This film is rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity and language. Please keep the rating in mind before viewing this film.

Would you take The Substance? What if you could be a younger, more beautiful, more perfect version of yourself? Just one little injection and your life would change forever. At face value, it’s a deal that most people would take (I know I certainly would). In The Substance, Elizabeth Sparkle (played by Demi Moore), a famous Hollywood actress, finds her fame slipping as the world moves on to the next best thing. This results in her decision to escape the inevitable effects of aging by any means necessary. She injects a mysterious liquid, identified only by the name “the Substance,” and finds herself in a perfect, beautiful body of her younger self (played by Margaret Qualley). Overjoyed with her newfound youth, Elizabeth retakes the spotlight! But, as she soon finds out, perfection has a price. The Substance offers a unique and refreshing perspective on horror. It has a very distinct visual style, including extreme closeups, or macro-shots, which unsettle the viewer by making scenes feel larger than life. The Substance also focuses on a less mainstream horror subgenre called body horror. Body horror is characterized by the unnatural transformation or destruction of the human body, and the Substance delivers just that. It’s an appalling, gut-churning experience, but past that, it’s a piece of art that examines body standards, perceptions of oneself, and feminism, all in a blunt, “no filters” sort of way. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking, and unsettling piece, The Substance is now on streaming. But be warned, the gore is no joke! To give you some perspective, the climax of the movie required more than 36,000 gallons of fake blood…