Demi Moore’s body horror hitThe Substancehas flipped one of Hollywood’s most pervasive and controversial genres. Moore plays Elisabeth, an aging actress turned fitness star fired from her show by her executive, who wants a younger host. Elisabeth soon learns of a mysterious Hollywood secretknown asThe Substance, which lets her swap her body for a younger one for seven days at a time. However, her younger body wants to stay for longer. While none ofthe characters inThe Substanceare heroic, Elisabeth’s struggles are relatable, even as the Substance turns her into a literal monster.
The Substanceis both gory and tragic, and Demi Moore’s performance has already been praised by critics.The Substance’s approach to the “vain woman” archetype has also drawn positive attention. While the struggle of women like Elisabeth has been portrayed onscreen for decades, the movies have often focused on the character’s vanity rather than her humanity.The Substanceis about ageismbut offers a deeper dive than many earlier movies that feature aging women as a central plot point. These have often been so controversial that they have become a genre on their own.
Demi Moore’s The Substance Has A Controversial Genre
The Substance Takes A Deep Dive Into An Unfairly Represented Character Type
The Substancefocuses on a formerly glamorous woman’s desperationto avoid aging, and characters like this have existed for decades - even centuries. This controversial genre, which presents women’s aging as particularly scary or funny, is known as “hagsploitation.” The Evil Queen inSnow Whiteis one of the earliest examples, straddling the thin line between fairytale and horror. Movies likeWhat Ever Happened to Baby JaneandXcast vain, aging women as villains, while comedies likeDeath Becomes Hermake them appear ridiculous. However,The Substancemakes Elisabeth a sympathetic and heartbreaking character, and looks deeper into hagsploitation.
The Substancereceived a 13-minute standing ovation when it premiered at Cannes.
While some reviews have criticizedThe Substancefor being a hagsploitation movie due to its subject matter alone,The Substanceis more of a social commentary with body horror. Hagsploitation tends to present women’s fear of aging as pure vanity, whileThe Substanceshows the reasons why a person might take desperate measures to avoid it. Elisabeth loses her job due to her age and regularly endures misogyny, ageism, and objectification. This is a relatable experience for many women, which may explainwhyThe Substance’s reviews are so goodand the movie has a 90% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
The Substance Making The Beauty Industry & Hollywood The Villain Is A Smart Change
One Of The Substance’s Grossest Scenes Is A Perfect Social Commentary
Elisabeth may have embraced aging if not for the fact that aging resulted in her losing her livelihood and self-esteem. This happens to many women, but Hollywood actresses experience an added layer of tabloid scrutiny. By understanding this and representing Elisabeth’s internal struggle,The Substancemade Hollywood and the beauty industry the true villains. This was a smart move, as it provides an accurate insight into why characters like Elisabeth are desperate to stay young. WhileThe Substanceends tragically, Elisabeth and her alter ego get one moment of defiance first, as she attends a ball in her monstrous form.
The Substance’s 11 Biggest Unanswered Questions
The Substance has an explosively ambitious ending, but there are some questions that the film leaves surprisingly open-ended when the credits roll.
The Substance’s disgusting shrimp sceneis the perfect visual metaphor for the movie’s genre flip. Elisabeth meets her rude and misogynistic executive, Harvey, played by Dennis Quaid, for lunch. Harvey messily eats shrimp while firing the weight-conscious Elisabeth, who is eating nothing.This scene has none ofThe Substance’s signature body horrorbut is an excellent representation of the way Elisabeth must appear young and beautiful at all times, while Harvey can get away with his revolting table manners. Moments like this makeThe Substancea disturbingly memorable social commentary, and so much more than cheap hagsploitation.
