It’s officially fall, which means the rush to watch horror movies is on. And one of the best body horror movies in years is in theaters now. It’s called The Substance, it comes from writer/director Coralie Fareat (FAR-jah), it stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, and it is absolutely bonkers. At times a painfully honest portrayal of addiction, body dysmorphia, and aging, and at other times a stomach-churning, R-rated body horror movie with some truly disturbing and upsetting images.
The Substance is about an aging Hollywood star, Elisabeth Sparkle, who is fired from her job hosting an exercise show on her birthday. Feeling dejected, she injects a black market drug called simply The Substance, which makes a younger, more beautiful version of herself. If she follows the instructions carefully, The Substance should help her without a hitch. But this is a body horror movie, so you can trust some horrific side effects come into play. Winner of this year’s Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival, The Substance showcases Demi Moore especially in what may be a career-best performance, gives audiences some things to thing about, and leaves you feeling absolutely grossed out. A body horror masterpiece indeed.
If grossout horror isn’t your thing, though, this fall has plenty of other horror options in store. A new film version of Stephen King’s classic novel Salem’s Lot was just released on Max. Netflix is scheduled to release a few horror movies of their own, with Platform 2 scheduled to hit the service on October 4 and Don’t Move streaming beginning on October 25. Meanwhile, Smile 2 will play in theaters on October 18, and the original Saw is going to be re-released into theaters on October 20. And of course every streaming service will be highlighting horror hits all month long. Let me go out on a limb and recommend some Alfred Hitchcock if you’ve never taken the leap before. Psycho is a classic for a reason
Horror fans, your time is now. Pumpkin patches, haunted houses, and trips to the theater to see terrifying things are all on the horizon.
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