diff --git a/src/rebar_prv_escriptize.erl b/src/rebar_prv_escriptize.erl
index a03ccae3f..56eb7cb40 100644
--- a/src/rebar_prv_escriptize.erl
+++ b/src/rebar_prv_escriptize.erl
@@ -93,7 +93,11 @@ do(State) ->
         _ ->
             AppInfo1 = rebar_hooks:run_all_hooks(Cwd, pre, ?PROVIDER, Providers, AppInfo0, State),
             ?INFO("Building escript for ~s...", [rebar_app_info:name(AppInfo0)]),
-            Res = escriptize(State, AppInfo1),
+            Res = try
+                escriptize(State, AppInfo1)
+            catch
+                throw:Err=?PRV_ERROR(_) -> Err
+            end,
             rebar_hooks:run_all_hooks(Cwd, post, ?PROVIDER, Providers, AppInfo1, State),
             Res
     end.
@@ -165,6 +169,8 @@ format_error({zip_error, AppName, ZipError}) ->
 format_error({bad_name, App}) ->
     io_lib:format("Failed to get ebin/ directory for "
                    "escript_incl_app: ~p", [App]);
+format_error({bad_app, App}) ->
+    io_lib:format("Failed to find application ~p", [App]);
 format_error(no_main_app) ->
     io_lib:format("Multiple project apps and {escript_main_app, atom()}."
                  " not set in rebar.config", []).
@@ -260,7 +266,10 @@ find_deps(AppNames, AllApps) ->
 find_deps_of_deps([], _, Acc) -> Acc;
 find_deps_of_deps([Name|Names], Apps, Acc) ->
     ?DIAGNOSTIC("processing ~p", [Name]),
-    {ok, App} = rebar_app_utils:find(Name, Apps),
+    App = case rebar_app_utils:find(Name, Apps) of
+        {ok, Found} -> Found;
+        error -> throw(?PRV_ERROR({bad_app, binary_to_atom(Name, utf8)}))
+    end,
     DepNames = proplists:get_value(applications, rebar_app_info:app_details(App), []),
     BinDepNames = [rebar_utils:to_binary(Dep) || Dep <- DepNames,
                    %% ignore system libs; shouldn't include them.
diff --git a/test/rebar_escriptize_SUITE.erl b/test/rebar_escriptize_SUITE.erl
index a6901f9b5..72a850bd9 100644
--- a/test/rebar_escriptize_SUITE.erl
+++ b/test/rebar_escriptize_SUITE.erl
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
          all/0,
          escriptize_with_name/1,
          escriptize_with_bad_name/1,
+         escriptize_with_bad_dep/1,
          build_and_clean_app/1,
          escriptize_with_ebin_subdir/1]).
 
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@ all() ->
      build_and_clean_app,
      escriptize_with_name,
      escriptize_with_bad_name,
+     escriptize_with_bad_dep,
      escriptize_with_ebin_subdir
     ].
 
@@ -62,6 +64,15 @@ escriptize_with_bad_name(Config) ->
     rebar_test_utils:run_and_check(Config, [{escript_main_app, boogers}], ["escriptize"],
                                    {error,{rebar_prv_escriptize, {bad_name, boogers}}}).
 
+escriptize_with_bad_dep(Config) ->
+    AppDir = ?config(apps, Config),
+
+    Name = rebar_test_utils:create_random_name("app1_"),
+    Vsn = rebar_test_utils:create_random_vsn(),
+    rebar_test_utils:create_app(AppDir, Name, Vsn, [kernel, stdlib, boogers]),
+    rebar_test_utils:run_and_check(Config, [{escript_main_app, Name}], ["escriptize"],
+                                   {error,{rebar_prv_escriptize, {bad_app, boogers}}}).
+
 escriptize_with_ebin_subdir(Config) ->
     AppDir = ?config(apps, Config),
     Name = rebar_test_utils:create_random_name("app1_"),