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Shell

Play trailer 2:27 Poster for Shell R Oct 2025 1h 40m Horror Mystery & Thriller Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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65% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Desperate to reclaim her career, once-beloved actress Samantha Lake (Elisabeth Moss) is drawn into the glamorous world of wellness mogul Zoe Shannon (Kate Hudson)--only to uncover a monstrous truth beneath its flawless surface.
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Shell

Critics Reviews

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Benjamin Lee Guardian If only Shell was as outrageously fun as that all makes it sound, but there’s something oddly flat about it, actor-turned-director Max Minghella struggling to bring the luridly indulgent pleasures that something as silly as this so obviously needs. Rated: 2/5 Oct 3, 2025 Full Review Glenn Kenny RogerEbert.com As gnarly as things get, director Max Minghella and screenwriter Jack Stanley maintain a keen feeling for farce. Rated: 3/4 Oct 3, 2025 Full Review Noah Berlatsky Chicago Reader Shell’s a decent movie. It’s just unfortunate that in release date, plot, and theme, it so closely parallels a better one. Oct 1, 2025 Full Review Andiee Paviour Nobody's Reading This But Me When did Elisabeth Moss ever not rock a scene? Her relatability is an anchor in a slalom to damnation. Rated: 3/5 Oct 30, 2025 Full Review Pauline Adamek FILMINK (Australia) While the premise is serviceable, the execution is lacking: a film about surface polish that can’t quite find any of its own. Rated: 14/20 Oct 28, 2025 Full Review Nadine Whitney This is Film Shell has potential when it is a paean to 1950s and earlier science fiction horror, but when it pauses to make a point about the hollowness of Hollywood it face-plants. An uneven experience, but one not without a certain zest. Rated: 3/5 Oct 27, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Betsy P I truly believe Kate Hudson and Elizabeth Moss thought they were making some kind of cool movie. They were not. Kate Hudson as a beauty maven is laughable and Moss? Why did she let herself get involved with such a messy movie? She’s better than that. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/29/25 Full Review Shelly G Terrible, people turn into lobsters, lol! Shocked Kate Hudson would be in this cruddy film. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/27/25 Full Review Rupert P. Fun pastiche of De Palma & Cronenberg but way more campy and comedic! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/27/25 Full Review Devin P. Weird. Def seems substance coded but loved both leads in this. A little slow at times but worth a watch once free on streaming Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/25/25 Full Review Kristy M. I liked it better when it was called the Substance! And really with the crustacean?!?! 😒 Also, Elizabeth Moss could have been styled SO much better. Who would risk becoming a crustacean for a mediocre makeover??? Rated 1 out of 5 stars 10/24/25 Full Review Vincent S. A very cheesy monster, body horror movie with plot holes but I liked it, had fun and loved Elizabeth Moss and Kate Hudson’s performances. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/24/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Shell

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Movie Info

Synopsis Desperate to reclaim her career, once-beloved actress Samantha Lake (Elisabeth Moss) is drawn into the glamorous world of wellness mogul Zoe Shannon (Kate Hudson)--only to uncover a monstrous truth beneath its flawless surface.
Director
Max Minghella
Producer
Fred Berger, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Max Minghella, Elisabeth Moss, Lindsey McManus, Hal Sadoff, Norman Golightly, Alicia Van Couvering
Screenwriter
Jack Stanley
Distributor
Republic Pictures
Production Co
Range Media Partners, Blank Tape, Love & Squalor Pictures, Dark Castle Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 3, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 3, 2025
Runtime
1h 40m
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