Demi Moore's latest film, The Substance, is breathing new life into the body horror sub-genre, which has been largely neglected for decades. The blood-soaked dystopian satire, starring the 61-year-old actress, has gone mainstream, attracting audiences worldwide with its graphic depictions of bodily violation.
Body horror, which includes classics like Rosemary's Baby (1968) and Alien (1979), explores graphic violations of the human body. While the sub-genre has roots in literature, such as Mary Shelley's 1818 Frankenstein, Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg is credited with establishing it on screen through films like Rabid (1977) and The Fly (1986). However, its popularity waned in the 2000s, with few body horror films achieving mainstream success.
The Substance tells the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a famed aerobics instructor who is fired on her 50th birthday. Desperate to reclaim her youth, she turns to a black-market drug that creates a younger, more perfect version of herself. The drug's strict conditions require her to switch bodies every seven days, but the allure of youth proves too strong, leading to gruesome consequences.
The film's dramatic gore has commanded critics' attention, with the Evening Standard's Nick Howells calling it 'the best and maddest film of the year so far' and awarding it five stars. The Substance features Margaret Qualley as Sue, Elisabeth's younger self, and Dennis Quaid as the ruthless executive who fires her.
