Film · 2024
The Substance
A woman pushed aside for growing older takes a drug that grants her a younger self, on borrowed time.
- Year
- 2024
- Directed by
- Coralie Fargeat
- Starring
- Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Hugo Diego Garcia, Joseph Balderrama, Christian Erickson, Oscar Lesage, Vincent Colombe
- Running time
- 141 minutes
- Country
- United States, France
- Original language
- English
- Kind of horror
- Body, Sci fi, Psychological
Picture the deal you'd never take on an ordinary day, and then imagine taking it anyway. A woman is shoved out of her own career for the crime of ageing, and offered a way round it: a substance that lets her live as a younger version of herself for a while, then hand the body back. Coralie Fargeat sets that swap up like a countdown clock, and it ticks louder than anyone in the film wants to admit.
This is body horror at its most literal, the kind that makes you check your own reflection twice before bed. It has strong feelings about an industry obsessed with youth, and it is not gentle about expressing them. The unease builds slowly and then arrives all at once, so pace yourself and maybe skip anything with sauce beforehand.
It suits anyone who wants their horror with a satirical edge and a strong stomach to match. Not a comfort watch, and not one for a first date. Save it for a night when you're happy to feel a bit off about mirrors afterwards.
If you like this, try
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A group of teenagers are hunted in their dreams by Freddy Krueger, an undead killer bent on revenge.
Alien: Covenant
The crew of a colony ship find a planet that isn't on any of their charts, and a discovery no one expected.
American Psycho
A Wall Street banker's polished image hides a serial killer in this black comedy horror satire of 1980s excess.
Black Swan
A ballerina fights for the lead in Swan Lake and starts losing her grip on what is real.