Two radically different horror films. One’s all chaos, blood, and neon body horror. The other is slow, quiet, and hypnotic — like a nature doc if the subject was a reanimated killer. In this episode, we’re talking The Substance and In a Violent Nature, both from Variety’s Top 13 of the year, and we’re still kind of haunted.

📹 The Premise
The Substance follows a woman who tries a mysterious program promising perfection — but ends up splitting into two versions of herself. It’s gooey, stylish, and unhinged.

In a Violent Nature flips the slasher format, giving us the killer’s POV in long, still takes across empty woods and forgotten cabins.

🎥 The Format
It’s a double feature breakdown — one maximalist, one minimalist — and somehow they both reinvent horror in totally different directions. Cade & Kit dig into the risks, the pacing, and what it means when horror stops trying to explain itself.

✅ What Makes It Work
The Substance hits hard with practical effects, bold visuals, and a lead performance from Demi Moore that deserves every bit of attention. It’s like Videodrome meets Showgirls and then takes a baseball bat to the mirror.

In a Violent Nature is mesmerizing in its restraint. No music cues. No shaky cam. Just dread building slowly with every steady frame.

⚠️ What Doesn’t Land
Kit wanted The Substance to pull back a little in the third act — it gets wild and doesn’t always earn it.
Cade felt In a Violent Nature could lose some viewers with its pacing — it’s not here to entertain, it’s here to watch you watch.

💸 Should It Have a Bigger Budget?
The Substance looks expensive and delivers on every dollar.
In a Violent Nature thrives on its lo-fi approach — it doesn’t need polish, it needs patience.

🎯 The Verdict
Cade: “One of the most visually committed horror films I’ve seen in a while. It knows exactly what it wants to do and does not care if you’re ready.”
Kit: “I thought In a Violent Nature would be a gimmick. It’s not. It’s weirdly moving. Quietly brutal. It just sits with you.”

📺 Where to Watch
The Substance is slated for release later this year.
In a Violent Nature is streaming and in limited theatrical run now.

🍿 Pair This Movie With...
Snack: Raspberry jam on white bread
Drink: A cocktail that looks delicate but hits like a truck
Activity: Staring in the mirror a little too long, then walking outside without your phone

The Substance
Cade: 9/10
Kit: 8/10

In a Violent Nature
Cade: 8/10
Kit: 8.5/10

This is horror turned inside out. One rips through your screen, the other stands silently in the woods. Either way — you’ll feel it the next morning.
Come argue with us on Instagram @cadeandkit. Or just lurk. That’s fine too.

🎧 Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2kaH2BpUcEouX5LWCUQ7ed?si=ff1e2b355c5944e1

🍏 Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cade-and-kit/id1771553610

📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/cadeandkit

https://Blog.cadeandkit.com

info@CadeandKit.com

A high-IQ fashion model living in a downtown Montreal high-rise becomes disturbingly obsessed with a local murder trial involving a potential serial killer. As the court case unfolds, she’s not on the jury—just an observer—but her fixation deepens until she begins navigating the dark web in search of a rumored third “red room” video: a brutal murder-for-pay livestream that might confirm the accused killer’s guilt.

🎥 We follow her increasingly erratic behavior, from alleyway overnights outside the courthouse to Bitcoin bidding wars on encrypted servers. Her motivations remain murky. Her methods are unsettling. And her descent into the digital underworld comes with zero explanation.

🎥 The Format

This is high-art-meets-slow-burn courtroom noir. French language. Stark cinematography. Minimal score. Nearly two hours of silence, smooth tracking shots, and deeply ambiguous character work.

✅ French-Canadian courtroom✅ Fashion meets forensic obsession✅ Dark web red room bidding✅ Woman-on-the-verge pacing

✅ What Makes It Work

• ​Lead performance: The actress playing Kelly-Anne carries every close-up with unnerving restraint. No dialogue, just haunted microexpressions.
• ​Use of tech themes: AI assistants, Bitcoin transactions, and deep web culture are woven into the story in ways that feel strangely grounded.
• ​Art direction: Cold color palette, clean lines, elegant production choices that mirror the lead’s inner disconnection.

⚠️ What Doesn’t Land

• ​Zero character backstory: We never learn why she’s obsessed. It’s not trauma, grief, or justice. It’s just... there.
• ​Major plot holes: She disappears into alleyways, randomly destroys her AI, infiltrates the dark web like a pro, and the van parked outside? Never explained.
• ​Pacing: 118 minutes of slow zooms and smoothie preparation. The entire first hour could’ve been 10 minutes.
• ​Emotional flatline: The story is isolated, sterile, and emotionless—even when portraying violent crimes. There’s no attachment, no stakes, no catharsis.

💸 Should It Have a Bigger Budget?

No. The visuals and tone matched the story’s minimalist, psychological intent. But a bigger budget wouldn’t solve its fundamental problem: it’s all atmosphere, no heartbeat.

🎯 The Verdict

Cade: 5.0

Kit: 1.0

“We paid $7 for this and took a nap. That’s our review.”

This one’s more arthouse than horror. It belongs in a gallery with headphones—not a genre list. Strong performances can’t save a story with no emotional spine.

📺 Where to Watch

Streaming rental on Amazon Prime Video.

🍿 Pair This Movie With...

• ​Snack: Unseasoned almonds in a highball glass
• ​Drink: Still water, served cold
• ​Activity: Taking a 40-minute nap and pretending you didn’t miss anything (because you didn’t)

🎧 Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2kaH2BpUcEouX5LWCUQ7ed?si=ff1e2b355c5944e1

🍏 Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cade-and-kit/id1771553610

📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/cadeandkit

https://Blog.cadeandkit.com

info@CadeandKit.com

🎬 Late Night with the Devil (2024)

📹 The Setup

A late-night talk show host hits his breaking point during Halloween sweeps in the 1970s—and decides to go full spectacle. Paranormal guests. Hypnotists. Psychic children. A live studio audience. And one infamous book called Talking With the Devil. It’s all supposed to boost ratings. Until it turns into something a little too real.

🎥 The film plays out like a behind-the-scenes broadcast, blending on-air drama with backstage descent. A slow burn where the lines between suggestion, possession, and madness start to blur.

🎥 The Format

A “found footage” horror setup staged like a retro talk show, complete with broadcast transitions, commercial bumpers, and live-audience chaos. Everything starts tongue-in-cheek—and ends with a demon on stage.

✅ 70s live TV setting

✅ Studio crew walkouts

✅ A hypnotist with too much power

✅ Ratings-obsessed host spiraling

✅ What Makes It Work

• ​Incredible set design: The production nails the 70s aesthetic. From the studio layout to the graphics, every visual detail adds to the eerie realism.
• ​Clever broadcast framing: Black-and-white shots signal backstage moments, while vivid color captures live TV. It helps guide the viewer through what’s real—or at least what’s being aired.

◦Strong central concept: The idea of desperation pushing someone too far on live TV is compelling. You want to buy into the stakes.

• ​⚠️ What Doesn’t Land

◦Storyline feels muddy: Too many angles (grief, demons, cults, ratings, hypnosis, ghosts) without any clear message.

◦Performance tone is confusing: Acting veers between campy and deadpan with little emotional core to hold onto.

◦No emotional payoff: For all the buildup, the climax and ending feel confusing rather than cathartic.

◦Too many ideas, not enough execution: Some scenes (like the ghost wife, worm hallucination, or cult hints) felt like art house distractions rather than plot progression.

• ​💸 Should It Have a Bigger Budget? No, the budget worked for what it was. The visuals and production design were strong. It just needed a tighter script and clearer emotional arc—not more money.🎯 The VerdictCade: 3.0Kit: 3.0“We liked the set. That’s about it.”If you’re big into 70s aesthetics, you might appreciate the vibe. If you’re looking for horror with substance—or even just coherence—this probably isn’t it. One of those “the trailer was better” situations.📺 Where to WatchStreaming on Shudder and select platforms. Not a Shudder original, but part of their catalog.🍿 Pair This Movie With...

◦Snack: Half a granola bar (because you won’t be hungry after Act 2)

◦Drink: A lukewarm coffee from a Styrofoam cup

◦Activity: Reading Reddit threads about movies with “great concepts, bad delivery”

• ​🎧 Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2kaH2BpUcEouX5LWCUQ7ed?si=ff1e2b355c5944e1🍏 Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cade-and-kit/id1771553610📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://instagram.com/cadeandkit