Charybdis Pictures has confirmed that post-production has wrapped on the upcoming psychological slasher rom-com A Corpse in Kensington. The film is set on Halloween 2010 in San Diego’s Kensington neighborhood. The narrative follows a loner who reunites with his high school crush and her boyfriend several years after graduation. However, tension quickly escalates when a suspicious wave of local killings forces the group to uncover the murderer’s identity.
Cast and Creative Team
Derrick Acosta leads the ensemble cast alongside newcomer Alex Chernow, who makes his feature-film leading-role debut. The film also stars Kimberly Weinberger, Vinny Curran, Savannah Vale, Ryan Bollman, Sutheshna Mani, and the late Michael Madsen. Writer and director Brian Patrick Butler developed the project behind the scenes alongside producer Justin Burquist of Broken Swing Productions.
Michael Madsen’s Final On-Screen Role
Interestingly, Michael Madsen was initially cast in a voice-only role, which he recorded early in 2024. However, a successful crowdfunding campaign raised enough funds to bring his character on screen, allowing him to film his live-action scenes in June 2024. Because Madsen passed away about a year later, director Brian Patrick Butler noted that his involvement lends the finished movie a profoundly tragic quality.
Michael Madsen filmed his scenes in June 2024. A year later, he would be gone. We worked together briefly, but his kindness and humor made an impression that left me devastated when I heard the news of his passing. The subject matter of this film meant a lot to him, and I think the film itself has a more profoundly tragic quality now that he is gone.”
Michael Madsen
Director Statement and Festival Strategy
Reflecting on the film’s themes, Butler described A Corpse in Kensington as an exploration of nostalgia, romantic obsession, and the quiet death of bygone eras. The filmmakers are also submitting the completed feature to film festivals while seeking distribution opportunities.
