Back in late September, I had the great fortune of seeing Sean Whalen's directorial debut, "CRUST," at a private screening in College Park, Maryland. I had otherwise been unaware that Whalen grew up nearby, so seeing his former classmates, friends and family attending the screening was great. The film's cinematographer Jaren Lewis and the always awesome Rebekah Kennedy (Whalen's co-star in the film) were also in attendance. The pair had been in town over the weekend for the annual Fright Reads Book Festival in Severna Park/Millersville, Maryland -- which is always a great event to kick off the spooky season, and they invited me to check out the screening they would be holding on 30 September. I'm glad I did.
(The private screening was held on a balmy, drizzling night on 30 September but did not prevent the throngs of viewers from attending the East Coast premiere of CRUST.)
I found CRUST to be one of the most unique, poignant, and fun horror-comedy creature features I've seen in quite some time, and the film's underlying commentary about those struggling and suffering through mental illness left a deep impression on me. Before I get to the lead up to my review of the film, which was published by Rue Morgue's online platform (North America's largest Horror industry magazine), the film is now available for your streaming pleasure and physical medial copies are being sold on Amazon, so be sure to view and purchase. Now you ask, is this a Christmas horror film? No, it is not, BUT a fun fact - filmmaker Aaron Mento, who gave us the irreverent Christmas horror-comedy UGLY SWEATER PARTY served multiple roles on CRUST, including production designer. (Whalen, Felissa Rose, and Charles Chudabala were all in UGLY SWEATER PARTY and CRUST together). I could go on and on about Felissa's connection to the beloved Christmas horror subgenre, but I digress. (I also had the pleasure of meeting Felissa earlier this year and gifted her a copy of A Scary Little Christmas, which she loved).
(Seeing the 14-lb screen-used puppet of and meeting up with Whalen and Rebekah Kennedy who shared some great anecdotes from the production made the event even better.)
Now, without further distractions, below is a clipped version of my review, the full review of which will take you to Rue Morgue (no paywall, it's free!). Enjoy!
Sean Whalen’s directorial debut showcases sensational acting and tackles difficult subjects while relying upon creature-feature tropes and noir sensibilities.
By MATTHEW C. DUPÉE
Starring Sean Whalen, Rebekah Kennedy and Daniel Roebuck | Directed by Sean Whalen Written by Jim Wald and Sean Whalen | Anchor Bay Entertainment
Actor Sean Whalen, known for his roles in various genre films like Wes Craven’s People Under the Stairs, nails his directorial debut with CRUST, the tale of a washed-up child actor named Vegas Winter (Whalen) who hides his true identity by working and living in a beat-up laundromat where he passes the time with his drunken pal, Russ (Daniel Roebuck), and a growing collection of lost socks. After he’s exposed (literally) by a band of bullies and his true identity is revealed, Vegas is forced to confront his insecurities and self-loathing by considering taking part in a reboot of his childhood sitcom. Vegas grapples with his mental health and spirals out of control....(Click here for full version)
Big fan great work