‘The Substance’ – What You Need To Know About Demi Moore’s Bizarre Body Horror Movie

We’re all familiar with watching celebrities or sometimes even people we know personally go through extreme procedures in attempts to maintain their youthful appearances. It’s a common theme that’s portrayed in the entertainment industry, especially lately, when filters, photoshop, and AI images can instantly create an unrealistic illusion of what people think they need to look like to be considered “attractive.” X, the first movie in Ti West’s A24 trilogy, addresses this concept head-on, with Mia Goth portraying a young aspiring starlet as well as the elderly antagonist, Pearl. In a scene where the two interact, Pearl warns Maxine that her chances of stardom will dwindle with her looks. Jessica Lange’s character, Fiona Goode, struggled with the same feelings of obscurity as her health began to fail in American Horror Story’s third season, “Coven,” in which she seeks out extreme and unsafe medical concoctions to preserve her looks.

Even The Boys has touched on this idea, with Anthony Starr‘s Homelander griping about his gray hairs and with the spinoff series The Boys Presents: Diabolical. In the fourth episode, “Boyd in 3D,” the two main characters use an experimental transformation cream meant to make them into the “ideal” versions of themselves. Initially, the cream works and the two become an influencer power couple, but when their supplies and social media likes begin to dissipate, their true selves re-emerge. The offer to become “the best physical version of yourself” has even been used in the 1994 film Interview with the Vampire, but as the movie is coming up on its 30th anniversary, it’s safe to say that those promises often come with unexpected consequences. Read on to learn everything you need to know about The Substance and how it relates to these examples!

6 When Is the Release Date for ‘The Substance’?

The Substance is set to have a theatrical release on September 20, 2024, following its successful debut at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19 earlier this year. At the Cannes Film Festival, The Substance was nominated for the Palm d’Or and Best Screenplay, winning the latter. After the theatrical run, the film will likely make its way to VOD and streaming services closer to the end of the year. Competing at the box office that same weekend will be the animated movie Transformers One and Jon Watts‘ action comedy, Wolfs.

5 Watch the Trailer for ‘The Substance’

A brief 30-second clip from The Substance was released shortly after the movie’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, showing Elizabeth Sparkle watching a video that informs her about the titular “Substance.”

The teaser trailer for The Substance was released on July 11, 2024. The minute-long teaser does exactly what it needs to do and no more. It teases the general plot, offers some shocking imagery with a jarring musical score, and doesn’t give away too many details. It does, however, give a rich sense of what to expect cinematically from the upcoming body-horror film, and allows viewers to come up with their own theories of what the downside of the miracle cure could have for protagonist Elisabeth Sparkle.

4 Who Stars in ‘The Substance’?

Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a famous television aerobics instructor who gets fired on her 50th birthday. Moore, who was actually in her late 50s while filming, also began her acting career on television before her first major film breakthrough in 1985 as Jules from St. Elmo’s Fire. She went on to star in Ghost with the late Patrick Swayze, put on combat gear in G.I. Jane, and turned rogue as a former Angel in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. More recently, she appeared as the “movie actress version” of Nicolas Cage’s wife in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and as Anne Woodward in the television series Feud.

Joining Demi in the cast as a character named Sue is Margaret Qualley, who has recently been in several major films, like Poor Things, Drive-Away Dolls, and Kinds of Kindness. She also appeared as the barefoot cult follower, Pussycat, in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood. In addition to The Substance, Qualley will also be starring in Ethan Coen’s upcoming movie, Honey Don’t!, which serves as a follow-up film to Drive-Away Dolls and John Patton Ford’s comedy thriller, Huntington, along with Glen Powell, Topher Grace, and Ed Harris.

Dennis Quaid enters the cast as the misogynistic boss, Harvey, who publicly fires Moore’s character, Elisabeth Sparkle, on her 50th birthday. Quaid is no spring chicken himself, with his earliest film and television roles dating back to 1975. His first major performance was the portrayal of astronaut Gordon Cooper in Phillip Kaufman’s 1983 historical epic, The Right Stuff. He also starred in a range of dramas and comedies, such as Frequency, The Day After Tomorrow, A Dog’s Purpose, and Strays. Most recently, he will be portraying Ronald Reagan in the biopic, Reagan, which is set to be released on August 30, 2024.

Also in the cast are Joseph Balderrama (The Batman) as Craig Silver, Hugo Diego Garcia (Death and Other Details) as Diego, Philip Schurer (The King’s Daughter) as Mr. Scream, and Robin Greer (The Count of Monte Cristo) as “The Nurse.”

3 What Is ‘The Substance’ About?

The Substance centers on Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), an energetic health guru who found her fame through hosting a televised aerobics program. After years of maintaining her physique and persona, she is unceremoniously fired from her job on her 50th birthday by her boss, Harvey (Dennis Quaid). Distraught over her dismissal for no reason other than “being too old,” she returns to her home, where a mysterious advertisement appears on her television screen, offering a solution to her problems. Just at the moment when she begins to question her worth based on her age and looks, she is offered a miraculous “substance” that can not only reverse the signs of aging but create an even more perfect version of herself. All she has to do is inject herself with The Substance to see what it can do to help her. What she doesn’t realize, however, is that offers that seem “too good to be true” often end up coming with a lot of fine print and potential side effects.

2 Who Is Making ‘The Substance’?

The Substance is written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, and produced by Fargeat, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner, the latter two having worked together previously as producers for the 2012 musical, Les Misérables. Executive producers for The Substance are Alexandra Loewy (The Meg) and Nicolas Royer (Bad Seeds). The film was made under Bevan and Fellner’s production company, Working Title Films, and will be distributed by Mubi.

1 When and Where Was ‘The Substance’ Filmed?

Filming for The Substance began in late spring of 2022, wrapped in October of that year, and was filmed almost entirely in Paris, France. The late Ray Liotta was originally cast in the film as Harvey in February 2022, but passed away before filming could begin in May. Dennis Quaid took over his role in May, just before production began.