|Companion (2025): The "Nice Guy" Horror Movie That Will Ruin Dating Apps Forever

[Ambrose:] Welcome back everyone. Okay, so I want you to think about the worst date you've ever been on.

[Jessica:] Oh no. Here we go.

[Ambrose:] Yeah. You know exactly what I'm talking about. The awkward silences. Maybe they chew with their mouth open. Maybe they have terrible taste in music and absolutely will not shut up about it.

[Jessica:] We have all been there.

[Ambrose:] Now take that date. Crank the awkwardness up to like a thousand. Stick it in a remote cabin in the woods that feels suspiciously like a prison. Throw in some very high-tech restraining orders, and just — just a splash of completely unhinged chaos.

[Jessica:] Just a splash.

[Ambrose:] That is the vibe we're stepping into today. This is a movie that starts like a retro romance and ends like a splatter painting. It's messy, it's hilarious, and it's genuinely terrifying because it feels a little too close to reality.

[Jessica:] It really does. And what gets me is it's not just scary because of the gore — though trust me, there is plenty of gore. It's scary because it takes modern dating culture, the isolation of technology, that nagging feeling that you don't actually know the person across the table from you — and it just weaponizes all of it. It's a ride.

[Ambrose:] A ride is putting it lightly. This has been described as a breakup movie. But like, the breakup movie from hell. We've got robots, we've got toxic masculinity wrapped in a really nice smile, and we've got a plot that pivots so hard it might actually give you whiplash.

[Jessica:] Totally.

[Ambrose:] It's got people buzzing, critics fighting over spoilers, and it's got us right here ready to tear it apart.

[Jessica:] It's a perfect storm of genre-bending. It's just fun to see a movie that refuses to stay in one lane. It's got the DNA of a rom-com, the tension of a home invasion thriller, and the gore of a slasher — all rolled into one very stylish package.

[Ambrose:] Exactly. So let's get into it. And right off the bat, we have to talk about the pedigree here, because the marketing for this film was very specific.

[Jessica:] Highly specific.

[Ambrose:] They didn't just go with "from the studio that brought you The Conjuring" or whatever. They went with a tagline that I think is going to go down in history.

[Jessica:] I know exactly the one you mean.

[Ambrose:] New Line Cinema — the studio that brought you The Notebook, and the unhinged creators of Barbarian.

[Jessica:] That tagline is doing so much heavy lifting. It's brilliant. It sets up this instant cognitive dissonance because The Notebook is the quintessential syrupy romance. Rain-soaked kisses, Ryan Gosling building a house —

[Ambrose:] If you're a bird, I'm a bird.

[Jessica:] Exactly. And Barbarian — okay, if you've seen Barbarian, you know. It's a masterclass in pulling the rug out from under the audience. Gritty, gross, deeply terrifying.

[Ambrose:] So basically the tagline is promising: you come for the love story, stay for the absolute nightmare. And that "unhinged creators" part is referring to a very specific team — we're talking about Zack Cregger, the guy who wrote and directed Barbarian, along with producers Roy Lee, Raphael Margules, and J.D. Lifshitz.

[Jessica:] Right. And there's this undeniable halo effect from Barbarian surrounding this whole project.

[Ambrose:] Oh, for sure.

[Jessica:] Barbarian was such a word-of-mouth sensation because it was completely unpredictable. It trained audiences to expect the unexpected from this specific group of producers. So when you see Cregger's name attached, you're already primed to look for the trapdoor. Nothing is going to be what it seems.

[Ambrose:] It's funny you mention Cregger actually, because originally he was supposed to direct this himself. It was going to be his follow-up to Barbarian.

[Jessica:] That was the plan, yeah. But the script was written by Drew Hancock, and apparently during development, Hancock was just so involved, so vocal, constantly in Cregger's ear about every single creative decision —

[Ambrose:] Like really micromanaging it.

[Jessica:] More like deeply collaborating. But yeah — from the tone to specific line readings. And eventually Cregger stepped back. He basically said, look, you know this story better than anyone. You should direct it.

[Ambrose:] Which is honestly a really cool move for an established director to make. It freed Cregger up to go write his next film, Weapons, and it gave Drew Hancock his feature directorial debut. And Hancock isn't a horror guy by trade, right?

[Jessica:] Not at all. And I think that's actually key to the film's tone. Hancock comes from comedy.

[Ambrose:] Okay, that tracks.

[Jessica:] Yeah, he worked on shows like My Dead Ex and Suburgatory. And you can feel that DNA here. This isn't a dreary, self-serious slasher. It's a black comedy. It's got this sharp satirical edge that only a comedy writer could really sharpen.

[Ambrose:] Horror and comedy are kind of cousins when you think about it.

[Jessica:] Absolutely. They both run on tension, timing, and release. And Hancock uses that comedy background to make the scary moments hit harder — because your guard is down.

[Ambrose:] And it's wild to think this whole thing —

[Jessica:] Started as a writing exercise. Literally a pandemic project. January 1st, 2021, Hancock sits down and decides he wants to write something that actually reflects his true voice.

[Ambrose:] And it’s this mix of horror, sci-fi, and thriller.

[Jessica:] Right. Instead of just the comedy stuff he was getting hired for. And he wrote it on spec.

[Ambrose:] For anyone listening who doesn't speak Hollywood — on spec means he wrote it for free, just hoping someone would buy it later.

[Jessica:] Exactly. It's a massive gamble. You're betting your time and energy that the idea is good enough to sell itself. And because he wanted to actually increase the odds of it getting made, he was really strategic about it.

[Ambrose:] How so?

[Jessica:] He kept the location count super low — mostly just one house. Small cast. He basically built a container that was cheap to shoot but rich in ideas.

[Ambrose:] And that strategy paid off huge. They made this thing for about ten million dollars, which in modern movie terms is basically the catering budget for a Marvel movie.

[Jessica:] Yea, a drop in the bucket. And it grossed around 36.7 million worldwide. Plus it landed a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and a B CinemaScore.

[Ambrose:] Now, a B might sound like a meh grade on a school paper, but —

[Jessica:] For a horror movie, that is astronomically high. Horror audiences are notoriously tough graders. They usually give out Cs and Ds. A B means the audience didn't just get scared — they felt satisfied.

[Ambrose:] They really are harsh. Don't scare them enough, they hate it. Scare them too much, they hate it. So a B is basically solid gold. And speaking of that low budget — they filmed in practical locations in the Hudson Valley, New York. Garrison, Fishkill, Beacon.

[Jessica:] Beautiful area.

[Ambrose:] Gorgeous. But here's my favorite behind-the-scenes detail. The cast actually lived in the house —

[Jessica:] that they filmed in. Which, honestly, sounds like the start of a horror movie in itself.

[Ambrose:] Completely. Sophie Thatcher, who plays the lead Iris, had a room that was apparently just filled with a dollhouse. She's sleeping next to a creepy dollhouse every night while filming a movie about AI. That has to mess with your head.

[Jessica:] It definitely adds to the claustrophobia. You can't escape the work when you're sleeping on set. And I think that translates to the screen — the house feels lived in, but also slightly oppressive. It's beautiful, but it's a cage.

[Ambrose:] So let's talk about that cage. Let's talk about the premise. Because the movie sets itself up with this very specific rom-com facade. We meet Iris and Josh — played by Jack Quaid — and there's this flashback to how they met in a grocery store.

[Jessica:] Yeah, a blatant nod to The Stepford Wives.

[Ambrose:] Oh, a hundred percent. Josh knocks over a display of oranges, they lock eyes — it's clumsy, it's cute, it's gentle. They even use this track, "Gimme Some More" by Lobby Safray, which gives it this warm, fuzzy, '70s romance energy.

[Jessica:] It's designed to disarm you. It's leaning into that nice-guy energy that Jack Quaid is so well-known for from The Boys. He's got that trustworthy face. You want to believe he's the romantic lead. You want to believe this is a love story.

[Ambrose:] But then we have to talk about the elephant in the room. Or rather, the robot in the room. Which brings us to Trailer Gate.

[Jessica:] Trailer Gate. Yeah, this was a big topic of discussion in the film community before release.

[Ambrose:] So back in October 2024, they dropped the first teaser. It's vague, it's spooky — shows Iris handcuffed to a chair, Josh lighting her arm on fire. But it doesn't explicitly say what's happening. It just looks like a twisted thriller. Sells the vibes.

[Jessica:] Gets people interested without giving anything away. But then January 2025 rolls around and they drop the full trailer — and this trailer just flat out says it. Iris is a robot.

[Ambrose:] Just spells it out.

[Jessica:] Yep. Shows her glitching, shows the interface inside her. The twist is out of the bag before the movie even hits theaters.

[Ambrose:] And people were furious. Screaming spoilers all over social media. But looking at the actual film — do we think it actually ruined the experience?

[Jessica:] I'm siding with the director on this one. Drew Hancock defended the marketing choice by saying this is a how movie, not a what movie. Meaning — the fact that she's a robot isn't the destination, it's the starting line. The reveal happens roughly fifteen to twenty minutes in.

[Ambrose:] So it's really early.

[Jessica:] Very early. If you spent the whole movie waiting for some Sixth Sense-style twist at the end, you'd be watching a completely different — and honestly more boring — movie. This isn't a puzzle box. It's like Columbo or Knives Out. You know the premise. The fun is watching the tension boil and seeing how the characters deal with that reality.

[Ambrose:] That makes total sense. It's about the dynamic. We're not wondering if she's a robot. We're watching how Josh treats a robot he thinks is the perfect girlfriend.

[Jessica:] Exactly. And that dynamic is terrifying. Iris is a companion — which, let's be real, is a polite marketing term for a sex bot slash servant.

[Ambrose:] And the level of control Josh has is chilling. He's got an app on his phone. He can adjust her eye color, tune her vocal pitch — he can even adjust her intelligence level.

[Jessica:] That detail is devastating. The idea that you'd want to lower your partner's intelligence to make yourself feel better — because you feel threatened — that is the satire cutting deep right there. It speaks to a very specific kind of insecurity.

[Ambrose:] And the most chilling command of all: go to sleep.

[Jessica:] It's instant. He says it and she just shuts down. It turns a person — or a being that looks like a person — into furniture. Strips away all agency in a split second. It's the ultimate shut-up button.

[Ambrose:] And there are these visual cues too. When she shuts down, her eyes go this milky white — no pupils. And the title card of the movie — did you catch the font choice?

[Jessica:] The Campbell's Soup font?

[Ambrose:] Yes. Such a subtle dig.

[Jessica:] It's brilliant. It evokes Andy Warhol, it suggests mass production, domesticity — it's saying this woman, this companion, is just a product you buy off a shelf. Like a can of tomato soup. It sets the whole theme of commodification right from the opening text.

[Ambrose:] So we've got this product — this companion, Iris — played by Sophie Thatcher. We have to give her her flowers because this performance sounds incredibly difficult. She has to play a robot who thinks she's human, and then realizes she's a robot, but still has feelings.

[Jessica:] It's a tightrope walk. Thatcher has talked about the physical challenges — there's a scene where she has to speak perfect German. And not just speak it, but speak it during a stunt-heavy sequence while the sun was going down.

[Ambrose:] The magic hour pressure. That is intense.

[Jessica:] She described it as the hardest scene to film because as a robot, she can't stumble, she can't be out of breath, she can't have a bad accent. She has to be mechanically flawless while physically exerting herself.

[Ambrose:] And the physical stuff — the glitching. Apparently the actors were sucking on ice cubes before takes because it was freezing in New York and robots don't have visible breath.

[Jessica:] Old school movie magic right there. But it shows the commitment. And then there's the crying. Sophie Thatcher apparently has this specific thing where she can cry out of —

[Ambrose:] Just one eye. Which is weirdly specific and completely perfect for a robot.

[Jessica:] Hancock used that. It gives her this uncanny, slightly artificial but deeply sad quality. It makes you question what's programmed and what's real emotion.

[Ambrose:] Her arc is really interesting too — she goes from this subservient drone to what you'd call a final girl in a slasher movie.

[Jessica:] But she's the most empathetic character in the film. And that's the flip. Usually in sci-fi horror, the AI —

[Ambrose:] Is the monster. Like Terminator.

[Jessica:] Or M3GAN or HAL 9000. Here, the AI is the protagonist. She's the victim we're rooting for. She's the most human character in terms of emotional depth — despite being made of metal and silicone.

[Ambrose:] Which brings us to the actual monster of the movie. Josh. Played by Jack Quaid.

[Jessica:] Jack Quaid is casting genius here because we're conditioned to see him as the nice guy. He's Hughie from The Boys. He's charming, got that goofy smile.

[Ambrose:] But here that smile is weaponized. It's unsettling.

[Jessica:] He's the villain who thinks he's the hero of a rom-com. He literally thinks he's John Cusack holding up the boombox. But the reality is he's deeply insecure. He's lonely — but not the kind of lonely where you just want a friend. He's the kind of lonely that can't handle the inconvenience of a real partner who has needs, or opinions, or bad days.

[Ambrose:] So he buys a person.

[Jessica:] He buys a person. And he calls her Beep Boop.

[Ambrose:] Ugh. Beep Boop. It sounds cute at first, but when you —

[Jessica:] When you really sit with it in context, it's incredibly condescending. It's dehumanizing. It's a constant reminder — to her and to himself — that she isn't real. It's a way of keeping her beneath him even while he pretends to love her. It's like saying, I know what you are and don't you forget it.

[Ambrose:] It's gross. And it's not just those two. At this cabin, they're joined by friends — Patrick, played by Lucas Gage, and Eli, played by Harvey Guillen. Then Cat, played by Megan Suri, and Sergey, played by Rupert Friend.

[Jessica:] And these friends aren't just background noise. They mirror the central dynamic. Patrick and Eli have this complex, somewhat controlling thing going on too. And Cat serves as the human contrast — she's a real woman, but she's also trapped in a controlling relationship with Sergey.

[Ambrose:] Right. Which drives home the point that this isn't just a robot problem. It's a people problem. Cat is human, Iris is a robot, but they're both dealing with men who want to own them.

[Jessica:] Exactly. The technology just makes the ownership more literal.

[Ambrose:] This leads us right into the heavy themes, because Hancock has been pretty clear — in his mind, this isn't a sci-fi movie. It's a breakup movie.

[Jessica:] A breakup movie about escaping a toxic relationship. And that framing changes how you watch it. It's exploring the commodification of intimacy.

[Ambrose:] That's a big phrase. Can you break that down for us.

[Jessica:] Okay, so — think about dating apps today. You swipe, you filter. I want someone six feet tall, likes hiking, political moderate. We already treat dating like shopping. This film just takes that to its logical, horrific conclusion. What if you could just order the partner? Build them custom?

[Ambrose:] The ultimate entitlement. And the movie seems to be taking a very direct shot at incel culture and the manosphere.

[Jessica:] It really is. Josh represents that specific corner of the internet that believes they're owed a beautiful, subservient woman just for being a nice guy. He feels he deserves this because he followed the rules.

[Ambrose:] And the nice-guy misogyny is so much scarier than the overt yelling kind sometimes — because it hides behind protection. Like, I'm keeping you safe. I'm doing this for us.

[Jessica:] Or I'm shutting you down because you're malfunctioning. It's gaslighting made literal. He can actually turn her off when she becomes inconvenient. The danger isn't that AI will kill us.

[Ambrose:] Us.

[Jessica:] The horror is what humans will do when given absolute control over another being.

[Ambrose:] There's a really interesting comparison to Ex Machina here. In Ex Machina, Ava puts on skin to escape — she wants to pass as human —

[Jessica:] But in this movie it's the opposite. There's a moment where Iris peels off her burnt synthetic skin.

[Ambrose:] That is a lot.

[Jessica:] It's a symbolic rejection. Ava in Ex Machina is trying to assimilate — she wants to be one of us. Iris realizes that the human world, specifically Josh's world, is trash. She isn't trying to be a real girl. She finds something like empowerment in accepting that she's a machine. She's stronger than them, more durable. Peeling off that skin is her saying — I'm not your fantasy anymore. I'm something else.

[Ambrose:] I am something else and I am terrifying. I love that. It's AI gone right, in a way. The hero's journey is her gaining sentience and realizing she deserves better than this guy.

[Jessica:] It's a breakup where she finds herself — and herself just happens to be made of titanium and circuits.

[Ambrose:] Yes. So, let’s talk about the look of the movie, because it doesn't look like a gritty horror film at all. It's bright, it's colorful —

[Jessica:] It's Barbie bright.

[Ambrose:] Yeah. Pink title cards, vibrant costumes. Iris is dressed in this very specific 1960s retro fashion.

[Jessica:] That aesthetic is doing storytelling work. It represents Josh's fantasy. He doesn't want a modern woman with modern ideas. He wants a trad wife. That nostalgic '50s and '60s ideal of domesticity — the submissive, pretty, always-smiling wife in the kitchen. He literally designed her to look like a walking piece of nostalgia.

[Ambrose:] So the brightness is actually part of the horror. It's the artifice.

[Jessica:] It's the candy coating on the poison pill. The horror comes from the rot inside the candy store.

[Ambrose:] And speaking of nostalgia — we have to talk about the music. Specifically the needle drop of "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls.

[Jessica:] The needle drop heard round the world.

[Ambrose:] So there's a scene where Josh is customizing Iris and that song is playing. The character-level joke is obviously that he lacks imagination and just named her after the song on the radio. But there's a meta joke here that is just —

[Jessica:] So good. For the film nerds. Jack Quaid plays Josh. Jack Quaid's real-life mother is Meg Ryan —

[Ambrose:] Ahhh the queen of rom-coms.

[Jessica:] And "Iris" was written for the soundtrack of City of Angels, which starred Meg Ryan. It's a direct nod to his mom's filmography. It's a layer of meta commentary that just makes everything richer.

[Ambrose:] Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher apparently found it totally meta and funny on set. It's like the movie is winking at you — hey, we know. We know exactly what we're doing here.

[Jessica:] And it balances that humor with extreme violence. The tone shifts are wild. One minute it's funny, the next minute someone is getting killed with — what was it?

[Ambrose:] A wine opener.

[Jessica:] An electric wine opener.

[Ambrose:] I will never look at kitchen gadgets the same way again.

[Jessica:] And that was a deliberate choice by Hancock. Originally that kill was supposed to happen early in the movie — to Sergey. But Hancock realized it was too good, too gruesome, too perfect of a symbol. So he moved it to the climax. Saved the best kill for the —

[Ambrose:] End. And used it on Josh.

[Jessica:] Yup. She uses it on Josh.

[Ambrose:] That is poetic justice. The tool of domestic leisure used to destroy the domestic tyrant.

[Jessica:] It really works. It's Chekhov's wine opener. You see it early in the film and you just know it's coming back in a big way.

[Ambrose:] So let's get to that ending. The climax is a battle royale-style showdown.

[Jessica:] It’s pure chaos.

[Ambrose:] And we get this voiceover payoff. Throughout the movie we've heard Iris narrating, and she says the two happiest days of her life were the day I —

[Jessica:] Met Josh and the day I killed him.

[Ambrose:] Chills. Absolute chills. It recontextualizes the whole romance aspect of the movie.

[Jessica:] It's the ultimate breakup line.

[Ambrose:] So Iris survives, she makes it out. And then we get these post-credits scenes that hint at what happens next.

[Jessica:] Right. We see Iris driving one of Sergey's luxury cars. She's got a bag of cash. She is free.

[Ambrose:] And she passes another car.

[Jessica:] Yes. Another woman in a car. We don't know for sure if it's another robot, or just a woman in a similar situation, or another companion. But Iris waves. She reveals her robotic arm — it's exposed now, she's not hiding it. And she smiles.

[Ambrose:] It's solidarity.

[Jessica:] It is. An acknowledgment of shared survival.

[Ambrose:] And then there's Teddy — the engineer, the recovery guy who was sent to get her. He survives too.

[Jessica:] He does. And he's basically suggesting a robot revolution. Like, we should burn it all down.

[Ambrose:] But does Iris even want that?

[Jessica:] That's the open question. Hancock has said he doubts there'll be a sequel. He sees the ending as conclusive — and in his words, heartwarming. In his mind, Iris isn't going to lead an army. She uses that bag of cash to buy a farm. She sits on a porch and watches the sunset.

[Ambrose:] And she chooses peace.

[Jessica:] Yes. She chooses existence for herself. Not for Josh, not for a revolution — just for her. Which for a machine designed entirely to serve others, is the most radical thing she could possibly do.

[Ambrose:] Just existing for yourself. That's actually beautiful. But of course, the studio might look at that robot revolution tease and see dollar signs.

[Jessica:] Oh, absolutely. If the box office keeps climbing, Teddy's revolution might get greenlit whether Hancock wants it or not.

[Ambrose:] Truly. Okay, so look — we've unpacked a lot here. The rom-com facade, the robot twist, the incel commentary, the wine opener of doom. But what I love about this movie is that it doesn't feel like a lecture. It feels like a party. A dark, twisted, bloody party.

[Jessica:] It really does and it respects your time. It gives you the thrills, it gives you the laughs, and it leaves you with something to actually think about — regarding how we treat technology and how we treat each other.

[Ambrose:] Exactly. It asks: if you could control everything about your partner, would you? And if the answer is yes — well, maybe you're the monster.

[Jessica:] That is the scary thought to take home tonight.

[Ambrose:] It is. But you know what — we are just getting warmed up. We've talked about the plot, the themes, the kills. Now it's time to get judgmental.

[Jessica:] My absolute favorite time.

[Ambrose:] We are sliding right down into the Critics' Crypt. We need a final verdict. Is this a future cult classic — or is it just a shiny toy that breaks too easily?

[Jessica:] Oh, I have very strong feelings about where this ranks in the pantheon of "good for her" movies.

[Ambrose:] I bet you do. Let's head down to the Crypt and settle this once and for all.

[Jessica:] Yes. Lead the way Crypt Boy!

[Ambrose:] Okay… we're back in the Critic's Crypt. And hey — if you hear footsteps behind you, just tell yourself you didn't.

[Jessica:] Yeah, that's not gonna happen for me. If something breathes on my neck, I'm already gone. I'm not even looking back.

[Ambrose:] That’s fair. Okay, so — this movie is basically your worst date ever. But in a cabin. And your date can literally be controlled with an app.

[Jessica:] And somehow it's funny, and then it's terrifying, and then it sneaks up and goes "oh… that's actually kind of sad." And then someone gets hit with a kitchen gadget. So yeah. It's a lot.

[Ambrose:] Let's start with what worked, because a lot worked. First thing — this movie knows exactly what it is. It's not out here pretending to be some super serious art piece the whole time.

[Jessica:] Right. It's got this sharp, mean little sense of humor. And that's actually why the scary parts land. Because you're laughing, your guard drops, and then bam — "Cool, here's the worst boyfriend you've ever seen."

[Ambrose:] And that rom-com setup at the beginning? The grocery store meet-cute, the warm little music cue? Total trap.

[Jessica:] And it works because it puts you in Iris's headspace. You want to believe it's sweet, because she wants to believe it's sweet. So when it turns, you feel that stomach-drop right along with her.

[Ambrose:] Also — Sophie Thatcher as Iris. She is doing the hardest job in this whole movie.

[Jessica:] Yeah, because she's playing a “robot trying to be perfect," and then a "robot realizing she's property," and then a "robot becoming the final girl." And it never feels like three different characters. It's one clean arc.

[Ambrose:] And Jack Quaid as Josh… I hated him so fast.

[Jessica:] That's the point, though. The casting is sneaky. He's got that friendly face, so you totally get why Iris falls for it. But once you see what he really is, every single smile turns into something scary.

[Ambrose:] The control stuff is what really got under my skin. The app. The settings. The "go to sleep" command. Like — you know when someone talks over you on a date and you just go "okay, cool," but inside you're screaming?

[Jessica:] Exactly. The movie takes that real-world power thing and just makes it literal. And that's why it hits so hard. It's not about robots. It's about men with control issues.

[Ambrose:] And I loved the look of it. Everything's bright and cute and retro. But it's a cage.

[Jessica:] Yes. The candy coating makes it worse, honestly. If it looked dark and gritty the whole time, you'd brace yourself. But it's Barbie-bright while something rotten is sitting right underneath.

[Ambrose:] And the kills. Some of them are nasty. That electric wine opener scene—

[Jessica:] I will never look at a drawer full of "fun little gadgets" the same way. And it works because it's not random. It's symbolic. Domestic life as a weapon. It’s mean in a smart way.

[Ambrose:] And I'm sorry — the Goo Goo Dolls "Iris" needle drop while Josh is literally customizing her? That is insane.

[Jessica:] It's gross and funny at the same time, which is basically the whole movie. And it does this little meta wink without stopping everything to explain it. If you catch it, you catch it.

[Ambrose:] Okay. Now the big debate. Trailer Gate. Did the marketing spoil it?

[Jessica:] I'm still gonna say no. Because the reveal happens early, and the movie isn't built around “Oh my god twist." It's built around — okay, now what?

[Ambrose:] I hear that. But I also think if you went in completely cold, that reveal would punch you in the face instead of just… showing up.

[Jessica:] That's fair. So just keep the robot visuals out of the full trailer. Sell the cabin tension, sell the vibe, let the movie do the work.

[Ambrose:] Exactly. And another thing that got me was the whiplash factor. The plot pivots hard. Sometimes that's fun, but sometimes it's like — wait, hang on, who's chasing who right now?

[Jessica:] Yeah. I love the chaos, but there are a couple moments where it moves so fast you don't get to sit in the tension at all. You know just give us a breath — and the stress could actually build instead of just sprinting.

[Ambrose:] And some of the friends kind of feels like they’re there to move the plot along. Like, they’re fine, but I just wanted a little more time with them actually acting like real people instead of pieces getting pushed around.

[Jessica:] Right. Not a whole subplot. Just one or two scenes where they feel less like "here's the mirror to the main theme" and more like messy humans with history. That would've made the cabin feel way more real.

[Ambrose:] And the post-credits tease — the whole "maybe a robot revolution" vibe. I didn't hate it, but it kind of steps on the ending, which is already satisfying on its own.

[Jessica:] Yeah, because her ending is basically freedom and peace. So what they should've done is either cut the tease down, or make it feel more like a joke than an actual promise.

[Ambrose:] True. But overall? This movie is nasty and smart and way more fun than it has any right to be. It doesn't feel like a lecture. It feels like a party where someone locks the doors.

[Jessica:] And then hands the worst guy you've ever met a remote control. Which is… not relaxing.

[Ambrose:] Alright, ratings time—and I can already see you gearing up, because you know I’m about to go high with it.

[Jessica:] I'm not rolling my eyes. I'm just… prepared. You say "ratings time" like you're about to hand someone an Oscar.

[Ambrose:] Okay that’s fair. But, look — here's why I'm going high. This movie commits. The tone is wild but it works. The satire actually bites. The "nice guy" horror feels real. And Iris? I was genuinely rooting for her the whole time.

[Jessica:] That's the biggest thing. If Iris doesn't work, the whole movie falls apart. And she works. Because even when she's doing the "perfect girlfriend" thing, you can still feel something underneath it.

[Ambrose:] Yes! And it's not just "yay violence." It's catharsis. It's a breakup movie with blood.

[Jessica:] That is such a you sentence. But I get it. The movie sticks the landing emotionally, and a lot of horror-comedy stuff just doesn't do that.

[Ambrose:] So I'm at a 5 out of 5 coffins. It’s fun, sharp, nasty when it needs to be, and it actually has something to say — without stopping the movie to yell it at you.

[Jessica:] Okay, I'm gonna push back a little. Not because I don't love it. I do. But a 5 out of 5 for me is "no weak spots."

[Ambrose:] And you think it has weak spots.

[Jessica:] Small ones. The pacing in the middle when it pivots into full chaos — there's a point where it's moving so fast you never get to sit in the discomfort. And I wanted just a tiny bit more from the friends so they feel like real people and not pieces on a board.

[Ambrose:] That's fair, but for me those are like… tiny scratches on the windshield. The ride is still insane.

[Jessica:] Okay, yes. The ride IS insane. And the visuals, the performances, the theme — all strong enough that I honestly don't care that much about the scratches.

[Ambrose:] So where are you landing? Don't be shy.

[Jessica:] I'm landing at 4.5 out of 5 coffins in my soul. Two spots I'd tighten — one quieter beat for tension, one extra scene for the side characters. With that, it's a solid 4.5 for me.

[Ambrose:] "In my soul" is killing me. But that's fair — you're not saying it's broken, you're saying two tiny little trims and it's perfect. I respect your standards. But I'm still going 5, because even with those tweaks, I'd recommend this so fast I'd sprain my thumb.

[Jessica:] Now, I’d love to see that.

[Ambrose:] I bet you would. Okay. It's time to get out of this Crypt before it makes us permanent residents.

[Jessica:] Wait — it can do that?

[Ambrose:] Honestly? No idea. But I'm not hanging around to find out.

[Jessica:] Yeah neither am I. So what are you waiting for, lead the way Crypt Boy. Because I’m not staying down here one more second.

[Ambrose:] Okay, sooo, we just did Companion...

[Jessica:] And I will never trust anyone who's too helpful ever again. That's done for me.

[Ambrose:] Right?! Like, someone offers to carry my groceries and I'm just gonna stand there going — why though. What do you want.

[Jessica:] What's your actual goal here.

[Ambrose:] Honestly, same energy I bring to every relationship now. But hey — if you're enjoying the show and you want to make sure you never miss an episode, go subscribe wherever you're listening to this.

[Jessica:] Yeah, and follow us on social media, because we're funnier there than we have any right to be.

[Ambrose:] And if you really want to go full VIP Pass mode, you can get early episodes and bonus content — it's not only more of us, but also proof that you have excellent taste.

[Jessica:] Or questionable taste. Either/or.

[Ambrose:] Both are valid.

[Jessica:] Yeah. They are valid.

[Ambrose:] And remember — if your partner seems perfect...

[Jessica:] Run.

[Ambrose:] Yeah. Run so fast all they see is the dust from your feet.

[Jessica:] Bye!

[Ambrose:] Alright, we'll see you next time. Byeeee.