When I first heard talks of The Substance, a new body horror film from French writer/director Coralie Fargeat, I was immediately seated. As I sat on my couch, aimlessly scrolling on letterboxd, seeing what popular new films my friends were logging, this movie just kept on reappearing.
Still a relative newcomer to the scene, Fargeat is best known for her 2017 exploitative horror film, Revenge. A rather tasteful response to the populated rape revenge genre, Revenge was evidence from early in her career that Coralie Fargeat has a distinct artistic voice. While it has been 7 years since Fargeat’s solo feature length debut, it is clear that she is focused on translating the everyday fears women face into immersively produced horror films. Raising any and all stakes at hand, Fargeat uses her narratives to communicate a convincing visual argument.
In 2024, The Substance sees the filmmaker at her loudest, bluntest and most creative point thus far in her career. We follow aging Hollywood star Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) who now works as a television-jazzercise instructor. After a sudden accident sends her to the doctor, a creepy yet attractive young medical assistant introduces her to “The Substance,” a black-market injectable drug that causes her to split into two versions of herself: the original, aging Sparkle and a younger, in-demand duplicate named Sue [played by Margaret Qualley]. Each week, the two bodies trade lives, subjecting themselves to a tightly scheduled symbiosis that proves to be draining for Elisabeth over time.
As the plot escalates into a surreal and grotesque climax, the film’s campy humor serves as a necessary counterbalance to its darker themes. Elisabeth is so desperate to appeal to the expectations set for her that at times it becomes comical, she refuses to break out of the cycle even after constant reminders that she can “…stop at any time.” In The Substance, Elisabeth is dead-set on embodying this idea of Sue. She is so determined to hold onto something that is not tangible, while rooting for her, you start to believe that she will have it. One standout moment involves Sue’s desperate attempts to maintain her fleeting beauty, leading to a horrifying transformation that leaves her unrecognizable. She adorns her monstrous form with dangly earrings and a curling iron, embodying the absurdity of feminine beauty standards.
The Substance is a love letter to the horror genre, containing copious amounts of unsubtle messages and references to films that served as an inspiration. Some of the most noticeable being the carpet in Elisabeth’s home vaguely resembling the pattern on the carpet in The Shining, Elisabeth watching her life wither away from the T.V. alluding to Requiem for a Dream, as well as the Videodrome style closeups of Sue on her debut show, “Pump It Up”. If you are familiar with the early works of Coralie Fargeat, you may have also heard of Reality +, a science fiction short film from 2014. Both written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, this film has inklings of her later work, originating the long, spinal scar, an orderly time limit being placed on fantastical sci-fi elements, as well as the ‘perfect body double’ idea again seen in The Substance.
Demi Moore delivers a standout performance, anchoring the hyperbolic narrative with her portrayal of Elisabeth’s emotional isolation. Margaret Qualley shines as Sue, exuding ridiculous confidence while navigating a world populated by comically pathetic men. There is a gross vulnerability to Margaret’s portrayal of Sue and how youthful she acts. Their contrasting dynamics ground the film’s campy, hyperbolic story in genuine human sadness. One particularly poignant scene depicts Elisabeth preparing for a date, but she finds herself unable to stop checking her face in the mirror, ultimately leading to her standing up said date. This is one of the hardest scenes to watch because of the broken state of Elisabeth and how insecure it is revealed that she really is. The film opens with a simple visual metaphor—a Star for Elisabeth being installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame only to be chipped away by time and neglect, culminating in a symbolic mess of meat and ketchup after a careless passerby drops their to-go burger onto the star. This imagery powerfully sets the tone for Elisabeth’s journey while providing the character with exposition, and illustrating the fleeting nature of fame and success. The Substance is not just a horror film; it is a solemn meditation on beauty standards and cosmetic manipulation of the human body. The film invites us to reflect on the pressures of the beauty industrial complex and the human desire for validation. Ultimately, while the movie is filled with visceral horror and moments of levity, its real impact lies in the emotional undercurrents that linger long after the credits roll. For those willing to dive into this strange, twisted world, The Substance offers a rich commentary on what it means to dream of a better version of oneself.
Gabriel Biennas is a junior Film major who believes in respecting the balance. They can be reached at [email protected].