Dir. Coralie Fargeat | Now in Theaters | Rating: 3/5

I went into The Substance with zero information, other than seeing the poster and getting a recommendation from @armoredfoe. The Substance brings a ton of ingenuity and creativity to the table, but ultimately falls flat, making this one of my biggest horror disappointments of the year. 

Following in the footsteps of  Infinity Pool (2023), this film delivers a nihilistic, voyeuristic, and futuristic take on consumerism and greed. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley fearlessly take on the roles of Elisabeth and Sue, serving as a tongue in cheek nod to the commodification of women in entertainment and our generation’s obsession with youth. Both stars act the hell out of this and are given an interesting and intelligent script to work with. 

The storytelling is futuristic and nonlinear, using time jumps, title cards, and overlays to play with the viewer’s perception of reality. The use of color and imagery is stunning and alluring. Though this reality is somewhat like ours, we are drawn into the fabricated nature of it all. 

The film’s buzziest attribute is its body horror. While boundary pushing and nauseating, I couldn’t overlook the film’s reliance on CGI to make these scares effective. When it’s so clear these are fabricated, it reduces the potential for it to be terror inducing for me. Some of the most effective horror includes close up shots of food and the way it is likened to flesh, like Harvey eating shrimp or Elisabeth’s cooking spree. 

With further research, I’ve confirmed this is a bit of black comedy, which explains the unsuccessful tonal shift in the last 20 minutes. The ending is outrageous and beats the audience over the head with its metaphor. Women are made to be pawns for an audience, expected to morph and meet their every will, and the moment they don’t they are monstrous. This is so intelligently said in the first two acts that it makes the finale look gluttonous. 

The Substance is a good film, but what disappoints me the most is that it could’ve been a great film.

Know Before You Watch: Features extreme body horror, vomiting, blood, death, needles.