The Substance provides nothing short of spectacle. Featuring the iconic Demi Moore alongside rising star Margaret Qualley, the cast also includes Dennis Quaid, who stepped into the role of Harvey after original actor Ray Liotta’s passing in 2022. The Substance, now “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, premiered to a standing ovation at its international debut.
The Substance sets itself apart with its reliance on visuals over dialogue, a stroke that creates tension through a masterful blend of sound and imagery. One of the aspects of the movie that really made it stand out to me was its unconventional camera angles and close ups. The ability to see individual pores (or lack thereof) on a character’s face really reveals so much about their character and adds to the intensity of their emotions. The vibrant color grading, almost otherworldly, enhances this effect.
In scenes with no dialogue, the background music reverberated through my own body to the degree that I couldn’t help but be on the edge of my seat the entire time. I found director Coralie Fargeat’s genius decision to have the actors interact with the camera without breaking the fourth wall unsettling but captivating, and the distorted visuals and sound made me share in the distress of the characters. The whole movie feels utterly different to what we typically see in theaters today. I am going to need behind the scenes footage of The Substance as soon as possible to understand the astounding secrets behind its unique production.
The real draw of The Substance, for me, was its abundance of practical effects. I consider the movie a body horror flick – so I find the fact that the creative team was able to successfully pull off the feat of the climax’s Monstro Elisasue (you’ll know once you see the movie for yourself) one of the most impressive accomplishments I’ve seen in recent Hollywood. Knowing that it was all practical made so much sense to me after seeing the movie, because it just reminded me so much of older horror movies such as The Blob and The Fly in addition to many other retro horror movies from the 80’s and 90’s.
I should note that the practical effects make it harder for me to watch without cringing. The overall aesthetic of the gore feels just intense enough for my brain to fail to distinguish how realistic it would look if that were to happen in our world. I went in blind to how absurd the body horror would become, and in retrospect I should have seen The Substance on an empty stomach. Despite my own comfort levels being pushed beyond their limit (in a good way; it highlighted the ultimate point of the movie), It found it refreshing to see that kind of love and care put into a film. I know I’m not the only one tired of the CGI phone-ins we get from a lot of movies today.
Something I noticed when researching the film after seeing it in theaters was that the spiral of Elisabeth Sparkle, set into five different stages by prosthetics expert Persin of the company Pop FX, appears increasingly “worse” as the film progresses. This corresponds with Sparkle’s treatment by the world as she ages – so, in a way, each section of Elisabeth’s deconstruction represents a decade of her life.
The topic of the film itself made me want to review it in the first place, as it comments on how society looks down upon women after they reach old age. The idea stems from director Fargeat’s own life crisis as she reached the age of 40, and her understanding that many other women experience the self loathing that aging brings.
I thought that having Elsabeth and Sue be connected without sharing a consciousness is a great choice, as it physically portrays how older women tend to feel insecure about themselves above all else. I find it admirable that Fargeat does not judge older women for their self loathing, nor does she force women to feel better about themselves. She simply acknowledges how the male gaze uses women up until they age out of what is considered attractive, leaving nothing left. “You Can’t Escape From Yourself,” one of the movie’s many razor-sharp quotes, embodies the whole point of The Substance.
The Substance does its very best to earn its R rating with its frequent excursions into nudity, strong language, sexual content, and gore. I could say so much about this movie. I think it is genius, nostalgic, and completely absurd. I absolutely love the message, and I think that the cast and crew do a great job – but unless I had a point to make to someone else about beauty standards, I doubt I would watch it again, purely because the body horror was too much for me. The Substance was one of the best horror films I’ve seen coming from 2024, and I recommend any horror fan to give it a shot.
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