PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? The Substance dares to ask its viewers this question knowing they’re more than likely to agree. A cinematic dangling of the keys to the fountain of youth. However enticing the initial promise of rejuvenated youth might be, audiences will soon come to regret their answer to this question.
Writer & Director Coralie Fargeat (Revenge 2017) brings to life a cautionary tale about the consequences of trying to keep up with the Joneses in the vicious world of entertainment. After being at the top of the game for so long, Elisabeth Sparkle’s (Demi Moore: Ghost 1990) world is abruptly upended when she is let go from her own show and basically blacklisted from the industry for having the audacity to turn 50. When an opportunity for a second chance at youth presents itself, Elisabeth turns to a seedy black market drug known as “The Substance.”
Soon after taking the concoction, Elisabeth is reborn as the youthful and nubile Sue (Margaret Qualley: Poor Things 2023). However promising this newfound life may seem, Elisabeth soon finds it a struggle to juggle both lives between the high demands of newfound stardom and the ever more important demands of “The Substance.”
Fargeat does an incredible job with every aspect of the film. The plot is a wonderful genre blend of drama, dark humor, and body horror. The visual language of the film is stunning as every shot feels colored and styled in a specific way to convey a message to the audience that informs them whether they should feel at ease or worried by the surroundings. A long hallway that is continuously visited throughout can either relish in the success of the main character or feel as hollow and empty as the industry it houses.
There is also a large emphasis on the sexualization and glorification of youth itself as the camera heavily lingers on the curves and grooves of Sue regardless of what she is doing. This sheer overuse of erotic and intimate angles could feel exploitative in any other scenario, but Fargeat is purposefully parodying the real world’s obsession with bodies and proving why Elisabeth needs to go down the path she did.
An important theme injected into the film is the oversimplification of the medical process and what it does to one’s body. Long gone are the days of sitting and pondering the possible lifelong effects a medical procedure can have. There’s nothing to think about beyond surface-level ideation. It plays with the concept that life-altering plastic surgery is nothing more than “just a nose job” or “just a ponytail lift” that’s been perpetuated by a world of easily accessible plastic surgeons and social influencers. Rather than just asking the viewer, The Substance instead shows the consequences that come with such modifications being viewed through a simple lens.
If displays of gore and pure carnage are what an audience viewer craves, The Substance has more than enough to make even the most accustomed gore hound go doe-eyed. It’s fair to assume the film could be lacking in the gore department as it is slow to start, but once the titular medication is used, it’s only going to get crazier. The creativity that is on display is matched beautifully by the practical effects that bring to life some truly disturbing and engaging scenes of visceral butchery. This is all meant to lead up to the unhinged final act that will make any doubter of modern body horror a true believer.
Tonally, visually, and thematically, The Substance is closest in proximity to The Neon Demon (2016) (our review). The Neon Demon focuses on a story about a young model addicted to fame in the cutthroat entertainment industry. With a heavily stylized aesthetic, it is a cautionary tale about the battles between the new and the old. However, the main difference is The Substance succeeds on every front that The Neon Demon failed. In layman’s terms, The Substance has what The Neon Demon was missing, substance.
The Substance has done what seemed a near unlikely task, but it made body horror accessible and approachable for Gen Z and the TikTok generation. No longer is grotesque body horror meant to live in the shroud of darkness and relegated to being passed around through word of mouth. It is fully accessible to any and all forms of moviegoers and is just begging the public to convince their friends to experience the pure havoc the film offers.
During a screening, the film was full of teenagers making sure to take photos of their experience before the film started, but almost immediately the audience put their phones away as the film began. Once the end credits rolled, the predominately teenage audience clapped, cheered, and hollered in excitement and joy over what they just underwent. Numerous conversations broke out amongst friend groups over what part was grosser or just the sheer disbelief as to what they watched. This is in no way meant to be a slight or form of negativity to the most hardened of horror fans, but it’s made in the form of celebration and recognition that The Substance is accessible to generations of film lovers.
It’s hard to properly explain why The Substance is as good as it is without spoiling anything, but all it takes is for one viewing to see why it’s a must-watch. If an absolutely wild ride of gore, destruction, and mayhem is what a viewer wants,
The Substance has it and so much more.
