Body Horror, Comedy, and the MONSTROus Price of Perfection

“We need her young. We need her hot. We need her now.” Imagine hearing these words after still being at the top. It is a reality of reality shows and scripted television, with beauty and youth being at the forefront. Director Coralie Forgeat’s second feature film is a (relatable?) modern-day satire about acceptance, greed, overthinking, and the pitfalls (or resultant horrors) of attempting to combat natural processes. These all go hand in hand, and when one domino is pushed, it leads to the next and the next with disgustingly ghastly and MONSTROus implications. Have you ever tried something and then gone on trying to fix it, only to leave it (and yourself) irreparable? Fair warning. Do not. 

Remember – you can not escape from yourself. 

Initially, I was confused when I heard that The Substance would be considered in the Musical and Comedy category at the Golden Globes. How can a body horror film make it there? … pulsating score does not pass this off as a musical, but certain dialogues can give the film a slight hint of a comedy. Harvey saying, “She’s my most beautiful creation. I have shaped her for success” was quite amusing as audiences knew what was about to appear, and how aptly his words fit.

In the film, Demi Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle’s character goes on a journey from relevance to being forgotten. Even after years of blood, sweat, and tears, it all just gets washed away without a second thought and audiences turn to the new shiny object. 

Here is the thing about the shiny new object. It is revered and wreathed in glory and then the cracks emerge as the star drifts away from the island of relevancy. Quite a vicious and toxic cycle, right? Society demands the new with replacement and reinvention being the name of the game. Look at it from the aspect of greed. The absence of acceptance is a monstrous evil in society, and ways to physically overcome it can lead to the irrevocable creation of something unrecognizable. What is the length to which humans can go to realize the dream of “a better version of yourself?”

For Elisabeth Sparkle, it involves the Substance. What is the Substance? “Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? Younger, more beautiful, more perfect. One single injection unlocks your DNA, starting a new cellular division, that will release another version of yourself. This is the Substance. You are the matrix. Everything comes from you. Everything is you. This is simply a better version of yourself. You just have to share. One week for one and one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each. The one and only thing not to forget: You. Are. One. You can’t escape from yourself.”

Demi Moore’s turn as Elisabeth Sparkle, for lack of a better word, was sparkling. Right from her enthusiastic presentation as an upbeat aerobics TV personality to the moment she overhears others’ perceptions of her, you begin to feel for her. How can the world be so cruel? Well, it is. And Elisabeth Sparkle realized it as she saw how quickly the producers had taken down her face from the billboards. It ate at her, with her even initially buying into the concept of the Substance when watching the Flash Drive content. Humans do not want to do this, but the desperate urge to relive or stretch time leads to desperate measures. 

Moore’s acting after injecting The Substance (now do not call this a spoiler. The film is named The Substance and you know that The Substance is involved in some way) which sees her scream, crumple, and writhe in pain was a piece of remarkable acting. A danger here was that it could have become a playful flailing of limbs, but Forgeat ensured that was not the case with Background Music and screams conveying Sparkle’s agony through Moore’s extremely in-control performance. Benjamin Kracun’s camera choosing to zoom in, at particular moments, such as the scene where he focuses on the eye, and moves out to capture the entire body on the white floor only enhances Moore’s final scene where she is literally one. 

Viewer discretion is advised, as you may cringe in pain, shock, and even repulsion at this scene in the film. 

Getting back to Moore, she even allows audiences to believe that she is not a sexagenarian playing an octogenarian or nonagenarian, but an actual octogenarian and nonagenarian; or someone even older. Right from her voice to her movements, the Hollywood veteran shows the effects of being one all thanks to the actions of the one who was to support her. 

Margaret Qualley is a remarkable supporting actress to audiences watching The Substance, but for Elisabeth Sparkle, Qualley’s Sue has to be the worst support ever. Oscar consideration is definitely on the cards for Qualley, but Elisabeth Sparkle would award her the Razzie; especially after she paid the price for one-half of her forgetting the instructions of The Substance, i.e. You Are One. Her viciousness at one point in the film served as an apt reflection of society’s perception of ones they perceive to be washed up, with Forgeat’s direction quite effectively drawing the hate towards Sue while garnering sympathy for Elisabeth. 

This is where the other side of greed comes in with the being getting sentient and breaking the rules. As Sue decides to forgo the instructions for The Substance, it results in Elisabeth paying a far greater price. I am not talking about ageing here. This scene to kick off the final half-hour may have you close your eyes in disgust. But even that may not save you from the cringe unless you can block out the sound. Forgeat’s film seemingly calls for contentment with the status quo, with visible effects of what can be the case with the horror of serums and substances showcased with alarmingly gory detail.

Now speaking of the cringe, a combination of the lead and supporting actresses’ actions, the sight of the MONSTROsity and the blend of horror comedy would make for tough watching. This would hold especially if you are alone, but the group’s setting saw applause and laughter ring through the single-screen cinema. Could it have been a reflection of the ripple effect with everyone hopping on, just as they did with casting the aging actress aside in The Substance?