Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) was once an award-winning actress- one of our time’s most popular and hottest celebrities. Currently, Elisabeth hosts a television program where she teaches aerobics. However, her boss, Harvey (Dennis Quaid), feels Elisabeth is becoming less attractive and fading away, resulting in a lack of viewership and decent entertainment. Harvey fires Elisabeth, leaving her saddened and destroyed by the news. While driving, she gets distracted while driving Elisabeth is in a horrible crash and hospitalised. As she recovers, she is approached by a staff member who hands her a mysterious USB thumb drive containing a promotional clip for something known as ‘The Substance’, which promises a younger and more stunning version of herself.
At first, Elisabeth is disinterested and throws the information away in the bin. However, as time passes, Elisabeth becomes more annoyed, frustrated, and upset, especially when she discovers that Harvey and the show want a hotter and younger replacement to take on the aerobics show. Elisabeth decides to order The Substance and follow the strict rules so the product can work perfectly. When Elisabeth receives The Substance, she injects it into herself, and a younger version of Elisabeth is born, named Sue (Margaret Qualley). Sue instantly auditions for Elisabeth’s old job and gets it immediately, quickly becoming a hit and a new sensation. However, when risky and selfish choices are made, and rules with The Substance are broken, the side effects surprise Elisabeth and Sue. Can Elisabeth and Sue work together and obtain the ultimate stardom once again? Or will their choices have devastating consequences?
The Substance can best be described as a horror film with a mix of drama. The horror aspect is both gruesome and disturbing, and I must warn you, nothing here is off-limits. The movie starts with a simple, easy-to-follow outline, but as the film progresses, the plot evolves into something monstrous and unpredictable. The film was written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, whose previous work includes the 2017 film Revenge. This was my first time experiencing Fargeat’s work on the big screen, and I have nothing but high praise when it comes to The Substance.
As a film, The Substance is a horrifying experience. The makeup, body horror, and realistic yet unsettling creativity make a significant impact. It’s impossible not to feel squeamish or sickened by the film’s level of body horror and nail-biting tension. The performances, especially by Demi Moore and Dennis Quaid, are flawless. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say much about the plot, but I loved the shocking journey and its unforgettable conclusion.
Overall, The Substance is a wild, body horror film with zero filters. The story starts small and evolves into something far greater and more monstrous than I expected, leaving me stunned as the credits rolled. The leading performances are terrific, and the same can be said about everything else, such as makeup, gore, violence, and all the effects surrounding monster/creature designs. In short, I found this film to be creative, sickening, disturbing, sexy, funny, shocking, gross, and extremely wild. What are you waiting for? Give The Substance a try for yourself today.
19th October 2024
Written by Peter Walkden
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