The Substance

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2:25

The Substance

R

Released Sep 20, 2024

2h 21m

Horror

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

360 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Verified Ratings

Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it's called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time -- one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each... Easy right? If you respect the balance... What could possibly go wrong?

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Critics Consensus

Audaciously gross, wickedly clever, and possibly Demi Moore's finest hour, The Substance is a gasp-inducing feat from writer-director Coralie Fargeat.

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Audience Says

While it may not suit everyone’s stomach, those with an appetite for the grotesque will succumb to Demi Moore’s Kafka-esque performance and feast on the bodily horrors of The Substance.

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Rachel Syme

The New Yorker

For my money, one of the best things you can do this season is to run to see the French director Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance while it is still playing on the big screen.

Oct 21, 2024

Full Review

Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Falls into the category of films that men like to claim as feminist.

Oct 8, 2024

Full Review

Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Extraordinary... This is daring and stylish.

Oct 8, 2024

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Monique Jones

Mediaversity Reviews

Despite its supposed feminist credentials, The Substance doesn’t exactly walk the walk.

Rated: C+

Feb 19, 2025

Full Review

Jorge Ignacio Castillo

The Canadian Crew

For all the things The Substance does right,...the film is so detached viewers may have a hard time getting emotionally invested. It’s more like watching an alien nature documentary about the lengths humans would go to remain forever young.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 15, 2025

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast

It's encouraging to see horror such as this earn worthy appreciation.

Feb 10, 2025

Full Review

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Kelly C

Absolutely the most horrible and disgusting movie Ive ever seen. How desperate was Demi to do this?!? Just awful!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

Google

Very bold. Few moments that don’t give the audience much credit

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/25

Full Review

Joshua C

i need this to win best makeup effects

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

Full Review

Larry

Too much gore, too much nudity. It ranked up there with the worst move we have seen. Movies are just not entertaining anymore.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

Full Review

Britania L

The movie was too long. It should be cut down by 30 minutes. The plot was lost at times and there were throwaway scenes.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/10/25

Full Review

Marc

Worst movie Ive seen this year! Story was simple, and poorly told. Last Show Girl was a similar theme, but much better movie!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/25

Full Review

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Coralie Fargeat

Director

Demi Moore

Elisabeth Sparkle

Margaret Qualley

Sue

Dennis Quaid

Harvey

Hugo Diego Garcia

Actor

Gore Abrams

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The Substance: Trailer 2

0:24

The Substance: Trailer 1

2:25

The Substance: Teaser Trailer

1:00

The Substance: Teaser

0:39

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Synopsis

Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it's called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time -- one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each... Easy right? If you respect the balance... What could possibly go wrong?

Director: Coralie Fargeat
Producer: Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan
Screenwriter: Coralie Fargeat
Distributor: MUBI
Production Co: Working Title Films
Rating: R (Graphic Nudity|Gore|Language|Strong Violent Content)
Genre: Horror, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 2024, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 31, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.2M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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