The Substance

The layered body horror film delivers Demi Moore's best performance

Hollywood has commented on how women are discarded as they age as far back as All About Eve (1950). The subject is one that has been remarked on for 70 years, yet has continued being common practice in both Hollywood as well as society at large. The latest to comment on this unfair standard is the body-horror movie The Substance (2024).

The Substance follows middle-aged fitness star Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) as her long-running show is canceled by her misogynist TV executive Harvey (Dennis Quaid). In a bid of desperation, Elizabeth enrolls in a mysterious new drug program where an injection has you grotesquely birth a second younger version of yourself (Margaret Qualley). However, rules dictate that you can live in each version for only seven days at a time. Will Elizabeth resist the temptation of youth and beauty?

The Substance is Coralie Fargeat’s sophomore effort after the satisfyingly violent Revenge (2017). With this second film the French director is given complete creative control, crafting The Substance with such an attention to detail, from the color of a chair to the careful framing of a shot or the gentle sound design, you will be reminded of Stanley Kubrick’s work.

The Substance is an obvious examination of the value of youth and beauty in women within our society, and Fargeat cheekily dons an exaggerated male gaze with her camera, lingering on butts and breasts for inordinate amounts of time. As the runtime clocks on, the film becomes more over-the-top with its symbolism and framing, with young Elizabeth, nicknamed “Sue,” becoming increasingly sexualized, while older Elizabeth begins to resemble a fairy tale witch.

The Substance leans heavily into its body-horror element, delivering a level of gore that would have even made David Cronenberg cringe. This is effective during the first two acts of the film, showcasing the pain and violent manipulations society forces older women to undergo. However, the third act cranks the blood and make-up budgets up to an exaggerated degree. This third act becomes an unmoored fable delivering a finale so bizarre, it puts Ari Aster’s Beau is Afraid (2023) to shame. However, the over-the-top theatrics sadly drown out the underlying message of The Substance in favor of shock value.

The Substance’s finale, however, doesn’t overshadow Moore’s career-best performance. Moore is at her best when simply staring at herself in the mirror, full of doubt, hate, and pity. In one sequence, we see her getting ready nervously for a date, changing her outfit innumerous times, only to end up staying at home sitting by her bed alone. This sequence, apart from being heartbreaking also transmits The Substance’s core message better than any of the finale’s blood spatters. Qualley is also great, albeit in a role meant as a crutch for the deeper ruminations that Moore’s older version undergoes. Quaid, meanwhile, is a standout, stealing his every scene with his repellent character; one can almost smell the repulsive smell his character wears.

In the end, The Substance is a unique film mixing elements from Cronenberg, Kubrick, and a touch of “The Portrait of Dorian Grey” to comment on society’s approach to women’s age. Demi Moore delivers a career-best performance. The first two acts balance the fantastical and character elements of to perfection, but the third tips completely in one direction, a choice that while pleasing some horror fans, dilutes its gut-punching message.

7.2/10