By Julz Levesque | Arts & Culture Editor
“Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? Younger. More beautiful. More perfect?” Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley star as famous television aerobics instructors (Elisabeth Sparkle) and (Sue) in the body horror feat of the year The Substance (2024). The film generated interest on social media platforms including X and Tik Tok with several online posters claiming to have been shocked and disgusted, and some went as far as to say they left theaters or threw up. The Substance (directed by Coralie Fargeat) was distributed by the production company MUBI and released on September 20th, 2024. It earned $3,205,212 during its domestic opening and went on to gross $9,774,365. The film currently stands at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.9/10 on IMDb, and has a 4.0 on Letterboxd.
The Substance was a highly anticipated film for me however after reading some of the controversy I felt apprehensive. I’m not a huge fan of body horror yet I sucked it up and went to my favorite local theater… Yes, the Nickelodeon, with some of my friends. A bag of popcorn for the group and a pack of Nerds clusters for myself and we were ready to descend into the dark and mysterious theater. We found our way to the red cushion-lined seats and I braced myself for what was to come next. Was I getting myself into watching something like The Human Centipede (2009) or Tusk (2014)? All I knew was that I had previously slurped up an iced chai latte and wanted to keep it down. What I didn’t expect was that The Substance would become one of my favorite films of 2024.
The Substance follows Elisabeth Sparkle, a famous aerobics instructor as the film opens with an egg yolk separating into two yolks… stay with me, and then with her Hollywood star of fame in an overhead shot. The star is built, premieres, sparkles, attracts attention, then is stepped on, ignored, becomes broken, gets fixed, is forgotten, and gets food spilled on it. It’s Elisabeth’s 50th birthday and EVERYONE reminds her, especially her boss and studio executive, Harvey (Dennis Quaid) who fires her in search of a younger, more beautiful, more perfect replacement for his morning show. A turning point in the film happens immediately when Elisabeth is driving and then collides with a car resulting in a trip to the doctor. She meets a young nurse who informs her of the substance that changed his life for the better. Elisabeth, having nothing to lose, begins her journey with the black market drug that promises a younger appearance.
The body horror comes in relatively quickly as the transformation happens. The rules are simple: use the activator once, feed the other body for seven days until the switch, stabilize with spinal fluid daily, maintain balance, and remember that you are one. Much like the egg yolks separating in the first shot of the film, the older body separates into the younger one. Elisabeth’s new form, Sue (Margaret Qualley) strives to live the life she once had and steps into Elisabeth’s shoes as she becomes the new morning show aerobics instructor. They exist at the same time but switch every week. One walks the earth as the other one lies sleeping and vice versa. That is until the balance is disrupted… then comes a new form… Monstro Elisasue.
The Substance was packed with references that I recognized so I’m going to list a bunch because I love references and because I can: The Fly (1986), The Shining (1980), Carrie (1976), Vertigo (1958), Black Swan (2010), Videodrome (1983), X (2022), and I’m sure many more I’m forgetting. The film is full of nods to classic horror films/thrillers which makes it a great watch for the Halloween season.
What I loved most about The Substance was the cinematography and how continuity shots were edited in a way that felt energetic and fresh. The editing of the film was fun to me and a few films that also debuted in 2024 came to mind such as Challengers and Furiosa which also took a more energetic approach in editing style. What amazed me about the film was how vibrant not only the colors were but how visceral the sound design was. I don’t think I ever want to watch Dennis Quaid eat shrimp again… it was like ASMR in a grotesque and stomach-churning way unless you’re into that cause I know people love ASMR mukbangs. Every sense of mine was tuned in to this film especially because I was eating my Nerds gummy clusters. The performances by the main leads Moore and Qualley were astounding as they grappled with self-hate and modern-day beauty standards.
The Substance was hilarious but during the entire watch, I felt saddened because this is a reality for so many people but women in particular. Often a lot of horror will take the realities of women and turn them into stories that are horrifically digestible for a larger audience. Alien (2024) and the fear of being raped, any slasher that depicts women being stalked and killed in their homes, It Follows (2014), and being unknowingly given an STD, the list goes on and on. The Substance took a new approach to the oppressive Western beauty standards imposed on younger and older women in a way that highlighted the severity of both. Elisabeth mourns her younger self but grows to envy and become resentful towards her younger form. Sue is first fragile with Elisabeth but steals the rest of her youth and fears becoming old like her. In a way, The Substance becomes an analogy for the mother and daughter dynamic in a world so catered to being beautiful but also represents the duality of a woman in her stages of life. Because Elisabeth and Sue don’t maintain the balance as self-hatred runs rampant, their shared consciousness becomes cut off as they both change more and more as they self-sabotage and harm each other or should I say themself. They are both one after all.
The Substance was a refreshing personification of how far people will go for temporarily fitting beauty standards. The film was fun and hilarious, however, it showcased a rampant issue without being patronizing towards its audience. The Substance is currently in theaters this Halloween season.