Review of The Substance: Mike Nelson Has Seen This Movie Before

 

It's been a while since I did a review, but after seeing that horror movie that's MUCH more than skin deep known as The Substance, I had to say some things about it. 

Anyone who has seen it already know the irony of the above picture. Otherwise, SEE THIS MOVIE. It's got a lot to say about beauty and its false worth with Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley as (in a way) the same person.
Of course, it made a big splash recently in Cannes thanks to its story about Elizabeth Sparkle, a fading Hollywood star who's fired from her fitness TV show because she's 50. That's the reason an oily guy named Harvey (Dennis Quaid) gives, anyway.

Liz gets her hands on a black-market drug called "The Substance", which claims can make her a better and younger version of herself. It does, namely a woman named Sue. How she emerges is only the start of the horror. 
Are there drawbacks? You bet. The drug works if both Liz and Sue stick to switching bodies every seven days exactly. That means one is "hibernating" while the other is active. Sue fails to do that and Liz pays the price for it in gruesome ways. However, Liz also makes sure Sue pays a price. 

The second half is especially shocking about how both Liz and Sue (who, remember, are the same person) battle for power by abusing the drug. What the movie does to show this battle in horrifying ways will knock you for a loop, especially the last 20 minutes.
It's also notable there are NO sympathetic men in the film. It's like the movie exists in a world where Trump's in charge and sexual harassment is part of the Constitution. 

Of course, both Demi and Margaret really commit to their roles. It's Demi's best role of someone who's trying to maintain a life at a high cost. Margaret may be vapid thanks to her beauty, but it's not long before she realizes how easily her perfect life can end. If not for the fact that the Oscars are allergic to horror (with some exceptions), they should be up for awards.

I was especially surprised how far both actresses went in this movie. You get an extensive look on what they look like nude. For Demi, it shows her body is just fine no matter what Harvey says. For Margaret, showing her nude in her early scenes makes sense because Sue is literally born from Liz's spine. It takes her some time not only to be able to speak, but stabilize Liz while she is out of commission. Clothes, and stealing Liz's life, come later. 

A more impressive move is how the movie starts. An egg is injected with something, and eventually it becomes two eggs. That's followed with how Liz gets a star on the Walk of Fame but it ages and cracks along with her. It certainly gets the message across. 

So how come I said that "Mike Nelson has seen this movie before"? 
The story is actually familiar to anyone who saw The Leech Woman, the second episode from season eight of Mystery Science Theater 3000.This was about a woman who drinks to forget she isn't as young as she used to be. Thanks to a mysterious old woman, she discovers a rare flower from Africa that can make her young. Thing is, it has to be mixed with secretions from pineal glands for it to work.
So, it's a 1950's version of The Substance. Actually, it's a variation of the vampire theme, with the Leech Woman seeking glands instead of blood. 
Still, is it that far away from an aging woman using a dangerous drug to be young, resulting in side effects that will destroy her? 

The movie may not in theaters for long, thanks to upcoming competition from a Joker, other horror movies and the origin story of SNL. Still, seek out The Substance when you can.