Photo Credit: @TryTheSubstance on Instagram.
2024 has been both a great and diverse year for the horror genre. From crime investigation thriller Longlegs, to Analog mockumentary Late Night With The Devil, audiences have been gifted with many compelling stories.
However, one specific recent horror release has led to an influx of online discourse – new feminist body horror film, The Substance. Whilst some have praised the film’s bold creative direction, others have criticised it as shallow and unoriginal. I would argue that Coralie Fargeat’s latest film is a modern horror classic.
The premise is simple: Elisabeth Sparkle is an ageing former Hollywood actress who is no longer in her so-called ‘prime’. In an attempt to reclaim her past beauty and popularity, she takes a black market drug called ‘The Substance’. In classic horror movie fashion, this decision of course has ramifications which we see unfold throughout the film.
Gruesome & Glorious
In its own twisted way, The Substance has an odd but vibrant personality in its campy horror tone which seems to have fun pushing boundaries. It jumps back and forth from being overwhelmingly horrific to outright hilarious and is absolutely jaw-dropping in how it embraces its animalistic portrayal of gore that is gradually heightened throughout the runtime.
It’s always thrilling when directors utilise intense practical effects and sets, and the last half hour especially would not have been as effective in lashing out to its severe levels of insanity if it was done any differently.
Beauty is pain
Removing the body horror, the film is a vehicle for how society poisons the female self-esteem. We follow a protagonist that is convinced her perceived inadequacies are true. Elisabeth reaches for positive self-talk, but is only then left to indulge in compulsive behaviours which sabotage her life, progressively ‘ruining’ her body in favour of an appearance deemed ideal to the entertainment industry. This is all excellent commentary on social validation, and how we mistakenly feel validated from toxic enthusiasm.
In the absence of any real source of love, our protagonist fixates on going to extreme lengths to keep connected to her source of validation – the audience. However, her ‘audience’ merely sees Elisabeth as part of the wider commercialism in Hollywood. A body on a billboard that instals the permanent youthful innocence and beauty desired from women by the media. This further drives home the juxtaposition between her reach for superficial perfection and the grotesque consequences she suffers in doing so.
Several scenes in this film felt reminiscent of the works of horror manga artist Junji Ito. From the intentionally cartoonish gore, to the continuous spiral of chaos upon the characters, it was as if this was a live-action adaptation of Ito’s stories in everything but name. I would not be surprised if the writers were fans of the manga artist, especially with its similar themes of beauty and agism.
If you ask me, ‘The Substance’ was everything viewers could have wanted. The wild combination of disgusting body gore, campy humour, engaging sound design, and social commentary confidently showcases Coralie Fargeat’s unrestrained imagination, and to any fans of horror, or simply great storytelling, I could not recommend The Substance highly enough.
Edited by Freya Harrod.
