…………………………………………………

The Substance Movie Review

The Substance is a 2024 body horror film directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. It’s an exceptional genre flick.

………………………………………………….

“There’s been a slight misuse of the Substance“

…………………………………………………..

A fading celebrity takes a black-market drug: a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself. I am not the biggest fan of body horror movies, but when they are done this well, I am definitely a fan. In fact, this might be the best horror movie of the year, one that’s an acquired taste for sure, but one that will appeal to those who favor creative and campy flicks.

I am a big fan of fairy tales and cautionary tales and The Substance very much functions as one, though a tale with a very modern genre spin. There is a lot of discussion to be had regarding this story’s feminism or whether or not it even has it to begin with. I personally think this is very much a feminist story, but a realistic one as it not just depicts show business as youth and looks-obsessed, but also turns inwardly to show women having body dysmorphia and dealing with image issues. The movie could be caricaturist at times, but there is no denying that the overall anti-ageism message worked.

Demi Moore has never really had a strong role in her entire career, so this easily ranks as one of her best roles and probably her finest performance. She was perfectly cast as this woman who is so obsessed about youth and looking young, and even though she still looks better than most women of her age, she would still stop at nothing to become even younger. The resulting body double of sorts is played by Margaret Qualley and she was also excellent. I am not all that familiar with her works, but here she was very memorable. Dennis Quaid pretty much played a caricature male sexist, so his character didn’t work, but at least the movie focused on its leading ladies for the majority of time, which was a great choice as it led to better characterization and stronger performance from them.

…………………………………………………..

The Substance isn’t for everyone of course. Its ending is admittedly quite polarizing as it becomes super grotesque, over-the-top and, yes, overtly campy. But as a fan of such fare, I have to say that I loved it. The third act devolved into this gross, theatrical exercise in disgusting fluids, revolting body parts and a whole lot of gore. The creature design was so good and this extreme body horror is something that even Carpenter and Cronenberg would shy away from. Everything in this movie is extra and I very much appreciated that.

Technically, this feature looked and sounded great in spite of its rather small budget. The score is disturbing and quite effective, the cinematography is excellent and I particularly liked the camera angles behind the protagonist’s back when she walked on streets. Couple those street scenes with a very eerie score and sound effects and you’ve got a terrific atmosphere achieved there.

The directing from Coralie Fargeat is so good that I am now excited to see more of her works. She directed the movie with a lot of confidence and a style to spare. The transitional scenes were particularly artistic, especially those bursts of otherworldly colors. The VFX work is incredible – the mix of CGI and practical effects was achieved seamlessly. I loved the crazy third act and that very memorable final scene, but everything that came before served as a very cool, timeless cautionary tale. The relationship between the two versions of the protagonist wasn’t properly developed, it made no sense and that fight was too gory and violent, but that’s the only small grievance that I’ve had with this otherwise stellar film.

…………………………………………………..