This month Verve’s star reviewer Lucy Kennedy gets grossed out by The Substance.
R16 | In theatres now
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?
Elisabeth Sparkle has. On her 50th birthday, she’s fired from her job as a TV aerobics instructor. Her years-long hard work paying off in stardom, success, and opportunities instantly evaporates as her hateful boss Harvey deems her no longer young or beautiful. Distraught Elisabeth abandons caution and tries The Substance – a chemical that enhances DNA with the promise of a ‘better you’. What follows is an insane, gripping, unpredictable, unhinged whirlwind of blood, glitter, and disgusting gore.
But behind the gore, The Substance is a scathing examination of societal fear of women’s bodies and the patriarchal need to stave off the natural process of female ageing. The desperate need to remain youthful and beautiful, not only for self-esteem, but to sustain livelihoods, is encapsulated in a shocking body horror that will leave you reeling. It’s an exacerbation of the already gory ‘beauty industry’, and the dangers of many cosmetic practices, highlighting that these establishments feed and profit off fears generated for women.
Demi Moore’s astonishing performance alone is reason enough to go watch what will surely leave a lasting impact on not only the subgenre of body horror, but the horror genre at large. The audience around me gasped, laughed, and groaned. The Substance is a movie you’ll want to discuss as soon as the credits roll. An absolute must-see. But be warned… it’s gross.
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