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

📹 The Setup

It’s been thirteen years since the last Final Destination film—and now, death is back on the big screen. We caught Bloodlines at our local Cineplex VIP theater in Calgary (shoutout to the Uni District team, who always treat us well). Expectations were high, the theater was packed, and yes… we made sure not to drive behind any logging trucks. Ever. Again.

🎥 The sixth installment in the franchise manages to be both a tribute and a reboot, bringing back the dread, the algorithmic unraveling of fate, and the kind of creative kill sequences that made this series iconic in the first place.

🎥 The Format

This one follows the franchise blueprint: a narrow escape from death kicks off a domino effect, as those who “should’ve died” start getting picked off one by one. Only this time, the curse is generational—and the original event dates back to the 1950s.

✅ Premonition

✅ Family Trauma

✅ Isolated Grandma in the Woods

✅ Death’s Algorithm Returns

✅ What Makes It Work

• ​Standalone but still loyal: Even if you’ve never seen a Final Destination movie, this works on its own. If you have, the callbacks are satisfying but never overdone.
• ​Genuinely good story: The multi-generational thread, journal of death patterns, and dream sequences added actual emotional depth to the formula.
• ​Inventive kills: We’re talking “never-seen-that-before” territory. Suspenseful setups, sharp timing, and clever payoffs. Cade nerded out trying to figure out how they pulled them off.
• ​Excellent tone balance: There’s comedy, dread, and chaos in all the right doses. You feel the audience waiting for that next death to drop.

⚠️ What Doesn’t Land

Honestly, not much. If you hate jump scares or the build tension, release with blood formula, this isn’t going to convert you. But for genre fans, it’s a tight, respectful return to form.

💸 Should It Have a Bigger Budget?

Honestly, it looked great as is. This didn’t scream needs a Marvel budget. The effects, especially the practical ones, were sharp. That said, if there is a seventh installment, we’d love to see them really go for it in terms of set pieces and broader scope.

🎯 The Verdict

Cade: 7.5Kit: 7.5“A complete, entertaining return. We’d watch another.”

This was smart horror that didn’t take itself too seriously but didn’t get lazy either. A film with strong genre roots that somehow still found new tricks to pull out of the bag. Definitely recommend seeing this in theaters—especially with an audience. The shared gasps and laughs were part of the fun.

📺 Where to Watch

In theaters now (VIP if you’re lucky enough to have one). Not yet available on streaming.

🍿 Pair This Movie With...

• ​Snack: Sour Cherry Blasters (they look like blood clots—perfect)
• ​Drink: A crisp fountain Coke with too much ice
• ​Activity: Scrolling Reddit threads about the worst Final Destination kills (while safely on your couch, nowhere near sharp objects)

We’re real people. Doing real reviews. And this time… we sat nowhere near glass, scaffolding, or rollercoasters. Just in case.👋 Until next time, stay alive out there.

🎧 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

In this special CUFF edition, Cade & Kit interview the team behind Love Will Tear Us Apart — a gory, playful, body-horror short that opened to laughter, gasps, and full festival applause. Joining the conversation:

• ​Carter Dodd (Lead Actor)
• ​Elijah Ziegler (Writer/Director)
• ​Skyler Grey(Co-star)Produced by Carmen

🎥 Love Will Tear Us Apart screened at CUFF 2025 ahead of the feature Sugar Rot and immediately set the tone with its camp-meets-creep chemistry, expressive makeup, and killer premise.

✅ The Premise

Originally written by Ziegler as a gift to his girlfriend (and the film’s producer/editor), Love Will Tear Us Apart began as a spiritual rebuttal to his earlier short The Lamb — “a relationship bummer,” in his words. Wanting to write a love story that still carried genre flair, Ziegler imagined a film about two people literally tearing themselves apart in the name of devotion.

💡 “I didn’t connect with my first film anymore. I wanted to write something that felt like love — but still really weird.”

🎤 Favorite Behind-the-Scenes Moments

💉 Skyler (on body horror makeup):“I was walking around without an eye for most of the shoot. I wiped off the wrong one by accident and had a full meltdown about it. But I loved being disgusting. I love SFX makeup. The grosser the better.”

🦷 Carter (on his fake teeth gag):“I have crowns, and we tried to put a fake goofy tooth on top... it kept falling off mid-scene. We were crying with laughter trying to shoot it.”

💋 Elijah (on gooey kisses):“Absolutely the kiss. So much slime. Just two characters kissing covered in blood and goop. Everyone was gagging.”

🎞️ Their Film Family Origin Story

The trio met through film school, though not all in the same classes. Skyler came into the audition room starstruck by Carmen (the producer). Carter and Elijah had worked together on The Lamb. Skyler:

“I just wanted Carmen to think I was cool. And now they’re some of my favorite people.”

🎯 Why It Worked

The short became a standout at CUFF for its balance of absurdity and earnestness. Cade & Kit noted that many comedies miss the mark on tone — but not this one. Ziegler emphasized that characters must play it straight. The laugh comes from how much they believe what they’re doing.

💬 “We wrote 24 drafts. We massaged it until it landed, but everyone on set just got the tone. It’s dumb — but it’s smart-dumb.”

🍿 Favorite Horror Films

🎭 Carter: Terrifier 2

“It’s gory and fun — and Art the Clown feels like Jim Carrey if he was a serial killer. That’s a compliment.”

🧬 Skyler: The Substance

“It changed my life. As a woman in this industry, it felt so visceral. Horror is the genre that’s brave enough to say it out loud.”

🔪 Elijah: Inside (2007 French horror)

“It just punches you in the face. Scary, bold, never flinching. We need more horror like that.”

🎤 Final Word

This team brought more than a short — they brought chemistry, clarity, and chaos. And they left Cade & Kit fully convinced that they’ve just seen the beginning of a long creative run.

🎯 “It created love… and we still have all our limbs.”

Visit Love Will Tear Us Apart's Instagram

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To close out CUFF 2025, we’re wrapping three very different films that somehow all deserve their own weird little spotlight.

A genre-defying documentary, a cult-ready horror comedy, and a ghost story about podcasting clout walked into a film festival… and we sat through all three.

🎤 Luna: The LUNA Vachon Story – Raw, Real & Rock 'n Roll

An unexpectedly emotional documentary on legendary female wrestler Luna Vachon — a true trailblazer in a male-dominated arena.

📼 Archival interviews, raw home video, and deeply personal storytelling💄 Luna’s punk-metal chaos meets real-life trauma and triumph🎤 From pro wrestling highs to battles with addiction, the film doesn’t flinch… but it doesn’t drown in darkness either.

🧠 Thoughtful and surprisingly uplifting. A time capsule and a tribute.

📊 Our Scores: Cade – 7, Kit – 7📚 Worth watching even if you’re not a wrestling fan. This is about legacy.

🦇 Vampire Zombies... From Space! – Black-and-White B-Movie Brilliance

Midnight movie lovers, rejoice. This is camp done right.

🕺🏽 1950s sci-fi parody with pitchforks, pink bats, and perfectly stupid deaths🧛‍♂️ Alien vampires crash in a tobacco town… and cigarettes save the day👻 A cult classic in the making, best watched with a crowd that yells back

💬 From “From Space!” chants to dangling bat puppets — this is Halloween party material.

📊 Our Scores: Cade – 7, Kit – 7🎉 Bonus points for the ending twist and the abandoned group suicide subplot.

👻 The Last Podcast – Haunted Clout, Podcast Regret, & Shower Ghosts

One man, one mic, one ghost. All for the views.

🎙️ A skeptical podcaster goes viral when a guest shoots himself live on air🫥 Ghosts with stipulations, accidental murders, rival podcasters, and moral implosions🧼 Male shower scenes, ET nods, and tech-based horror commentary

💔 It’s funny… until it tries to be deep. Female characters deserved more.

📊 Our Scores: Cade – 6.5, Kit – 5.5🎧 Good enough to stream. Not strong enough to revisit.

🍿 Cade & Kit Pairing Picks (CUFF Pt. 3 Edition):

• ​Drink: Pre-workout for Luna, spiked soda for Vampire Zombies, and something lukewarm and caffeinated for The Last Podcast
• ​Snack: Pop Rocks (because you need chaos)
• ​Activity: Make a playlist that goes from metal scream intros to 1950s sci-fi jingles

💬 CUFF brought us some of the weirdest, smartest, and most sincere indie films we've seen this year. We laughed, we squirmed, we maybe blushed during Sugar Rot. But most importantly — we watched.

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We’re back with Part 2 of our Calgary Underground Film Festival recap — and this one’s all about unexpected pairings. We watched a double-feature that had everything from underwater creatures to exhibitionist neighbors… and we’re still processing.

Here’s what happened when we watched A Mother’s Embrace and Two Women back to back — because nothing says “emotional range” like a tentacle demon followed by a French comedy about self-discovery and awkward flirting.

🐙 A Mother’s Embrace – Suspenseful, Alien & Unnerving

A Spanish-language creature feature that actually had us on the edge of our seats. From the eerie nursing home setting to the terrifying underwater sequences, this one felt like The Descent meets Guillermo del Toro — if Guillermo was sadder and more flooded.

💧 Woman with trauma returns to the source of her past🏚️ Nursing home + storm + creepy staff = instant tension🦑 Cult behavior, missing responders, and one truly wild tentacled being

🧠 It doesn’t explain everything — but it doesn’t need to. It’s high-suspense horror that earns its scares without cheap tricks.

📊 Our Scores: Kit – 8.5, Cade – 9🔁 Rewatch Status: HIGH. We might’ve missed something. Or a lot.

🇫🇷 Two Women – Funny, French, and Deeply Human

A slice-of-life comedy that’s somehow about postpartum recovery, aging, bisexuality, meds, marriage, divorce, exhibitionism, and cooperative garden planning. It’s messy, honest, and weirdly sweet.

🏠 Two neighbors form a friendship that turns into a liberation spiral📦 From baby monitors to rat control to hired flings — it’s chaos💬 Delivered with humor, charm, and just enough absurdity to make you laugh out loud

Think: “Eat Pray Love” but in a Montreal apartment building with a crow screaming through the wall. And somehow it all works.

📊 Our Scores: Kit – 7, Cade – 7🍷 Watch With: Your friends, your siblings, or even your mom (but maybe not your boss)

🍿 Cade & Kit Pairing Picks (CUFF Pt. 2 Edition):

• ​Drink: Electrolytes (after the flood) + French red wine (after the neighbor seduction)
• ​Snack: Something crunchy to stress-eat while trying to decipher the cult ritual
• ​Activity: Whisper-laughing “what is happening” during A Mother’s Embrace, then quoting Two Women on the ride home

💬 Have you ever seen two more opposite movies in one night? Which would you rather survive: a psychic sea creature ceremony, or an awkward apartment affair? Tell us.

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