The Substance

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Close-up of a grotesquely deformed face with sagging, folded pink flesh, one blue eye and a gaping mouth, a pearl necklace and earring still in place.

So one quick note before I get into the review for this film. You might’ve noticed (if you’re keeping up with the original calendar) that movies and dates have jumped around. Two main reasons: first, my partner wants to jump in and watch with me for certain ones and if life happens as it is known to do, then I gotta rearrange. The dates aren’t as important as watching 31 horror films in 31 days. The second reason is that, while I make the list with the best of intentions towards my own well being, sometimes I just get too many bummers in a row or too many of the same type and I have to switch it up. Simple as that.

As for this film… what an absolute rollercoaster this was. This was prob the most recommended film of the last year and a half leading up to this Spoopstober and it totally delivered. First thing of note is that Demi Moore is brave as hell for taking this movie on at around 60 when this film was made - she totally killed it and not just in a “hey I haven’t seen this actor in a while, give them some kudos” way, she really knocked it out of the park.

I doubt that there’s many people who would look at this list and not really get the premise of the film so I’m not going to dig into it, but Elisabeth has made the decision at the end of her career to get said substance which makes a sort of clone of her, but at a much younger age, which is played very well by Margaret Qualley. High grade body horror abounds and the finale is an exceptionally grotesque affair.

My only hiccup with this is that it almost overstays its welcome a tad at a runtime of over 2 hours, I did feel myself fading a little until the finale built up a bit. Regardless, I loved the ride, and I’d watch this again.

Score: B+