If you consider yourself a fan of horrifying speculative fiction such as the Netflix series Black Mirror, and/or are a fan of gruesome graphics from film and television like American Horror Story, then The Substance (2024) is a film you must see. With a cutting-edge and daring lead role played by Demi Moore, The Substance takes the horror genre of film to a whole new level on the perspective of aging and society’s obsession with beauty standards and body dysmorphia that comes with it.
As an independent film, it first entered the Cannes Film Festival, winning for Best Screenplay, and became the seventh ever horror film nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It did not win Best Picture, and of those seven films, the only horror film to win for Best Picture remains the 1992 film Silence of The Lambs. For the first time at the Academy Awards, Demi Moore has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
The Substance takes the audience through an immersive experience from the viewpoint of Elizabeth Sparkle (Moore), a celebrity who has reached the age of washing up in Hollywood. The cinematic cue of creative symbolism makes the viewer feel the discomfort and violation that she feels throughout her experience. Harvey (played by Dennis Quaid) pushes the boundaries of personal space both with Elizabeth and the audience.
Once it’s been made clear that the agency she works for is seeking a replacement, she quickly falls out of reality, hitting a hard bottom. After a near life-damaging experience, and a hard truth-facing moment, an answer to have a second chance at youth, beauty, and perfect looks, is illuminated for her. The answer is an antidote to aging, filled with seduction, assisting her in evading her current reality. This answer does not come without consequence.
The camera shots, lighting, incredible audio and visual transitions, and actor placement show the journey Elizabeth goes through as she battles with her insecurities and self-loathing. The messages imbedded in the storyline highlight society’s struggle to accept that beauty from a spotlight perspective is temporary. It also sheds light on the idea that many people might do anything to fit into a standard than feel alone. The only true horror of fitting into the majority means subjecting yourself to the mainstream obsession with sex, beauty standards and primal youth as presented in the film. The film also shows the extreme nature some go to avoid being “canceled.”
The greatest controversy of the film is its extremely gore-iffic content. It has already been banned in some countries in the Middle East due to some of the grotesque displays of mutilated bodies.
After interviewing a few of Arapahoe Community College’s community, one interviewee who wishes to remain anonymous said that they didn’t care for the “gratuitous violence”; another, ACC student Finnley, said, “I had to cover my eyes through some of the scenes, like is this really happening?” However, 1st semester Psychology student, Leily Nguyen said, “All the effects were practical and the teams behind the making of the film should be highlighted,” and stated that the message was clear: “Women over 50 are invisible.”
Therein lies the real horror, that beauty standards create a self-deprecating battle for women where they feel that they can’t stop trying to be young and pretty, a major focus within society. The film had a resounding line by Quaid’s character where he says boldly, “Pretty girls should always smile,” and that spoke volumes to the horror of our standards on beauty and self-acceptance, seeing as how misogyny in our society is often associated with men telling women they should “smile more.”
If you haven’t yet seen the film, it is a must-see for horror fanatics and speaks to the needs of gender equality and the damages of societal standards on beauty. The movie was released September 20, 2024, and is currently available to watch with a subscription to Mubi. Be sure to sign up for the seven-day free trial to Mubi, a downloadable streaming app to view The Substance for free. It is also available to rent/buy on Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home, or Apple TV.
