Director: Coralie Fargeat
Cast: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid
Screenplay: Coralie Fargeat
141 mins. Rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity and language.

The central idea of The Substance is a very frequently mined one in terms of anthology horror, from Tales from the Crypt’s Only Sin Deep to Cabinet of Curiosities’s The Outside, so I was curious what unique take writer/director Coralie Fargeat (Revenge) would have for this kind of material, especially with what seemed, at first, to be a pretty bloated run time. Turns out that Fargeat has a number of interesting elements infused with the classic story of beauty and, by association, fame lost to time. Combine that with some incredible performances and you have a recipe for a strong and unforgettable horror outing.

Happy Birthday, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore, A Few Good Men)! This fading actress and fitness star is looking for a way back to fame when she’s offered a mysterious drug called The Substance, which duplicates a younger, better version of herself. She’s given a number of rules to follow to keep the process running smoothly, but she quickly learns that her double, Sue (Margaret Qualley, Poor Things), doesn’t want to share the spotlight or time with Elisabeth.

It becomes clear from the first moment of The Substance that we’re in for something truly special here. The first frames of the film showcase some of the best visual storytelling in recent memory, introducing The Substance and then offering up a great static shot introduction to Elisabeth Sparkle through the use of her Hollywood Walk of Fame star. This single shot on its own is a great short film and gives us everything we need as audiences to understand Elisabeth’s character and choices.

As the story progresses, The Substance becomes a bit of a Be-Careful-What-You-Wish-For tale about fame addiction. As viewers, we can see Elisabeth’s shortcomings lie with her perception of herself and her selected profession’s seedier elements, and Fargeat’s screenplay gives her plenty of rules to break, like a psychosexual take on Gremlins, and Elisabeth quickly learns the consequences of breaking these rules, but the question is whether or not she has the personal strength to stop the process. While we know what she needs to do, we also cannot blame her for the choices she makes in the pursuit of societal purpose.

Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are both terrific playing what feels like opposite ends of Elisabeth’s personalities, while still feeling like distantly-linked versions of the same character. There are moments where cinematographer Benjamin Kracun (Promising Young Woman) gets up close to both actresses’ faces, spotlighting the eyes and brows and showcasing similarities in their visual performances that convinced me I was looking at the same person. Moore in particular has a sequence where, upon seeing the other version of herself enjoying success, goes on a date with an old school friend before realizing she cannot leave her apartment looking the way she does, with all these imperfections, and I completely connected with her overanalyzing self-deprecation.

Dennis Quaid (The Day After Tomorrow) is also a standout secondary performance as network boss Harvey (named very much after another slimy producer in Hollywood you may have heard of). Quaid, who replaced the originally-cast Ray Liotta who passed away before filming scenes, brings something so disgusting to his limited screen time, taking every moment to unnerve Elisabeth, Sue, and me while onscreen. His perfect line reading (“pretty girls should always smile” while surrounded by old white male shareholders) and smarmy facial performance make for one of his best roles in years.

The Substance left me with a few questions about the rules of the procedure (though still more sensible than the aforementioned Gremlins), but Fargeat cleverly doesn’t spend too much over-explaining and instead using her storytelling device to further develop both aspects of Elisabeth, and what she accomplishes more than makes up for a few clunkier moments in the second act. All of this culminates in one of the most shocking conclusions to a horror film I can recall recently. I realized during the ending that my expression had frozen from the shock and surprise of what was taking place onscreen, and I doubt you’ll forget what you saw in The Substance. It’s one of the best films of the year and I can’t wait for you to see it.

4/5
-Kyle A. Goethe