The Substance Movie Review: Body Horror Taken To A Different Level

The Substance is not a film for the faint of heart, and this should be taken seriously. From being a visual masterpiece to opening criticising the media industry, this film will linger in the back of your mind.

Throughout the entire film, very few words were spoken by the cast, as most of the meaning and message were conveyed visually. This is where director Coralie Fargeat truly shined. The film’s camera play was a pleasure to the eyes. She was able to display the beauty even in the most horrifying scenes, leaving us in awe, something that is hard to achieve. Her vision of showcasing the reaction society gives to people of young and old age was clear and impactful.

Actors Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, first of all, looked fabulously throughout the film. While Margaret shined as Sue, the selfish and ambitious alternate self of Elisabeth Sparkle, Demi as Elisabeth was the star of the film. As a woman who is scared of ageing and resorts to a shady drug just to stay young at the expense of her body and life, she did a fabulous job in portraying such a complex character so effortlessly.

The mental breakdown throughout the film smoothly turned into body horror, and that needs to be talked about. The use of prosthetics for the mutations gave life to the horror in the movie. All the elements, from the jumpscares that no one could predict to the subtle hints at the concept of dying and ageing, everything led up to the epic climax in the end. The bloodshed reminisces the ending of the cult classic Prom.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

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