Written And Directed by Coralie Fargeat
Elisabeth: "You have to..."
Sue: "CONTROL YOURSELF!"
One of the most hyped about original horror films of the year and a potential career boost for Demi Moore? Of course I was gonna have to see this one and I'm seriously glad I did. Oh boy, this was a doozy.
Demi Moore in this movie played Academy Award winning actress Elisabeth Sparkles. She's an aerobics instructor, heading her own popular fitness show but her age has caught up with her and mostly because of sexism.
That's perfectly exemplified in gruesome producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) who took great pleasure in pointing out that Elisabeth was now 50 and the show needed a fresh face. For Elisabeth, the events of a car crash would lead to her chance of getting the exact thing she wanted.
A mystery man clued Elisabeth into The Substance. This being a compound that resulted in the activation of a younger version of herself named Sue (Margaret Qualley). Of course for the best results, one needed to be put for the count while the other moved about freely along with a stabilising serum that Sue needed from Elisabeth.
Because of the genre, of course things ended up going badly for Elizabeth almost in record time. Not only did Sue easily step into her former life but the latter also became overzealous in what she'd taken from Elisabeth. The more career opportunities that came Sue's way, the more grotesque the consequences that Elisabeth ended up having to suffer as a direct result.
Of course, the greedier Sue has become to permanently live, the more she too suffered as a consequence. The results of Elisasue felt like the natural outcome to this horrifying cautionary tale as the price truly wasn't worth it in the end. The final scene alone was truly horrifying but what a way to end this biting satire.
- Not only did this get a theatrical release (it's nearly made it's budget back) but it's also currently on Mubi.
- Ray Liotta was originally cast as Harvey and gets a credit in the "thank you" credits. He passed away before filming began.
- Standout music: The use of Pump It Up really worked for the context of this movie.
- Chronology: It took place over several months before culminating in a New Year's Eve TV event.
I think The Substance might be my horror favourite of 2024. It's definitely in my Top 3 and the performances from both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are sublime. Both really go for it as Elisabeth and Sue and there are a fair amount of scenes that genuinely made me turn away at times. Grotesque but an absolute must see.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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