I usually squirm in my seat or cover my eyes when I watch films that show vile, unnatural body manipulation. But the blend of body horror, comedy and dazzling visuals — as well as an awesome, grinding techno score — makes the grotesque in The Substance easy to bear. 

Starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, the film details aging celebrity Elisabeth Sparkle, played by Moore, and her attempt to regain her glory days through a strange underground drug called “the substance.” The serum causes a younger, more attractive version of Sparkle named Sue to emerge from her body and take the TV fitness world by storm. 

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Problems arise when the two versions of Sparkle misuse the drug and face negative side effects. 

While the obvious analogy about unrealistic, destructive beauty standards may be a detriment to other films, it excels in The Substance. The humorous back and forth rivalry between Sparkle and Sue drive home the theme that the two versions remain one. 

Writer and director Coralie Fargeat’s script is driven by the rigid, easy to understand rules of the drug’s operation, and the clear consequences the leads face after foolishly breaking those guidelines. The film lands the cautionary tale lesson phenomenally.

The Substance nods to the body horror subgenre with close-ups of Sue sewing a long gash on Sparkle’s back and shots of Sparkle injecting herself with neon green serum. I couldn’t get enough of the sensational, gaudy visuals and wild camerawork. 

Dabbling in an 80s aesthetic, the film is hyper-stylized, obscene and shockingly sexual. The entire movie is a treat for the eye, especially the film’s climax at the end that contains a comical amount of blood. 

Many scenes evoke the style of John Carpenter’s The Thing and David Lynch’s The Elephant Man — two classics that The Substance should be placed alongside.

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There are other similarities between the dark comedic world of The Substance and filmmaker Ari Aster’s last film, Beau is Afraid.  Both feature scores of satirical moments where the audience isn’t sure whether to gasp or laugh. Of the three others in my theater, two of them laughed throughout the entire screening. 

Beneath the visceral horror, gore, humor and the knockout special effects, though, lurks a deep sadness that underscores the film’s larger commentary on modern beauty standards. 

In one scene, we watch Sparkle struggle to prepare for a date, feeling she cannot compete with Sue. She constantly changes her makeup and appearance as the clock ticks, finally deciding to stay home and eat alone, wallowing in self-hatred and feelings of inadequacy.

But the main drives carrying the film are its moments of laughter and terror — cementing The Substance as one of this year’s most intriguing and fulfilling watches yet.