Shell

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2:27

Shell

R

Oct 2025

1h 40m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Max Minghella

Director

Elisabeth Moss

Samantha Lake

Kate Hudson

Zoe Shannon

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Shell: Trailer 1

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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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