Watch, Don’t Touch ‘The Substance’

“The Substance” is the horrifying Hollywood satire “MaXXXine” failed to be. 

Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance” follows fading superstar Elisabeth Sparkle and her attempt to reclaim her fame. After losing her hosting role on a hit fitness show, Elisabeth takes up a black market drug known as the Substance to create a younger, better version of herself.

Played by Demi Moore, Elisabeth grapples with low self-esteem and body dysmorphia. Her psychological traumas are made physical when the Substance produces a younger copy of Elisabeth — Sue, played by Margaret Qualley.

Elisabeth’s consciousness alternates between the two women over one week intervals, leaving the other’s unused body dormant and hidden. As the weeks progress, Elisabeth spirals when her psyche within Sue develops its own independence.

“The Substance” possesses both the body horror of a David Cronnenberg film, and the tongue-in-cheek comedy of a Mel Brooks feature. The stomach-turning cellular separation and its effects contrast with gut-busting caricatures of Hollywood players and fame-hungry audiences.

Fargeat (“Revenge,” “Reality+”) couples the rapid tone shifts with aggressive direction. Misogynistic media moguls look hungrily at the camera while talking to Elisabeth. Point of view is a massive component, with Elisabeth’s perspective captured from both her own body and Sue’s.

Outside of unnerving close-ups and POV shots, Fargeat’s direction constantly dips into the surreal. Moments of high intensity see walls literally close in as Elisabeth loses her sense of self. The set design aids the paranoia, with bright colors adorning claustrophobic spaces.

Moore (“Ghost,” “G.I. Jane”) gives a multi-faceted performance regarding Elisabeth’s lack of control. Portraying an actress abandoned by the industry, Moore evolves a mid-life crisis into fanatic obsession when the Substance grants her a new outlet to be loved. 

As Moore’s younger alter-ego, Qualley (“Kinds of Kindness,” “Drive-Away Dolls”) plays to the fantastical standards Elisabeth no longer can. Performing outrageous televised dance routines for praise, every action from Qualley intends to entice the audience.

The film’s sci-fi and horror elements are outshined at times by its biting, gendered satire. TV producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) demeans Elisabeth and catcalls Sue while grossly scarfing down food. 

Outside film industry patriarchs, Elisabeth is bombarded by airheaded neighbors and passers-by aiming to interrupt her life. By never being treated as a normal person, Elisabeth succumbs to the objectifying standards she’s been conditioned for.

As a body horror film, “The Substance” goes above and beyond with its presentation. Fargeat’s unrestrained directing paints the replication and transference of life between the two bodies as meticulously unsettling.

Sue makes her emergence by gradually bursting from Elisabeths’ spine. The “Alien”-like sequence is a feat of grotesque special effects, with careful thought put into the mechanics of the two bodies’ relationship.

As Sue, Elisabeth stitches together her original body and removes spinal fluid to keep herself stable. Once the roles are reversed, Elisabeth hooks Sue to an IV rig, exchanging feeding fluids for one week. It’s a methodical process made unnerving by the film’s sound design — every squishing prod is capable of upsetting a viewer’s last meal.

The film aims for excess in every imaginable department, with an ending so grotesquely over-the-top it may leave audiences wanting a shower. For some films, overindulgence might be a crutch, but “The Substance” relishes in its absurdity to the point of endearment.

“The Substance” favors showing over telling, as bold billboards convey plot beats more than conversations. With dialogue few and far between, Moore and Qualley’s wordless reactions fill the runtime alongside a pulse-pounding soundtrack.

The Substance itself is purposefully left vague, as questions regarding its origins are left untouched to aid mystery. In that regard, the film resembles episodes of “The Twilight Zone” or “Black Mirror” by following a singular, self-destructive quest for status and affirmation.

“The Substance” is a genre-bending film that’s half laugh-out-loud comedy and half skin-crawling horror. It delights in its atmosphere, with visionary production as the cast both dazzles and alarms viewers.

Side effects for viewing “The Substance” may include nausea, mood swings and utter exhilaration.

“The Substance,” rated R, is in theaters now.