Summary
Demi Moore explains why her upcominghorror filmThe Substancereminds her ofGhost.The Substanceis a horror-thriller movie starring Moore as an aging Hollywood star who is offered the opportunity to test out a mysterious substance that allows her to transform into a younger version of herself.Ghostwas a 1990 hit for Moore wherein she played Molly Jensen, a widow whose deceased husband (Patrick Swayze) works with a psychic in an attempt to save Molly from meeting the same fate.Ghostremains one of Moore’s most classic roles to date.
In an interview withEmpire, Moore explains whyThe Substancereminds her ofGhost. She says that both films contain multitudes when it comes to tone and genre presentation, as they could be “a love story, a thriller, and a comedy.” In the case ofThe Substance, Moore felt that “it had real depth” and carried with it vitally important themes. Check out the full quote from Moore below:
ReadingGhost, I thought, ‘Wow, we’ve got a love story, a thriller and a comedy.’ This could either be a disaster, or come together and somehow work.’ [The Substance] fits into that category. My team sent it with a caveat of, ‘[We] don’t want to say anything about it, just read it.' Because even on paper, it takes you on such a wild ride. Yet it had real depth, and the subject is so important.
It’s such a unique way to explore the issue of aging, and the male perspective of the idealised woman that we’ve bought into. Not what’s been done to us, but the part we’ve played in doing it to ourselves.
In addition,Empirealso released a new photo from the film, showing Moore’s character cleaning obsessively. Check that out below:
How Is The Substance Being Received Thus Far?
The Substance Is Controversial
The way in which Moore speaks aboutThe Substance’s themes is overall positive, but not all audiences will take it that way. WhileThe Substancedoes offer a “unique way to explore the issue of aging,” the film’s commentary on Hollywood, through the employment of its protagonists, has been criticized as both gratuitous and razor-sharp. The movie has been described as body horror, with glimpses of its bloodiness seen in the trailer, and while some find it well-executed, others have questioned whether it falls into a misogynistic trap.
While the film has faced significant opposition, the overallreviews forThe Substancehave slanted positive thus far. At the time of writing, it holds an 89% Tomatometer with 47 reviews thus far. For a body horror film with themes of social critique, this score is especially high.The Substancedoes not yet have an audience score, but it will be interesting to see how the general public responds to it.
The Substance Is Continuing A Clever 2024 Horror Trend
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance uses body horror to question the oppressive and obsessive quest for control over the aging of women’s bodies.
Even Moore’s quote itself indicates how polarizingThe Substancecan be. The fact that her team offered no preamble before handing her the script suggests a high shock value and many twists and turns to come, as it is potent even on paper. Audiences, however, will have to form their own opinion about whether itis a “disaster” or a masterpiece.The Substancetraileris an optimistic point towards the latter, butthe consensus on the film is far from decided.
The Substance
Cast
Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth by creating a younger, more beautiful version of herself. But splitting time between her original and new body leads to horrifying consequences as her alternate self, Sue, begins to unravel her life in a disturbing body-horror descent.
