Every now and then we are blessed with a new body horror film, and 2024 has gifted us The Substance. The story follows Elisabeth (Demi Moore), an outcast celebrity who turns to a mysterious black market drug that promises to generate a younger, more beautiful and more perfect version of yourself. The catch – you must share your time in the spotlight.
This psychological horror is one of the most well-written films of the year. In what is quite unexpected for a body horror film, the screenplay is utterly jaw-dropping from start to finish. The setup, dialogue and execution of ideas is all fantastic, crafted to perfectly bring to life the insane vision of writer-director Coralie Fargeat. Anyone looking for a fast-moving event won’t get that here. The Substance adopts a slow-build approach from the opening scene that’s designed to hook you in and keep you engaged every step of the way. In locking you in to what’s happening in each moment, it removes the space for future speculation and allows every major beat to be a surprise. And thank god for that, because while it runs at a slow pace for its first two acts, it turns into a a hyper-paced, mental-as-fuck bloodbath in its third act where it takes 50 left turns and evolves into pure chaos. Concept-wise, you know the story isn’t going anywhere good, but there’s nothing that can prepare you for the inventive yet clinically insane direction it takes. The beautiful thing about this film is that without the third act, it’s still exceptional – then the climax really doubles down on the message and does so in a way that will appease any fan of a Cronenberg-esque body horror feature.
As much as the tone and narrative is deeply rooted in the psychological horror space, there’s an underlying horror-comedy element that’s weaved in without dominating the overall vibe. The satirical touches tie in to the deeper themes and the messages Fargeat is trying to convey. From drug addiction to beauty expectations in society and the double standards in Hollywood, there’s real and uncomfortable undertone that adds to the satirical comedy as well as the real-world horror. The beauty of these additional touches is that you don’t need to delve into those deeper meanings to enjoy the story – it works on a surface level and is brilliant simply in how it conveys the horror of the situation.
As a seasoned vet in the horror space, I loved how well-utilised the body horror, claustrophobic horror and psychological horror are, and how the three are used equally throughout. The intense, confronting, claustrophobic vibe is cleverly conveyed through the use of extreme close-ups to make the viewer feel uncomfortable and trapped in key moments within the story. There’s a dinner scene in which a character is peeling and eating prawns, and it’s filmed in such a way that it’s vile and lowkey scary. The body horror is a huge element of the third act, where the bulk of the chaos unfolds, but there’s smaller moments of grotesque body horror throughout that are wonderfully sickening. It’s hard to go into specifics without spoiling key elements, but I’ll just go ahead and say this movie isn’t for anyone with a weak stomach… and maybe put away the movie snacks.
Speaking of the body horror, it’s incredibly effective and disgusting thanks to the reliance on makeup and prosthetics, with a helping hand from a little CGI. The makeup and prosthetic effects applied to Demi Moore throughout the film are incredible. It’s the type of intricate attention to detail that wins Oscars, and I think that’s exactly what we’re looking at here. As Moore is consumed by makeup and prosthetics, the work only gets more and more impressive, becoming increasingly more rewarding with each passing minute. The horror isn’t just enhanced by the visuals, but also the visceral nature of the sound – another area I can see getting a nomination. You hear every squelch and crack and squirt, taking the icky, disgusting vibe of the body horror to the next level.
As much as the writing is phenomenal, the directing is great and the makeup is awesome, it’s the performances that really hammer home the brilliance of the film. The dual performance of Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is something to marvel at. While neither has ever seen an Oscar nomination, they play two sides of the same character and do so with such commitment to the role that I can see them duking it out for the same award. Moore really brings out the sympathetic side of the character, while Qualley is tasked with emphasising her youthful immaturity. Together, they flesh out the personality of Elisabeth/Sue and bring to life a character that’s a victim of so many societal expectations. The emotional range of both Moore and Qualley is wonderful to see, they’re each given ample moments to shine and they don’t waste a single second. The only other actor with more screentime than Margaret Qualley’s ass is Dennis Quaid, who plays an appropriately named Hollywood producer “Harvey”. You know Quaid is a wonderful actor when despite being so loveable, he’s amazing when it comes to portraying a vile, sexist douchebag. He’s so obnoxiously disgusting that he contributes to many of the satirically hilarious moments in the film.
Lastly, I must shout out DoP Benjamin Kracun, whose cinematography is stunning to the point of this whole film feeling like a wild fever dream. He uses handheld sequences really well to enhance the frantic nature of key moments, while also working symmetry into many shots, especially early on. It’s a beautifully framed movie, and coupled with the wonderful sets it makes for a final product that’s as alluring as it is sickening to watch.
In the end, The Substance lived up to all of the buzz and positive work of mouth that it has been receiving. Coralie Farget has cooked up a film that’s batshit insane, yet meaningful and haunting and gripping all at the same time. The dialogue, as minimal as it is at times, is captivating, and the overall narrative is paced right in that sweet spot so it’s never boring and builds to that climax. Coupled with wonderful prosthetic effects and a duo of great performances from Moore and Qualley, do yourself a favor and witness one of the best film experiences of the year. This is one rollercoaster ride of pure chaos that’s not to be missed.
9.5/10
Everything Movie Reviews 
1 Comment