When the credits finally rolled after 81 minutes of squelching, vomiting, gargling, screaming, and splatting I leaned back in my chair from relief. 

After about thirty seconds of the trailer, The Substance had hooked me. But even my curiosity could not prepare me for the visceral onslaught that awaited me. 

This film is not just a horror story; it’s a sharp commentary wrapped in blood-soaked humor and unapologetic gore.

It’s safe to say that The Substance left an indelible impression. It’s bold, fearless, and completely nuanced. 

Its messages are impossible to ignore, almost like a blood splatter across the face. The Substance crumples up the male gaze and throws it in the trash, along with societal pressure and beauty standards. 

Although many films have tried to capture these mainstream thoughts on the patriarchy, The Substance manages to do it in a completely original way. This film checks all the boxes; it’s depressingly comedic, ruthless, and raw. 

The story follows Elisabeth (Demi Moore), a fallen movie star in her 50s who becomes entangled in a bizarre experiment involving a product that allows her to create a younger version of herself she calls Sue (Margaret Qualley), who embodies a “better”- younger, prettier, more fit – version of Elisabeth. 

Through Sue, Elisabeth can continue to live her dreams as a star and television celebrity, but (of course) there’s a twist. Their coexistence requires a delicate balance, as they must alternate Elisabeth’s body each week, with no exceptions. 

While Elisabeth is left to endure a mundane existence filled with self-loathing and regret, Sue frolics through life with an air of glittering confidence and relentless charm.

As Sue grows hungry for more time in her flashy new world, she stretches the rules of their coexistence, taking more life from Elisabeth and leading to, as Mancurian Matters puts it, “An absurd bloodbath of horror, as the symbiosis between the two comes crashing down and the desire for perfection drives Sue to abuse the rules of their shared life.” 

While Elisabeth always has the option to end the experience and terminate Sue, she continues their coexistence because the damage Sue has done to her becomes so severe that she feels she is worthless without her. 

Elisabeth’s realization perfectly encapsulates the film’s moral: “You can’t escape from yourself.”

By creating Sue, Elisabeth believes she can shed her past and reclaim a lost sense of worth, but this endeavor ultimately reveals that no amount of external alteration can free her from her true self. 

Director Coralie Fargeat’s mastery lies in crafting a narrative that is as comically absurd as it is horrifying, forcing viewers to confront the absurdity of societal pressures that dictate worth based on age and appearance.

This is precisely what makes The Substance so effective, it’s able to terrify audience members with body horror out of their biases and actually fall in love with their body. 

In The Substance, Elisabeth’s struggle with Sue is a quite blatant, yet powerful, metaphor for the lengths women often go to in pursuit of youthful beauty as they age. 

Elisabeth’s inability to part with Sue mirrors how many women, once they begin altering their appearances through plastic surgery, facial treatments, or other procedures, feel trapped in an endless cycle of self-modification.

The more they try to “fix” themselves, the further they drift from their natural beauty, and, in many cases, their sense of self, until they are unrecognizable. 

Ever seen a picture of a celebrity who’s had far too much Botox? Her face is all swollen, her lips are puffy and overfilled, and her mouth is frozen in an impassive grin.

It’s hard to look at, yet intriguing at the same time. You can’t help but wonder: Why would she do that to herself?

Well, The Substance is your answer.