Crumb Catcher

Film literacy has become a dirty word.  And maybe rightfully so.  In a world where a two-sentence review on Letterboxd has become enough for most fans to swipe left or right, does anyone really want to hear about how a director has pilfered scenes from a movie made in ancient times…and by that, of course, I mean before 2000 A.D.?  With this much content released on so many screens, sometimes it’s best to just take your enjoyment where you can and move on.

But that would be doing a film like Crumb Catcher (2023) a disservice.  Because writer-director Chris Skotchdopole is stealing from the best.  And his darkly comedic home-invasion thriller is far more entertaining than much ballyhooed originals like Longlegs that work overtime to deliver the trendy “elevated” horror experience that’s become almost critic-proof. 

Newlyweds Shane and Leah are in the midst of a post-coital meltdown after arriving at their boss’s borrowed McMansion.  But the family drama gets worse once John and Rose arrive, two servers from their wedding who forcefully pitch their new invention: the Crumb Catcher, a retro tabletop device designed for do-it-yourself dining cleanup.  Forced to endure a hands-on presentation, Leah pressures Shane to get rid of the interlopers.  But extortion, resentment and fear of John’s mental instability stretches the evening dangerously thin.

It’s got great performances all around, a memorably off-kilter music score and some seriously inspired razzle-dazzle camerawork.  And for two hours it holds your attention better than most films with ten times the budget.  But (here's where the critic-speak comes in) even with its quirky log line, Crumb Catcher is a pretty blatant combination of The Strangers, The King of Comedy and (unexpectedly) North by Northwest. As the credits fade so does the impact of all that sound and fury.

It's probably too much to ask of Skotchdopole’s feature debut that it reaches the echelon of “instant classic” status.  But in an era of disposable entertainment, it takes a lot to stand out. Crumb Catcher is missing some intangible element of menace that might have done just that.  But as a surprising piece of character-driven suspense, it deserves some high praise for doing more than audiences expect.

Arrow’s Blu-ray limited edition adds on two of the director’s short films, a new audio commentary, 40-minute Making Of, trailer, collector’s booklet and liner notes.

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