| Director: | Coralie Fargeat |
| Producer: |
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| Starring: |
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| Cinematography: | Benjamin Kračun |
| Editing: |
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| Music: | Raffertie |
| Runtime: | 141 minutes[1] |
| Country: |
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| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $17.5 million |
| Gross: | $56.1million[2] [3] |
The Substance is a 2024 satirical[4] [5] body horror film written, directed, co-edited, and co-produced by Coralie Fargeat. It follows a fading celebrity (Demi Moore) who uses a black market drug that creates a much younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley) with unexpected side effects. Dennis Quaid also stars.
An international co-production between France, the United Kingdom, and the United States,[6] the film had its world premiere on 19 May 2024 at the 77th Cannes Film Festival main competition, where Fargeat won Best Screenplay. It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and the United States by Mubi on 20 September 2024, and in France by Metropolitan Filmexport on 6 November 2024. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning over $56 million on a $17.5 million production budget.
On her 50th birthday, Elisabeth Sparkle, a once-celebrated but now-faded Hollywood movie star, is abruptly dismissed from her long-running aerobics TV show by the producer, Harvey, due to her age. A distraught Elisabeth crashes her car while distracted by a billboard of herself being taken down. At the hospital, a young nurse covertly gives her a flash drive advertising "The Substance", a black market serum that promises a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of oneself.
Elisabeth, intrigued and desperate, orders The Substance and injects the single-use activator serum. She convulses as her body generates a younger version of herself, Sue, who emerges from a slit in her back. The two bodies must switch consciousness every seven days without exception, with the inactive body remaining unconscious and fed intravenously with a weekly food supply. Daily injections of stabilizer fluid, extracted from the original body, are necessary to prevent Sue from deteriorating.
Sue quickly becomes an overnight sensation as Elisabeth's replacement on the TV show, and is eventually offered the chance to host the network's prestigious New Year's Eve Show. While Sue lives a confident and hedonistic life, Elisabeth becomes a self-hating recluse. Nearing the end of one allotted weekly cycle, Sue parties and brings a man home for casual sex, delaying the switch by extracting additional stabilizer fluid, causing Elisabeth's right index finger to suddenly age. Elisabeth contacts the supplier, who warns her that disobeying the switching program leads to irreversible aging of the original body. Despite their shared consciousness, Elisabeth and Sue begin to view themselves as separate individuals and grow to despise each other; Elisabeth resents Sue for her frequent disregard of the switching schedule, which further exacerbates her aging, while Sue is disgusted by Elisabeth's constant self-loathing and binge-eating. Following a particularly destructive episode as Elisabeth, Sue stockpiles stabilizer fluid and refuses to switch back.
Three months later, the day before the New Year's Eve telecast, Sue runs out of stabilizer fluid and contacts the supplier, who informs her that she must switch back to replenish the fluid. When they switch, Elisabeth finds herself horrifically transformed into an elderly hunchback. Determined to stop Sue, Elisabeth orders a serum designed to terminate her. Craving the admiration that Sue's celebrity status provides, she stops before fully injecting the serum and resuscitates Sue, leaving both of them conscious. Realizing Elisabeth's intent, Sue attacks and kills her before leaving to host the New Year's special.
Without Elisabeth, Sue's body begins to rapidly deteriorate. In a panic, she attempts to create a new version of herself using leftover activator serum, despite the single-use warning. This results in the creation of a grotesque mutated body, "Monstro Elisasue", with both Sue and Elisabeth's faces. Monstro Elisasue, dressed up in a mask cut from a poster of Elisabeth, limps onto the stage during the live broadcast. The mask falls off, causing the horrified audience to erupt into chaos and attack her. A man decapitates her, only for an even more mutated head to grow back, and one of her arms to snap off and drench both the audience and studio in torrents of blood. Elisasue flees the studio, but collapses and explodes into viscera. Elisabeth's original face detaches from the gore, crawling onto her neglected star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She smiles as she hallucinates being admired before melting into a puddle of blood, which is cleaned up by a floor scrubber the next day.
Coralie Fargeat was director and producer alongside Working Title Films co-producers Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan,[7] [8] [9] and Blacksmith, a Paris-based production company[10] created by Fargeat that same year.[11] [12] The Substance began filming on May 9, 2022,[13] and wrapped in October 2022, spanning 108 shooting days.
After the critical success of Revenge in the United States, Fargeat received offers to direct studio films, including Black Widow. However, the prospect of a studio film didn’t appeal to her, as she wouldn't receive final cut privilege. Fargeat spent several months in Los Angeles following the release of Revenge, and began writing the first scenes of The Substance at a coffee shop in Silver Lake[14] as a spec script; she became a producer to maintain creative control.[15] Eric Fellner, who also co-produced the film, traveled to Paris several times for lunch with Fargeat after seeing Revenge in 2017, to persuade her to choose Working Title for her next project.[16] The screenplay was developed over two years, with the entire production taking five years from concept to release.[17] Written in both English and French, the script featured descriptions in French,[18] though the film was written with English-speaking audiences in mind to ensure a wider appeal."[19]
Fargeat aimed to continue the feminist themes developed in Revenge including what it means to be a woman.[20] [21] She began writing the film in her 40s, a period when she was confronting negative thoughts about her relevance and appearance. "I really started to think and [have] these voices in my head like, 'Now your life is over. No one is going to care about you.'"[22] She described the process of making the film as a way to confront and release this internalized violence tied to societal expectations about women’s bodies and aging, using the body horror genre as a "weapon of expression."[23] [18] [24]
Fargeat crafted the 138-page script with a scant 29 pages dedicated to dialogue.[25] She has described her writing style as like writing a novel.[26] She wrote the script in extensive detail;[27] every sensory experience the audience would feel in the final film including sounds (with onomatopoeia like "SPLOSH" and "AAAGH")[28] and sometimes even specified close-ups were written in the script.[26]
Similarly, she chose to omit character backstories, preferring to reveal information through actions, locations, and attire. For example, colors were written into the script to symbolize character traits — Elisabeth Sparkle’s yellow jacket representing a “superhero-like” quality before her transformation, and Sue’s pink leotard signifying her femininity. The character Sue, described as blonde in a 2020 draft of the script, was given her namesake to subconsciously evoke Lolita and Marilyn Monroe, "baby-doll"-like iconography, and classic beauty standards that continue to endure. Fargeat chose the name Elisabeth for its “iconic resonance” with the big movie stars in the past, and Sparkle because of its associations with happiness and to “shine and be under the light.”[29]
The film's pivotal birth scene, which Fargeat conceived while in the shower,[30] was the first that Fargeat wrote, and, in her view, "the most important scene of the film." She recalls, "I didn’t even know who my character would be. It’s the first one that really came to my mind, and it holds the core DNA of the movie as a true visceral experience with no words, making you feel what the characters are going to feel."[27] Fargeat later decided that the main character should be an actress to explore societal perceptions of bodies.[31] She chose to have Elisabeth Sparkle host an aerobics class,[32] inspired by Jane Fonda's transition from a successful actress to her second career starring in exercise tapes.[33]
Fargeat listened to a variety of music to influence the screenplay. She cited Mica Levi's score from Under the Skin, and other experimental music and composers that had "this kind of heartbeat or pulsation...related to the heartbeat of the new human being or the way you can feel with your body."[34] Fargeat also listened to hyper-sexualized music, which helped inspire the in-universe Pump It Up show.
Fargeat knew that casting would be challenging, as the film had minimal dialogue and relies heavily on the characters. Elisabeth Sparkle needed to be cast first, as she is the one who generates her other self.[30] Demi Moore was not Fargeat’s first choice;[15] several actresses were considered but declined the role before Moore.[35] At her agent’s insistence, Moore read the script before knowing any details. She was intrigued by its unusual subject matter,[36] though was unfamiliar with the body horror genre, feeling the film could either “really work and be part of a cultural shift” or “be a fucking disaster.”[15] Fargeat initially didn’t expect Moore to be interested, as she didn’t think Moore would be willing to take on a film with that type of risk. She also viewed Moore as an actress “in total control of her image.”[35] Fargeat had previously worked her first production gig on the Moore-led film, Passion of Mind which was shot in France in 2000. Fargeat worked as a trainee and would make copies and bring Moore coffee in the mornings.[18]
In order to determine if the role was a fit, the two discussed the film over the course of six meetings.[37] Fargeat explained the film in detail:[38] the film’s extensive prep work, prosthetics, meager resources, shooting location and the level of nudity, which she felt was foundational to the story.[35] During one of the meetings, Moore gave Fargeat a copy of her autobiography. Fargeat gained a deeper understanding of Moore as a person and was struck by her resilience. “I read her autobiography, and she had some tough years in her personal life. [...] She made herself on her own [...] in a place that was a totally male-dominated industry, being ahead of her time in many regards, like doing this naked picture of her pregnant, taking a lot of risks and having a lot of feminist statements, wanting to be paid as much as her co-stars.”[18] Fargeat was also excited by the prospect of having a real-life icon play Elisabeth.[30]
Moore understood the meta-nature of the role but did not feel that she was the character, as Elisabeth had no family. As she further explained, “she’s dedicated her entire life to her career, and when that’s taken, what does she have?” However, Moore sympathized with the character’s pain.[39] She recognized that the characters were deeply important to Fargeat, and saw them as stand-ins for the director herself: Elisabeth represents Coralie, while Margaret’s Sue is the girl from the '90s that Coralie always felt pitted against.[40] Moore would later reflect positively on her role saying, “What I love is this was a rich, complex, demanding role that gave me an opportunity to really push myself outside of my comfort zone, and in the end to feel like I explored and grew not only as an actor, but as a person.”[41]
While talking to Moore, Fargeat thought about potential pairings; later, when she met with Margaret Qualley she felt they had a common energy. Fargeat also liked that Qualley had a background as a dancer.[30] Moore had not previously met Qualley, but was excited to collaborate, citing their shared willingness to "get a little dirty"; Moore had prior indirect ties with Qualley and worked with Qualley’s mother, Andie MacDowell, in St. Elmo’s Fire, and Qualley knew Moore’s daughters.[42]
Qualley was in Panama, shooting Claire Denis’s Stars at Noon, when she read the script and was drawn to the prospect of playing a character who seemed “really far from [her]” and she had a feeling that it was going to be “special.”[36] During prep, Fargeat emphasized the physicality of the roles (both actors’ bodies would be central to their performances). For Qualley, this meant lifting weights for months to achieve Sue’s sex symbol figure.[43] Qualley spent a lot of time walking around her apartment, practicing her character, "freaking my husband out" (referring to her husband, Jack Antonoff).[44]
During shooting, Fargeat provided the temporary voicing for “the Substance” herself, and after a lengthy casting process, found American actor Yann Bean, who was living in Paris, to voice it. Fargeat wanted a voice with devil-like, tempting, and powerful qualities.[45]
Ray Liotta was originally cast as Harvey,[46] but died in May 2022 and was replaced with Dennis Quaid three months into filming.[47]
Principal photography took place entirely in France, with an all-French film crew except for cinematographer Benjamin Kračun and composer Raffertie (both from the United Kingdom).[48] Studio scenes were filmed at Epinay Studios in Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France near Paris—the historic studio where Jean Cocteau shot Beauty and the Beast—while exterior scenes doubling for Los Angeles were filmed on the Côte d'Azur. France was selected to accommodate the film’s extensive shooting schedule due to practical effects work, with the country’s 40% Tax Rebate for International Productions (TRIP) also providing an incentive.[48]
Fargeat selected Kračun as cinematographer after being impressed by his work on Promising Young Woman.[49] He shot the film primarily with the Alexa LF, for its accurate capture of skin tones, and used vintage, spherical Canon K35 lenses to accommodate the large number of close-ups in the film.[50] Red V-Raptor and Komodo were also used. The Raptor for visual effects, with its high resolution 8K sensor, and the Komodo for the body and helmet rig.
The film was shot in continuity when possible, adopting what the crew called a "lab shoot" approach in its final month. The "lab shoot" was used to capture insert shots,[51] typically assigned to a second unit[52] with a reduced crew.[27] The most time-consuming prosthetics shots were also filmed during this time period,[53] including close-ups of injections and a back splitting open.[54] Fargeat storyboarded all the prosthetic and birth sections before production began, allowing for on-set adjustments within the storyboards as needed.[55] Fargeat even went so far as to perform an actual syringe injection of the activator on her own arm, doubling for Demi Moore in the shot.[54] Crew sizes fluctuated significantly throughout production, ranging from just 6 members for the lab shoot,[54] 8 for exterior scenes, and over 200 for complex practical effects sequences in the studio.[48]
After Liotta was replaced by Dennis Quaid 3 months into filming, Quaid's arrival brought an "energy injection" to the set. For his lunch scene with Demi Moore, Quaid consumed approximately 2 kilograms of shrimp.
Margaret Qualley lightheartedly described learning the choreography for The Substance as a “nightmare,” and was overwhelmed by performing with professional dancers who had already memorized the moves which she was new to. Although trained as a ballet dancer,[56] she explained that "that specific kind of sexuality doesn’t lend itself to [me]”[57] and that she’d “never [do it] again.”[58] Qualley began the rehearsal with Fargeat present but left the set to go to the bathroom and cry. Fargeat decided to leave the rehearsal as well, and later, Qualley received a private one on one lesson, allowing her to practice in her hotel room and build confidence as she felt deeply ashamed by the whole series of events.[57] Nonetheless, on the day of the shoot, she “just got wasted first thing in the morning” because she was anxious about performing in front of everyone; a combination of cannabis and tequila gave her the courage she needed.[57] In a live Q&A after the film’s release, Qualley expressed happiness in getting to perform the dance, as many previous scenes had been slow-paced and required minimal movement or expression, making the dance sequence a welcome change.[59]
Demi Moore found Coralie Fargeat to be a “very visual director” with a focus on symbolism.[60] While Moore was accustomed to starting scenes with wide shots to establish the scene’s space, Fargeat instead began with close-ups. Moore found that “the actor's part of it is not as...important” to Fargeat: “it’s not necessarily where she’s as focused.” Moore described this as “not good or bad it’s just kind of different.”[61] Fargeat praised Moore's body language in the film;[43] Moore chose to express Elisabeth through subtleties, such as her eyes and other simple expressions.[62] Moore briefly worked with a movement coach over Zoom, to avoid injuring herself when in a hunched position and performing fast movements.[63]
During a one-week break while only Qualley was working, Moore contracted shingles and lost 20 pounds during the production.
Initially, two days of exterior shooting were planned in Los Angeles. However, after Kračun filmed test shots of palm trees early on during filming, Fargeat realized she could use these shots as tableaux, and eliminate extensive exterior shots. Ultimately, the only part of the film actually shot in Los Angeles was the still backdrop (photographed by Rosco Digital) in the Canyons.[64]
The special effects team utilized around 21,000 litres of fake blood and a fire hose. The shots of the audience being sprayed with blood in the climax were achieved in one take. Kračun was surprised by the amount of blood remarking, “Coralie said at one point, ‘I want to have fire engines full of blood spraying the audience,’ and I thought, ‘Oh, maybe that’s just a French way of saying there’s going to be a lot of blood,’ but no, she really wanted a hose full of blood in the audience, in the theater, and it was going to be a lot of blood!”
Filming of the theater scenes took nearly three weeks; it became a significant technical challenge of how to control the spread, pressure, and quantity of blood, how to waterproof the filming equipment,[65] and how to keep everyone safe. Showers were set up outside the theater set for the extras.[66] During the shoot, Kračun hid himself in the audience and filmed while Fargeat operated another camera and controlled the hose. Once Fargeat and Kračun were on set covered in blood, they hugged each other and said, “We did it.”
The Substance required a three-month construction period to build the sets, including Elisabeth’s apartment with distinct spaces like the bathroom and secret room as well as the New Year’s Eve theater and a TV studio hallway. The central feature of the apartment set was the large panoramic window, symbolizing Elisabeth’s past and, later, Sue’s rebirth and future. Fargeat envisioned the apartment with a “timeless, old-fashioned but also futuristic quality,” allowing it to transcend specific eras and enrich the story with symbolism.[67] Initially, Fargeat and Kračun considered LED-screen technology for the window’s scenic Los Angeles cityscape, but Kračun determined it was costly and technically challenging, involving nine technicians to operate. Instead, they opted for a Rosco SoftDrop backdrop, evoking a romantic, Hitchcockian quality;[68] Kračun described the overall look of the film as “pink noir.”[69] Fargeat expressed great satisfaction seeing the practical set for the first time as she had anticipated shooting it on greenscreen.[70]
Fargeat wanted the bathroom set to function as a metaphorical “cocoon” and envisioned it as a mental space that felt abstract, stylized, and empty. She pushed back against the production designer who wanted a more realistic look and who asked: “Are you sure you don’t want any furniture in the bathroom at all?”[67] Kračun wanted sconces to help modify the lighting but Fargeat ultimately rejected this idea, and the lighting was kept harsh.[71] The shower scene with Moore lying on the floor and knocking her head, while the camera booms up, was shot fully in camera and achieved by constructing a shower three times taller than standard height.[72]
After the production finished shooting on the apartment set, it was destroyed to build the theater in the same space, being “basically [...] built on the ashes of the apartment” according to Fargeat.[70] Initially, there were plans to shoot in a real theater that was going to be refurbished completely,[73] but the crew discovered that the venue, while initially welcoming at the idea of shooting a small splattering of blood, became apprehensive upon realizing the extent of the blood effects. As one producer remarked, “Okay, I don’t want to finish in jail. We can't shoot in a real theater, because there is no way we can protect it in a way that it's not going to be destroyed.”[70]
Fargeat relied on practical effects using prosthetics and makeup, accounting for 70–80% of the final film,[74] resisting the push toward cheaper digital effects.[48] She felt that the use of practical effects was crucial to convey the themes of violence.[75]
The effects were created by Pierre-Olivier Persin and his company, Pop FX, based in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis.[76] Leading a team of 15,[77] Persin oversaw the work both at Pop FX's studio and at a second rented workshop.[76] Persin dedicated 11 months to the project, spanning pre-production and shooting.[28] He was hired at the recommendation of executive producer Nicolas Royer[77] [48] (who appears in the film as “guy in the elevator” and previously worked with Persin). Initially, Fargeat had chosen another company to create the designs but was disappointed with their work.[28] Persin later described their designs as good from an artistic perspective, but overly masculine[78] —"a rubber monster for the guys."[76] Meanwhile, Fargeat had always envisioned the film ending with a monster that she referred to as a "Picasso of male expectations."[79]
Persin read the script, made a bid, and, while working on another project, sculpted a small plasticine[80] maquette of his design for the creature at the climax, "Monstro Elisasue" over a few nights.[28] In the script, Monstro Elisasue was loosely outlined, only described as having Elisabeth’s face located on its back.[77] Persin aimed to give Monstro some “humility” “gracefulness”[76] and resemble Sue.[81] Fargeat was impressed with his choices, such as the tilted head, backward-facing arm, and the inclusion of breasts, and offered him the position.[28] Fargeat and Persin later spent a month refining Monstro's design.[28] Persin would later remark in an interview: “Coralie wanted her as if the body was put in a shaker.”[81]
Persin and Fargeat conducted a technical read-through over several days, outlining the requirements of each sequence. Persin visualized Fargeat’s ideas for each transformation, through photoshop, digital sculpture, and regular sculpture.[76] He created designs specifically adapted to actors like Demi Moore based on scans of her face and body, which Fargeat could select, combine, or modify. From there, he fabricated prosthetics and makeup which he tested on the actors.[76]
Persin would design the prosthetics for Elisabeth's transformation process, which were organized into a series of five stages, following the birth of the other self: a withered finger ("The Finger"),[76] a more aged look called "Requiem" (inspired by Requiem for a Dream), a hunched-backed "Gollum", "Monstro Elisasue", and "The Blob."[82] [81] Fargeat deliberately sought to avoid making the effects look realistic, aiming instead to create a deformed representation of the aging process, shaped by the characters' fear and anger.[83]
Fargeat’s vision for how quickly Elisabeth’s transformations should occur sparked debate with Persin and makeup artist Stéphanie Guillon. For the pre-substance scenes, Guillon argued, “[Moore’s Elisabeth] had to be beautiful in the beginning… before she has all the prosthetics,” while Fargeat wanted her to appear flawed from the start. Similarly, Persin felt that pacing the changes more gradually would enhance their impact, explaining, "It'll be wild and insane eventually.”[76]
Prosthetics application ranged between 45 minutes[82] to 7 hours[78] depending on character complexity, sometimes only leaving an hour or two for filming in a given day.[84] [15] [85]
Early in production, without life casts or scans from the actresses,[28] Persin created and filmed a 30 cm[86] maquette of the back opening to send to Fargeat for her approval.[28] This allowed him to begin work on the key scene, despite not having the actor’s measurements.[87]
Persin initially believed the prosthetic designs in the bathroom would be visually enhanced by moody lighting, akin to The Howling[88] or Dario Argento’s films.[77] However, he would learn this wasn’t the case, as he explained: “At first, I asked Coralie, I said, in the bathroom, because lots of things happen in the bathroom, are we going to have a nice something a bit dark and with shadows and to hide a little bit of the silicone and all that. And she was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Cut to the [bright] white tiles.”[89]
For the birthing scene, Persin used a combination of prosthetics on body doubles[81] as well as puppetry,[15] using two faceless,[90] hyper-realistic silicone dummies that took between 1 and 1.5 months to construct.[91] The entire sequence was shot with practical effects, with the exception of the close up of the eye splitting.[54] Shots of the back splitting were achieved with the dummies on a raised set, operated by 5-6 puppeteers below while Fargeat directed from under the set or nearby.[28] For the stitching of the back, Persin alternated between a dummy and a prosthetic applied directly to the actresses’ skin.[92] Careful attention was paid to the realism of the skin: the pores and cellulite were meticulously crafted, while layers of various colors: reds, yellows, greens, blues, and ochres—were applied in a pointillist method, as no single paint color can replicate natural skin tone, according to Persin.[93] One challenge was avoiding giving the skin a “too rubbery or too elastic” appearance, so the team designed a prosthetic with soft material, but stiffer wound edges to make the needle weaving through the skin appear more realistic. Prosthetics, like the spine scar, were applied to Moore, two stunt doubles, and two body doubles.[92]
For her nude scenes, Margaret Qualley wore breast prostheses to portray an idealized image of beauty, reminiscent of Jessica Rabbit. Qualley humorously explained the process: "Unfortunately, there is no magic boob potion, so we had to glue those on... [they endowed] me with the rack of a lifetime—just not my lifetime."[94]
Persin’s first project began with the finger prosthetic. However, when he tested the finger prosthetic on someone, it looked “stupid” and resembled “Mickey Mouse.”[92] Correcting it took a month[92] and temporarily halted the development of other prosthetics until the finger met Persin’s desired standard of a balanced appearance, ensuring it wouldn’t look bulkier than the natural ones.[82] Achieving this required creating extremely thin prosthetics, and in total, all the prosthetics were redesigned twice.[82]
Fargeat described the dialogue-free scene where Moore removes her makeup in front of a mirror as “the most challenging” of the film.[95] Fargeat was stressed on the day of the shoot because she knew she was creating the “emotional heart of the movie” where performance, rhythm and lighting had to be perfect.[95] Fargeat felt if the Moore and crew could pull it off, it would be incredibly powerful.[95] After the 11th take, Guillon intervened to prevent a rash. "I took the remover pad and I squashed everything, and I said, 'I removed everything, that's over. You have already 11. You cannot have more because tomorrow she will have a red face.' Normally you don't do that! But it was too much because it was very hard on her skin."[76]
Persin praised Moore’s professionalism during the five- to six-hour prosthetic application for the "Requiem" stage, likening it to “going to the dentist for six hours.”[76] The crew were impressed that Moore, during one sequence, chose to postpone filming to the next day, feeling that continuing would disrespect the makeup team, as the prosthetics had deteriorated from earlier shots.[76]
Due to Moore being partially blind in one eye, she requested the makeup team avoid working too closely around the eye.[77] Persin assumed the makeup effects would be further altered digitally but later discovered this was not the case.[77] Most of the Requiem sequence relied on applied prosthetics adhered directly to the skin, while a few shots, such as Elisabeth’s leg in the shower or her stuck kneecap, were fake body parts.[28] To achieve the look of translucent skin, the team used thin, prosthetic appliances that allowed the veins and bones to show through.[28]
Moore’s transformation into "Gollum" involved silicone prosthetics glued directly onto her body, with red and blue wool embedded in the silicone to mimic veins beneath the skin.[96] [28] Persin chose silicone for its translucence and to prevent unnatural wrinkles during scenes of action including when Elisabeth falls.[97] When Elisabeth runs down the hallway, Persin requested a thin actor to strategically apply the additive-prosthetics to create Gollum’s spider-like appearance.[98] [28]
A sophisticated fake head, capable of realistic bleeding, was created for the mirror-smashing scene.[92] Qualley smashed the fake head against the mirror, while Moore later recreated the action without the smashing; the visual effects team seamlessly blended the two shots to depict the head-on-mirror impact and Moore’s reaction.[92]
Despite disagreements over previous transformations, for "Monstro," Persin and Fargeat were in sync.[92] Since there were time constraints, Persin subcontracted the Monstro build to Dave and Lou Elsey of UK-based Igor Studios.[28] [99] The climax featured a total of five heads (including a special head with a cavity that splits open to birth a breast attached to an umbilical cord), two full bodysuits, two partial bodysuits, and a mold of Moore's head.[79] The suit was entirely practical, with the exception of Moore's screaming face, which was achieved using digital effects,[100] using a photogrammetry scan of Moore’s face.[77]
Persin drew inspiration from Niki de Saint Phalle, a French sculptor known for her vibrant and curvaceous figures, especially her depictions of female dancers.[76] Artist Fernando Botero, whose sculptures often feature women with exaggerated proportions, also served as an artistic reference.[79] Persin was also influenced by David Cronenberg's The Fly.[81]
During pre-production, Persin expressed concerns about having Qualley wear the suit, noting that only her eye would be visible through the prosthetics.[82] Fargeat pushed for Qualley in the suit for close-up shots, recognizing the importance of her performance. Persin later acknowledged that Qualley's presence and performance were essential and visibly impactful in the final film.[76]
Qualley would later describe wearing the prosthetics as "torture," adding, "I had this awesome team of prosthetic artists that put it on me and took it off of me and got me through the day, making me laugh a couple of times while I was just on the brink of panic."[101] "My problem was I had to cry while I had the monster costume on. At a certain point, you're just swimming—there's like a layer of tears and snot inside your prosthetics, and they're just trying to reglue it down."[102] The prosthetics application for Qualley required 6 hours[79] and was filmed over the course of eight days.[103] The suit was also designed with a cooling vest similar to that which racecar drivers use.[74]
Fargeat personally donned the Monstro suit for the shots showing blood spraying from Monstro's point of view. She held the camera herself, without the headpiece, while wearing the suit, as her arm was inside the blood rig.[82] Persin also put on the suit to operate a breast puppet, which required at least 10-15 takes and left his arm numb from holding it above his head for extended periods.[28] The constant spraying of blood caused the latex to turn pink as it became saturated quickly. The suit required repainting, resewing, and drying after each day. To maintain cleanliness and sanitation, the crew sprayed vodka inside the suit every night.[81]
In the final theater scene, the stunt performer was on a dolly due to the lack of mobility from the suit. When the blood rig was first tested, the stunt performer went rolling backward down the long blood-soaked hallway featured near the end of the film.[100]
Ending the film with "The Blob" featuring Moore's face, Fargeat wanted to preserve her facial expressions. Persin and his team constructed and manually maneuevered a puppet blob for the scene, which was overlayed on Moore's face with visual effects.[82]
The film's score was conceived by British producer and composer Raffertie, who was brought in late for the scoring process due to various factors.[104] He was chosen for the "electronic kind of violence and roughness" in his music, as well as his ability to create sensitive, emotional pieces.[104]
The songs "At Last" performed by Etta James, "Pump It Up!" by DJ Endor (a remix of the song by Belgian musician Danzel), and "Ugly and Vengeful" by Anna von Hausswolff are also featured in the film,[105] along with Richard Strauss' tone poem "Also sprach Zarathustra," notably featured in Stanley Kubrick's .[67] [106] Fargeat also used "The Nightmare And Dawn" from Vertigo written by Bernard Herrmann for the introduction of Monstro Elisasue. This was initially used only as a temp track, as its feminine quality contrasted the idealized actress with a monstrous figure. After collaborating with Raffertie, Fargeat decided to keep the piece for its symbolic resonance.[67]
The film's soundtrack is due to be released by Waxwork Records in "Activator Fluorescent Green" Colored Vinyl.[107]
The Substance was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 19 May 2024.[108] [109] The film received a standing ovation.[110] [111] [112]
Working Title's parent company, Universal Pictures, which originally signed on as the distributor through a deal with Working Title Films,[7] stepped away from the project but remained credited as a copyright holder in the film's credits. Multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the studio was "worried about the prospect of releasing the film."[15] [113] According to Fargeat, the film encountered significant challenges during post-production, including a contentious test screening attended by two unnamed male executives and one unnamed female representative from Universal. One male executive vehemently opposed the film and insisted on a recut, a demand deemed unfeasible due to Fargeat's contractual final cut privilege. Sensing the impasse, he decided to drop the film from Universal's distribution. Although the female executive later expressed her support for the film privately to Fargeat, she felt unable to voice her opinion during the screening.[114]
Prior to its Cannes debut, Mubi acquired worldwide rights to the film for $12.5 million, planning to distribute it theatrically in North America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America, Benelux as well as holding rights for Turkey and India, with its sales company subsidiary The Match Factory handling worldwide sales.[115] The Substance opened in theaters in the US, UK, Latin America, Germany, Canada and Netherlands on 20 September 2024,[116] as well as in Spain on 11 October 2024.[117] Metropolitan Filmexport acquired French distribution rights from The Match Factory,[118] [119] and released the film on 6 November 2024.[120]
Advertising and film distribution costs for The Substance were under $20M worldwide and in the single digits in the United States.[121] The marketing used avant-garde imagery such as a chicken bone and shiny hot pink exercise leotard and was overseen by Fargeat. The only vestige of Moore was a one sheet showing her stitched up back. Despite this unconventional approach, the film spread on social media. Demi Moore’s posts reached her 15M followers and contributed to a total online reach of 45M across platforms, as estimated by RelishMix (including 7.6M views on TikTok, 10.8M on Instagram, and millions of views for other fan made content).[121]
The Substance was released on MUBI's streaming platform and VOD in selected markets on 31 October 2024.[122] [123] The film is due to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 1 July 2025 in the United Kingdom,[124] and on 4K, DVD and Blu-ray on 21 January 2025 in the United States.[125] [126]
The Substance has grossed over $16.4 million in the United States and Canada, and over $39.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $56.1 million.[127] [128] Some sources claimed the earnings as high as 65 to above $70 million.[129]
In the United States and Canada, The Substance was released alongside Transformers One and Never Let Go, and was projected to gross around $3 million from 1,949 theaters in its opening weekend.[130] The film made $1.3 million on its first day, including $512,000 from Wednesday and Thursday night previews.[131] It went on to debut to $3.2 million, finishing sixth at the box office.[132] [133] The film dropped only 39% the following weekend, grossing $1.8 million.[134] The film has become Mubi’s highest grossing film, surpassing the $10 million gross of Priscilla (2023).[134] [135] Additionally in its first week of PVOD release, it ranked #3 on iTunes and #6 on Fandango at Home.[136]
On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on 39 reviews from French critics.[137] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it an 80% overall positive score (including an average of 4 out of 5 stars), with 75% saying they would definitely recommend it.
Peter Bradshaw's four-star review in The Guardian called it "a cheerfully silly and outrageously indulgent piece of gonzo body-horror comedy."[138] David Ehrlich of IndieWire graded the film an A, calling it "an epic, audacious body horror masterpiece... an instant classic. The most sickly entertaining theatrical experience of the year."[139] Nicholas Barber of the BBC awarded the film four stars out of five, while singling out Moore's performance: "Ripping into her best big-screen role in decades, Demi Moore is fearless in parodying her public image."[140] Phil de Semlyen's five star review in Time Out says it is "Moore who glues it all together, going full Isabelle Adjani-in-Possession in a vanity-free performance full of bruised ego, dawning horror and vulnerability."[141]
Owen Gleiberman in Variety praised the film's director: "Coralie Fargeat works with the flair of a grindhouse Kubrick in a weirdly fun, cathartically grotesque fusion of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Showgirls."[142] Radhika Seth in Vogue called it an "audacious piece of filmmaking... the most exciting release to have debuted on the Croisette so far" and that it was her "current pick to win the Palme d'Or."[143] Damon Wise in Deadline said it is "a riotous, dreamlike horror-thriller that ends in a delirious symphony of blood, guts and otherwise undefinable viscera."[144] Javier Ocaña of El País wrote that the film "is not that great," partly "because subtlety is not Fargeat's greatest virtue," but "mostly because the first 45 minutes seem like a covert remake" of John Frankenheimer's [superior] Seconds.[145]
Wendy Ide of The Guardian praised The Substance for its feminist perspective of older women, making note of how other female-led horror films like Carrie or Rosemary's Baby centre on themes of menstruation and childbirth. She wrote that The Substance, in contrast, "not only offers a female perspective on women's bodies, but also argues that things only start to get properly messy once fertility is a dim memory."[146] New York Times critic Alissa Wilkinson noted the satirically exaggerated camera angles and shots, depicting the female characters in a way "that feels reminiscent mostly of porn." She wrote:
In the end that's what The Substance does best: not just remind us about the absurd standards for female beauty and the destructive power of celebrity, but turn the mirror back on us. The sharpest critique isn't about bodies, but about the way we've trained ourselves to look at those bodies, and the effect that has on our own. The movie is, appropriately enough, a mirror, and our discomfort reveals our own hidden biases and fears about ourselves. Being older, being famous, being seen, being loved, being usurped by someone younger and hotter—it's all here. Nothing like a mirror to remind you what lurks beneath.[147]
Alison Willmore of Vulture said that the film's strongest theme is about the dangers of addiction, comparing it to Requiem for a Dream.[148] Several critics have noted the film's similarities to Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.[149]