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Look, marriage is hard, and unfortunately newlyweds Leah (Ella Rae Peck) and Shane (Rigo Garay) are experiencing those growing pains right out of the gate. It’s clear at the start that there’s tension in the air as they pose for wedding photos when they can’t agree on how they met, what the relationship is like and what their actual careers are. Leah works for the publisher handling Shane’s debut novel, which digs into his family trauma and struggles with alcoholism. Shane’s selfish tendencies leave him feeling like a show pony as opposed to his wife doing everything she can to support his career.

The morning after greets Shane with a hefty hangover, missing wedding gifts and a damaging video of him and not Leah getting pretty…familiar. It’s enough to bring anyone down.

Ella Rae Peck and Rigo Garay in Crumb Catcher, 2023, Glass Eye Pix

On their honeymoon at a remote house in upstate New York, tensions escalate and Shane boils over refusing to publish the book. Leah isn’t taking it lying down and shares her grievance of taking care of and picking up after Shane in whatever medium of mess he tends to get himself into. Not a great start to happily ever after, but their kiss and make up session is disturbed by a knock at the door. John (John Speredakos), the waiter from the reception and several miles away is on their doorstep under the guise of returning their wedding cake topper but things take a turn for the weird and tense as the true nature of his visit finds footing: to get them to finance his invention – The Crumb Catcher.

Dumbfounded Leah is concerned as to why Shane is going along with everything instead of phoning the cops, but it all becomes clear with the emergence of John’s wife and ill-tempered assistant, Rose (Lorraine Farris), incidentally the woman from the video.

It’s a game of cat and mouse as the newlyweds find themselves in a fund or be killed scheme filled with blood and havoc, mixed with John and Rose’s own marital woes taking center stage. It’s profoundly a mirror to Leah and Shane when you drag on a marriage running on hate, self-interest and lack of support, but John’s anger and destruction soon becomes a projection of feeling held back by his wife, feeling misunderstood when he deems himself a genius and finding women and minorities inferior.

John Speredakos and Lorraine Farris in Crumb Catcher 2023, Glass Eye Pix

This horror/comedy takes the home invasion trope and stuffs discomfort, relationship issues and the guy who talks 15 minutes to long into a 107-minute scramble for survival. Although its wonderful watching both John and Shane squirm, the film isn’t without its sore spots. There’s mention as to whether John is on the spectrum, at least three times, twice after John is aggressive with both of them- creating a derogatory view of neurodivergence as a villainous trait. There’s also the matter of John’s issue with Latin persons that lilts in the air several times but never really lands.

The story, written in part by Garay and Larry Fessenden with Chris Skotchdopole, also looks to be a family affair with production help from James Skotchdopole (Birdman, Enemy of the State, Grindhouse) and Ruby Rose Skotchdopole (Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood, The Matrix Resurrections). Chris Skotchdopole aptly calls this a “gonzo home invasion thriller” that explores how ambition can fuel anger and how love can quickly twist into abuse.

If you’re down for second hand embarrassment, home invasion and bloody stand-offs, Crumb Catcher is for you!

Now on Prime Video and AppleTV

Mo Moshaty is a horror writer, lecturer and producer. As a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist and life long horror fan, Mo has lectured with Prairie View A&M Film & TV Program as a Keynote, BAFSS Horror Studies Sig  and The University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. Mo has partnered with horror giant, Shudder Channel, to co-produce the 13 Minutes of Horror Film Festival 2021 and 2022 with Nyx Horror Collective and her literary work “Love the Sinner” was published with Brigid’s Gate Press in July of 2023 and her two volume collection, “Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment will be published with Tenebrous Press in 2025. 
Mo is the creator and Editor-in-Chief of NightTide Magazine and the Founder of Mourning Manor Media.