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The 2024 horror movie schedule has been filled to the brim with great releases… but nothing has been quite like The Substance.
I am a huge horror fan. I’m sure if you’ve read my writings, then you already know that. I love the best horror movies and TV shows, and I will fully support the genre in any way—and that includes some of the best body horror films, even if they make me want to hurl.
They aren’t my favorite type of horror film. I’m a big fan of psychological horror and have always enjoyed a good movie that makes me think there’s something lurking in the corner afterwards, like Ari Aster’s horror movies. But body horror is something that I’ll check out if I hear that the film is good.
Which is what led me to The Substance.
I recall hearing about the film earlier in the year and how it was making people squirm in the theater, but because it wasn’t widely available where I lived, I hadn’t had the chance to check it out. But over the last few weeks, the amount of edits and so much more I was seeing online made me curious, so I decided to check it out and make the trek on a Tuesday night just to see what all the hype was about.
And yeah, one scene made me want to barf up everything I had eaten for dinner—let’s talk about it.
Spoilers from The Substance ahead!
Overall, The Film Was Well-Told And Spoke Valuable Themes On The Worth Of People As They Age, And Their Value Within Themselves And The World
So, let’s be honest here – we don’t go into a horror film expecting for it to have a message. There are plenty of other great movies out there that speak bold, powerful themes. But we never really assume that a horror movie can make us sit in a theater afterwards and think about our place in the world.
We go to horror movies to jump out of our skin, for those goosebumps to crawl up our flesh and to feel our heart rate skyrocket when our butts lift out of the chair at a random door opening on screen – followed by audience members laughing at how ridiculous they feel after getting scared.
It’s like that for demonic possession movies and scary films about dolls, and – well, really most big scary films, because we don’t expect to really leave the film with a massive message in our heads. We hope to go with a smile on our faces from a good time in the theater.
But The Substance doesn’t do that. It grosses you out, for sure, and there are plenty of fantastic horror moments in there, but it’s a horror film that is much more of a powerful message-giver than any other horror film I’ve seen in years. It speaks about the value that society sees in older people as they age and how they might feel as if they need to be younger to be cherished.
And then there’s this ongoing pressure as a young person to keep pushing yourself for these new opportunities, even at the risk of hurting yourself and literally falling apart at the seams to succeed.
It speaks about so much of that and more, and I have to admit… it made me really think about how we view women in the media industry, and it made me actually pretty sad. I feel that there is so much that we have to offer, but as we get older, people will undoubtedly see a shift in usefulness. And that’s just a shame.
The message is there, and it’s delivered well. But that doesn’t make it any less gross.
I Normally Don’t Get Grossed Out Easily, But That New Year’s Eve Stage Moment Got Me
Up until this point, the film hadn’t been grossing me out that much. Sure, Elisabeth’s spine cracking open like an egg as a literal second skin emerged was creepy, and maybe seeing her leg just decaying in front of me was gross, but it was the very end that made me want to gag, to look away from the screen.
I mean, someone getting turned into a hybrid version of themselves that looks like a walking, talking blob is enough to make me want to turn away, but it’s that moment of her on the stage – combined with so many other elements – that really got me.
Her body is just falling apart bit by bit. There’s a literal breast coming out of one of her holes and dropping to the stage. An arm comes off, and she sprays blood everywhere like it’s freaking Carrie increased by 1000%.
It’s just so much. And I think the big thing is that it was so much in such a short period that it was almost too much for my body to handle. The movie had done a great job of pushing body gore into the film bit by bit, but then it just decided to sucker punch us at the end with that and yeah, it succeeded in getting me to look away and shiver violently.
I Don’t Even Want To Get Into Elisabeth Crawling To The Star
One other moment made me want to barf too is when Elisabeth, after Sue falls to the ground and explodes on the sidewalk as she’s running away – uses the remnants of her face to crawl towards her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I get the symbolism – a star crawling to her last place of fame as she’s about to be wiped out by the public again and never talked about – especially when she’s cleaned up from a floor scrubber after melting into the ground. But man, there’s just something about a body part crawling on the ground, with a face on top of it, just staring up at the sky.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to sleep again after this. So thanks, The Substance.
The Film Is A Great Example Of Body Horror, But I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Watch It Again
The Substance is an excellent example of body horror, and I stand by that. It’s a great way of teaching a message while also scaring the absolute crap out of your audience, and it takes a skilled director in order to do that.
But there is no way on God’s green Earth and in my lifetime that I’m ever watching this again. And I think CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg said it best – you are not prepared for The Substance whatsoever, no matter how strong your stomach is.
Maybe if I decide to watch this with friends or something like that—just to see their reactions—but the day I rewatch this is the day I know that I’ve completely become desensitized to everything imaginable, which is honestly something I thought I was.
Let this film help me realize that I am not and probably will not be for many years.
That being said, I do think The Substance is a great film, but… make sure you go into it with an empty stomach. Trust me, you’re going to need one for this. And if you haven’t checked it out, be sure to see if it’s playing in your area. Skip out on the popcorn for this one.