THE SUBSTANCE is a body horror movie with a dark comedy edge and lots of psychological horror. An absolute masterpiece starring the scary good Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Read our full The Substance movie review here!
THE SUBSTANCE is a horror movie that has been on everybody’s lips (and minds) since its very first screening. I have tried my damndest to avoid spoilers and managed fairly well.
I recommend you do the same and I certainly won’t be giving away spoilers here. All I want to highlight is that this movie is absolutely wild and crazy in the best ways. Even its runtime of 2 hours and 21 minutes works for it!
Continue reading our The Substance movie review below. Stream it on Mubi or On Digital now.
When women “age out”
In The Substance, we meet Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) as she is fired from her fitness TV show. A show she has done for decades after an amazing career as an A-list actor.
She is fired by the gross and off-putting studio head aptly named Harvey (Dennis Quaid), who wants fresh meat. Elisabeth Sparkle has aged out and he wants someone younger, fresher, bouncier, and tighter.
Never mind that the show is targeted at women, and only men partake in producing, judging, and casting the new star. White and older men at that.
This is when Elisabeth is presented with an opportunity. A mysterious new drug called “THE SUBSTANCE”. After just one injection, she will be reborn as the gorgeous, twentysomething Sue (Margaret Qualley).
Well, sort of, there are rules to using the substance, but this is all you need to know before going in. The rest is for you to experience first-hand.
The Substance is all about women’s bodies and how others judge women’s bodies. How the worth of a woman is based on her body and beauty. Often attached directly to her age.
You will see bodies in their entirety as it is necessary for this movie to work. It’s part of what people find extreme about this movie but really, the human body is the most natural thing.
The way we view and judge it, often is not. Will this drug be the cure or the poison? The road to freedom and liberation or simply a way to understand the world better?! Watch The Substance to find out.
And really, do watch The Substance. You’ll never forget it!
Demi Moore is scary good
The Substance is a horror movie that covers many subgenres of horror. At times, it’s a psychological horror movie, then it’s more of a dark comedy, and finally, it is a brilliant example of what body horror can be.
Whatever you expect, The Substance will deliver on. And then some. Plus an added crazy element. Along with something even wilder and more insane. Along for the ride from start to finish is Demi Moore who is later joined by Margaret Qualley.
While Margaret Qualley is always good (most recently in a smaller role in Poor Things), this really is Demi Moore’s movie. I mean, both actors are equally important, but the truly grotesque and wild moments come from Demi Moore.
Good Lord, there are moments in The Substance that I will never forget having watched. Demi Moore is scary good and she better get lots of nominations and awards for this role!
We don’t need another snub along the lines of Toni Collette for Hereditary simply because the brilliant performance happens to be in a horror movie.
Watch The Substance on Mubi or Digital now
The Substance is directed and written by Coralie Fargeat, who previously gave us the amazing revenge movie appropriately titled Revenge (2017). I loved that one as well, but this one probably surpasses it in many ways.
If you’ve watched Revenge, pay attention to the little details that were featured in that one as well. Most noticeable are the star-shaped earrings that characters wear in both movies.
A nice detail from Coralie Fargeat, who deserves all the awards for this movie!
DO CHECK OUT
Mubi was able to snatch up the distribution rights for The Substance when others became nervous about how wild it was. I’m oversimplifying, but this was surely the case.
That’s why you can now watch The Substance on the Mubi streaming platform, which you can try for free for seven days.
Also, you can find it on whatever Digital platform you prefer – ie. Apple, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, etc. In many countries worldwide, it’s also still playing in movie theaters, so watch it however you can.
I know not everyone loves the final part of this movie and it is wild, but it works. As well as being fascinated, you should expect to be disgusted in a very visceral way. Absolutely brilliant!
The Substance is out on VOD in the US now (on Mubi from October 31, 2024).
Details
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Script: Coralie Fargeat
Cast: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid
Plot
Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister past her prime is suddenly fired from her fitness TV show by repellent studio head Harvey. She is then drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug: THE SUBSTANCE. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn – temporarily – as the gorgeous, twentysomething Sue. The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. No exceptions. A perfect balance. What could go wrong?
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