I watched The Substance and I liked it. 3.5/5
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Some horror movies scare you, some disgust you, and some leave you sitting there, mouth agape, wondering what the hell did I just watch? The Substance is firmly in that last category. Coralie Fargeat’s second feature is a body horror fever dream, a razor-sharp satire of Hollywood’s obsession with youth, and an absolute bloodbath in the most literal sense. It’s wild, it’s messy, it’s sometimes brilliant, and sometimes a bit too in love with its own excess. But no matter what, it’s unforgettable.
A Hollywood Nightmare
At the center of this madness is Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a once-revered actress now discarded by an industry that only values women while they’re young. Fired from her long-running aerobics TV show by a sleazy producer (Dennis Quaid, channeling every disgusting Hollywood exec stereotype), Elisabeth is left with nothing—no career, no respect, just a fading legacy and a body she’s been conditioned to hate. Enter The Substance, a black-market drug that allows her to literally split off a younger, more vibrant version of herself, Sue (Margaret Qualley). The catch? The two must switch places every seven days, with Elisabeth staying in a coma-like state while Sue takes over her life.
At first, Sue thrives, using her newfound youth to reclaim Elisabeth’s lost career. But it’s not long before vanity, addiction, and sheer desperation start to tear the arrangement apart. Sue doesn’t want to switch back. Elisabeth, watching herself be erased, becomes more and more unhinged. And as they fight for control, The Substance itself begins to reveal its monstrous side—leading to a final act that is as grotesquely absurd as it is thematically perfect.
Demi Moore’s Big Comeback
Much has been made of Moore’s performance, and rightfully so. This is her best role in decades, one that plays directly into her own status as a former Hollywood It girl now forced to battle against the industry’s brutal standards. Moore leans all the way in, giving Elisabeth a mix of vulnerability, rage, and desperation that makes her impossible to look away from—even as her character undergoes some truly stomach-churning physical transformations.
Margaret Qualley, on the other hand, brings a different kind of energy as Sue. She’s all confidence and carefree sexuality, but with a creeping sense of unease. Sue isn’t just a “better” version of Elisabeth—she’s something entirely new, and as the film progresses, Qualley subtly shifts her performance to reflect that. By the time things spiral out of control, she’s no longer just an alternate persona—she’s a full-blown monster.
Dennis Quaid, meanwhile, is having a blast playing the absolute worst kind of Hollywood predator. He’s disgusting, he’s hilarious, and he’s exactly the kind of character who would thrive in a world where women are literally disposable.
Blood, Guts, and Satire
If The Substance is about anything, it’s about the way society—and particularly Hollywood—treats women as commodities. The horror elements aren’t just there for shock value (though there is plenty of that)—they’re a literalization of the way women are expected to sacrifice themselves for the sake of remaining relevant. The film takes aim at plastic surgery culture, the fear of aging, and the impossible standards placed on female celebrities, pushing these ideas to their most extreme, grotesque conclusions.
And boy, does it push them. This is a movie that batters the audience with its body horror. We’re talking skin splitting open, limbs twisting into unnatural shapes, and gallons (literally, gallons) of blood spraying across the screen. There’s a transformation sequence that rivals anything Cronenberg ever put to film, and a final act that descends into such a surreal, blood-soaked nightmare that it almost becomes absurdist comedy.
For the most part, it works. But there are times when the film’s sheer excess becomes overwhelming. The third act, in particular, goes so far off the rails that it loses some of the sharp satirical edge that made the first half so compelling. There’s a fine line between making a point and beating the audience over the head with it, and The Substance doesn’t always stay on the right side of that line.
A Beautiful, Grotesque Spectacle
Visually, The Substance is stunning. The cinematography by Benjamin Kračun (Promising Young Woman) is bold and neon-drenched, contrasting the sterile, artificial perfection of Sue’s world with the decaying horror of Elisabeth’s. The practical effects, supervised by Pierre-Olivier Persin, are absolutely incredible—grotesque, visceral, and so convincingly real that you can almost feel them happening to you.
And then there’s the sound design, which deserves a special mention. Every crack of bone, every squelch of flesh, every unnatural movement is amplified, making the body horror feel even more unsettling. Add in Raffertie’s pulsating, electronic score, and you get a film that isn’t just showing you horror—it’s making you feel it.
Flawed, But Unforgettable
The Substance isn’t perfect. It’s a little too long, a little too in love with its own shock value, and its final act is going to be divisive, to say the least. But it’s also bold, brutal, and completely unlike anything else you’ll see this year. It’s Black Swan meets The Fly by way of Death Becomes Her, with a dash of Requiem for a Dream thrown in for good measure.
More than anything, it’s a film that demands to be felt. It’s not subtle. It’s not delicate. But in an industry that so often chews women up and spits them out, The Substance takes that idea to its horrifyingly logical conclusion. And in doing so, it gives Demi Moore the comeback she deserves—one that’s as fearless, as shocking, and as unforgettable as the film itself.