leaning toward chaotic, demeanor that disarms the couple enough to allow him into the house again and again to pitch his latest invention. Even when his bartender wife shows up, acting much more blunt and hostile towards the newlyweds, it’s clear the waiter is the one to be wary of. As tensions rise and tempers flare, the newlywed couple find themselves in an increasingly absurd and dangerous situation.

Considering this is Skotchdopole’s first feature-film, Crumb Catcher is an overall success. It manages to immediately establish the dynamics between each character and build upon those strained relationships. The tension is present right from the start, but somehow Skotchdopole finds ways to keep the audience on the edge of their seat as the uncomfortable politeness evolves into a fight for survival. Audiences are sure to find themselves wanting to scream at the screen as the two protagonists make one bad decision after the other, not realizing they are making the situation far worse. What might puzzle some is the humor injected throughout Crumb Catcher. Most of the humor comes from the waiter, as he is excessively polite, even in the most tense scenes. While his outrageous behavior definitely leads to some laughs, it also feels incongruous with the rest of the film. With the rest of the tone being far more like a typical thriller, the absurdity of the waiter and his desperation to pitch his invention almost seems as though it belongs in a different film. While the film is still enjoyable, Skotchdopole revealed during the post-premiere Q&A that he ran into a number of roadblocks while trying to make Crumb Catcher due to COVID. That makes the film even more of a success, but it makes me wonder how different the film might have been had it not encountered such difficulties.

The performances are a highlight of Crumb Catcher. Rigo Garay (Blackout, The Leech) stars as author and newly-married man Shane. Within the first 15 minutes, audiences learn a lot about Shane. He had a strained relationship with his father, he has a bit of an alcohol problem, he’s stressed about the upcoming release of his first book, and he comes from a disadvantaged background that makes him feel unworthy of the life he has. Garay is clearly a rising star, making Shane a dynamic and believable character the audience can easily empathize with, even when he keeps making the wrong decisions. John Speredakos (Blackout, The Mind’s Eye) plays the unhinged waiter and inventor, John. Even if this character feels like he should be in a different movie, there’s no denying Speredakos delivers a delightfully insane performance. With a near-constant smile on his face, John has a jolly outer shell that, once broken, reveals the malevolent darkness just beneath the surface. Rounding out the small cast is Ella Rae Peck (The Call, Blackout) as new wife Leah, and Lorraine Farris (Follow Her, Blue Bloods) as the bartender with a penchant for blackmail, Rose. While the men of this film are the stars, both Peck and Farris deliver compelling performances and act like mirrors for their respective partners, revealing who these people truly are.

Many visual and auditory elements of Crumb Catcher help to build the suspense and put the audience in the shoes of the newlyweds. The house that acts as the setting is perfect, with wall-to-wall windows revealing the isolated forest just outside. It creates the sense of Shane and Leah being in an illuminated fish tank surrounded by pitch-black darkness, hiding the potential dangers to come. The cinematography, editing, and sound design add an artistry to the story. These elements are often combined in such a way that puts the audience directly into the point of view of one of the newlyweds, usually Shane, to emphasize the anxiety being felt. On top of that, the design for the titular “crumb catcher” invention combines form and function to create a tool no one wants or needs. It looks great and helps to add plenty of laughs.

Crumb Catcher is an unnerving, suspenseful ride weaponizing absurd politeness to deliver a unique home invasion thriller. Skotchdopole gives audiences a compelling feature-film debut. It fully develops the characters and uses visual and auditory tricks to put the audience in the protagonists’ shoes, which only increases the sense of dread. There’s no denying the performances are the highlight of Crumb Catcher, with Garay and Speredakos being the clear standouts. Even with the uneven tone, there is a lot to enjoy in this deranged story that makes it a memorable viewing experience.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10