The Substance

Play trailer

2:25

The Substance

R

Released Sep 20, 2024

2h 21m

Horror

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

363 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?

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

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.

Read Audience Reviews

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

Full Review

A.S. Hamrah

n+1

The film is too long for its one concept.

Mar 4, 2025

Full Review

Cory Woodroof

For the Win (USA Today)

The gallons of blood, refreshingly aggressive symbolism and sensational turns from [Demi] Moore and Margaret Qualley all make [Coralie] Fargeat's body-swap romp one of the delightfully unexpected Best Picture nominees of all time.

Feb 28, 2025

Full Review

Sarah Ward

Concrete Playground

A new body-horror masterpiece. Pump it up: the sci-fi concept; the stunning command of sound, vision and tone; the savagery and smarts; the gonzo willingness to keep pushing and parodying; the gore; and the career-reviving performance from Demi Moore

Feb 25, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

MBQ

I was excited to see this film when I got on Blu Ray sucks that I missed my showtime because I fell asleep after coming back home from the gym.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/24/25

Full Review

Shroom

The Substance instantly became one of my favorite horror films of all time. Tops notch acting, amazing filmography, and an excellent relatable story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

Full Review

David

For being 140min it moves at a pretty quick pace. Great elements of modern and classic horror. All the comparisons made to Corman, Carpenter, Argento, and even a little early Karine or Peter Jackson are on point. Reminds me of going to Chart Hits as a teenager and grabbing that movie off the bot knowing I would be WAY too high for what I was about to watch, and I mean that in a wholly positive manner. Those with a good theater system will appreciate the excellent sound design. Great film, glad I chose to see it in theater.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/07/25

Full Review

Lynn

The special effects/Makeup were top notch. Oscar material

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/03/25

Full Review

Ape-Scape7

Loved the beautiful demi moore and what the represented about older women. People want newer, better, etc. sometimes classics and well seasoned is the way to go. I saw myself in some parts. Love the view of dennis quad on the lens. loved the concept. loved the gore. Thank you for a fantastic movie! Thank you for bringing it to the theater!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/02/25

Full Review

liz

Dumbest movie I have ever seen and I am 55 years old. 0 stars!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/02/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Coralie Fargeat

Director

Demi Moore

Elisabeth Sparkle

Margaret Qualley

Sue

Dennis Quaid

Harvey

Hugo Diego Garcia

Actor

Gore Abrams

Actor

Nosferatu

84%

73%

Nosferatu

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Nosferatu

Children of the Corn

11%

38%

Children of the Corn

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Children of the Corn

Immaculate

71%

58%

Immaculate

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Immaculate

The Beast Within

40%

49%

The Beast Within

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Beast Within

The Exorcist: Believer

22%

57%

The Exorcist: Believer

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Exorcist: Believer

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Awards Leaderboard: Best Movies of 2024

Rotten Tomatoes Predicts the 2025 Oscar Nominations

Dune: Part Two and The Substance Nominated at 2025 Producers Guild Awards (PGA)

The Substance: Trailer 2

0:24

The Substance: Trailer 1

2:25

The Substance: Teaser Trailer

1:00

The Substance: Teaser

0:39

View more videos

View more photos

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): $17.6M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

Most Popular at Home Now