Sean Whalen, who starred in Wes Craven’s The People Under The Stairs, makes his feature directorial debut on the story, and stars as Vegas Winters, a depressed washed-up child actor who fled Tinseltown and owns and lives in a rundown laundromat.
The despondent man’s tears of anguish turn a pile of socks into a loving monster named Crust, who protects Vegas and begins to eliminate his enemies.
The cast includes Daniel Roebuck (Rob Zombie’s The Munsters), Rebekah Kennedy (Two Witches), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Ricky Dean Logan (Back To The Future II and III), with Ruck and Shawntay Dalon (Detroiters).
Whalen wrote Crust with Jim Wald and the producers include Rose (Terrifier 2), Daniel John Kearney (Dark Circles), and Chris Sergi (I’m Just Fu*king With You).
Sean Whalen’s Statement:
“CRUST came to life after I divorced my wife and I went through a deep depression. When I came out of it after several months I felt angry and people said I should have gotten a pet. I thought, I’d like to get a pet who takes care of all the jerks in my life. So the idea for CRUST was born. It’s a movie for people who are starving for something different and fun. It is a CREATURE FEATURE HORROR COMEDY because it fits all these genres, and then some. As one fan said, It’s not a comedy, or a horror, or an art film. It’s all three. And it’s an homage to so many films while being completely original. I think that sums it up perfectly.”
“Crust succeeds because it knows its audience and delivers a mix of dark humor and horror with a relatable core…This combination of originality, emotional depth, and campy humor makes Crust a film that’s not only entertaining but one that has the potential to become a cult classic.” – iHORROR
“Crust is an old school, schlocky creature feature…but one with heart. It’s a wacky comedy…but with a deeper subtext about mental health and how debilitating and insidious depression can be. It’s a story about reclaiming former glory and what we’re willing to sacrifice to feel seen and heard. And it’s also a love story that’s not afraid to show you how ugly love can be.” – Camp Nightmare
“But really, the true stars of Crust are Sean and his romantic lead, Rebekah Kennedy. There’s a chemistry between the two that simply cannot be manufactured. Sean embodies the slightly creepy, mostly sympathetic laundromat nerd (yes that’s a thing) while Rebekah plays the most well depicted manic pixie dream girl I’ve ever seen on camera.” – Camp Nightmare
Thomas Zambeck, who heads Anchor Bay with his Umbrelic Entertainment co-founder Brian Katz, negotiated the deal with Sergi and will release Crust later this year.
Zambeck and Katz plan to build Anchor Bay into a stable of genre and cult films as well as remastered catalogue titles after they acquired the trademark of the storied genre label – but not its library – when it became available following Lionsgate’s acquisition of Starz in 2016.
The new pipeline includes the documentary Dinner With Leatherface and the horror film Abruptio featuring a cast of puppets, with voice work by genre favorites Sid Haig, James Marsters, Jordan Peele, Robert England, and more.
“As someone who grew up watching Sean on screen, I am thrilled to be in business with him,” said Zambeck “The fact that it’s on a witty and clever film like this – one that displays such a mastery of tone – makes it so much sweeter.
Whalen said of Anchor Bay: “I’ve loved their films for years and they really understood my vision right away. I couldn’t ask for a better partnership.”
