Love Will Tear Us Apart (interview) Cade and Kit

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 PremiseOriginally 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 StoryThe 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 WorkedThe 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 WordThis 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 InstagramOur Links🎧 S⁠⁠potify⁠⁠ 🍏 ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts ⁠⁠📸 ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠Read the blog!⁠⁠[email protected]