A new horror thriller starring Hollywood heavyweight Demi Moore has been described as the ‘most disgusting film ever’ by some viewers.
The Substance, which debuts on global streaming platform Mubi today, has been generating buzz since its Cannes premiere in May.
It picked up the prize for best screenplay at the prestigious French film festival, as well as critical acclaim, with reviewers branding it ‘demented’ as well as ‘the most bats*** f****** insane movie of the last 20 years’.
Of course this chatter related to some of the movie’s unsavoury practices – which include 61-year-old Moore’s character Elisabeth Sparkle going as far as injecting herself in the spine – all in a bid to stave off the physical effects of ageing by using a protocol described as ‘the substance’ – but this leads to some unexpected outcomes, including a scene described by some as ‘boob vomiting’.
In the picture, Moore character is an ageing TV fitness instructor who who once had a prolific career, but now is in her 50s and has been fired from her TV show because of its falling ratings.
Demi Moore plays the protagonist Elisabeth Sparkle in new movie The Substance, which has been described as one of the ‘most disgusting’ films ever (pictured)
The gruesome movie features a lot of gore, which left some viewers feeling physically sick, according to reports
‘A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself,’ the IMDb synopsis reads.
In Sparkle attempt to create a ‘younger, better’ version of herself, she goes to repulsive extremes – which results in a movie packed with blood and gore. The response from viewers has been both praise and horror.
Speaking to BBC News about the role, Moore said: ‘It was a completely unique, out-of-the-box script, you could tell it was visually stimulating and at the same time, we had no idea how it would end up, which made it even more risky and juicy.’
She added: ‘I felt like that was why I wanted to do it, in a way. Part of what made it interesting was going to such a raw, vulnerable place, to really kind of peel away. And it was quite liberating in many respects.’
After taking the experimental ‘substance’, a new version of the actress – played by Margaret Qualley – bursts out of Sparkle’s body. There are then two versions of Sparkle, who have to hide from the public, to keep their secret – which, if discovered, will result in grotesque consequences for both of them.
And while Sparkle and her ‘alter-ego’ who calls herself ‘Sue’ live in separate bodies and lead separate lives, they have to ‘stabilise’ every day. They are connected by Sparkle, who is the ‘matrix’.
Every day, they must inject themselves with spinal fluids via a nauseating process.
In order for the protocol to work, the two versions of Sparkle have to inject themselves daily in the spine (pictured)
Oh, and they enjoy freedom every week on an alternative basis. So while one of the two characters is out living their lives, the other is comatose locked in a bathroom.
The rule that they must never take more than their seven days each in the real world is emphasised – and so when the two inevitably so, the other becomes increasingly frustrated – leading to a vicious physical fight in Sparkle’s apartment.
According to some critics, despite the feeling of inevitable dread that viewers feel while watching the film, the gore revealed in the final act of the movie truly shocking, with body explosions and even a breast being vomited up at one point.
However, while many fans of gore may enjoy the blood, limbs and vomit, there is a more salient point being made by the film.
This, of course, is the idea the movie is predicated on: the lengths this woman goes to in an attempt to adhere to society’s beauty standards – which mainly incorporate youth and thinness.
For a Hollywood veteran like Demi Moore, a staggeringly talented and beautiful actress who has graced the silver screen for several decades the challenge of pulling off the role of Elisabeth Sparkle, though large, was achievable.
The gore fest features huge amounts of blood – as well as other body parts including a vomited-up breast
According to the film’s director Coralie Fargeat, Moore ‘really understood the part’, and was willing to take the risk of jumping into it.
She told BBC News: ‘I knew from the start that with that kind of story, casting an actress to confront those very intense themes, which are resonating very closely, was going to be really difficult.’
Fargeat continued: ‘And when the idea of Demi came on the table I was really sure she wouldn’t want to do it, I thought it would be too scary. And when I heard she reacted positively to the script, it was like, “Oh my god!”. I was very surprised.’
The level of gore was such that some of the Cannes audience left during the screening, according to Kevin Maher of the Times, who called the film ‘puerile, pointless and intellectually specious’.
However, other critics awarded it five stars, including Rolling Stone‘s Anna Smith would said the movie ‘will get you thinking, talking and squirming’. She added that the body horror genre was taken to its very limit by the film, ‘daring the viewer to keep looking rather than hide, wretch or even vomit – all reactions are entirely feasible’.
Another five-star review came from the Telegraph‘s Tim Robey, who described as a ‘a humdinger of a satirical horror-thriller, by turns hilarious, affecting and jaw-droppingly grotesque’.
A number of teasers have been shared for the film, including one trailer which opens with a TV executive played by Dennis Quaid telling Sparkle: ‘People always ask for something new. It’s inevitable. At 50, well, it stops.’
The neon green liquid Sparkle injects in the film. The black market product is called ‘the substance’
After taking the substance, Elisabeth Sparkle (played by Demi Moore) she curls up into a ball in the shower
This is followed by a dizzying collage of images, accompanied by a voiceover that says: ‘Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself, younger, more beautiful, more perfect?
‘One single injection unlocks your DNA and will release another version of yourself.
‘This is the substance.’
The viewer is then told that use of the substance will give each version of the person seven days each – before adding ‘the one and only thing not to forget is that you are one. You can’t escape from yourself.’
The role required Moore to be completely naked in a scene where Qualley’s character is ‘birthed’ – which shows Moore examining her own nude body before Qualley emerges and looks at her own skin in a full-frontal scene.
Moore said: ‘I had someone who was a great partner who I felt very safe with. We obviously were quite close — naked — and we also got a lot of levity in those moments at how absurd those certain situations were. But ultimately. it’s just about really directing your communication and mutual trust.
Veteran actor Dennis Quaid (pictured) plays a flashy studio head called Harvey in the substance
During the picture, Moore transforms into a deteriorating old woman through prosthetics and said: ‘It was very strange. One thing that helped was my dog still recognised me. It was my touchstone of reality.’
After the film premiered it reportedly received a 13-minute standing ovation and Moore’s performance was branded ‘fearless’.
Her co-star Dennis Quaid referred to her Cannes comeback as a ‘incredible third act’ during a press conference after the film screened during the festival.
After being branded ‘inspirational’, Moore spoke about her own experience with making the film, which she claimed ‘pushed her out of her comfort zone’.
She said: ‘I look for things that push me out of my comfort zone; the opportunity to make a better person and actor.
While the film’s is a horror thriller with an outlandish plot, the premise is very familiar – the importance society places on youth when it comes to women (pictured: Demi Moore)
‘This touched on so many themes that we all face, we seek validation and belonging. By doing [the movie] it takes us to extremes and allows us to step into it in a unique way.
‘Through the process of the film, I think I came out with greater acceptance of myself.’
The 13-minute standing ovation after the film was the longest the 77th annual festival has seen so far, as a rapturous applause filled the theatre.
Moore said the vulnerability required for her role in the body horror film was both demanding and exciting.
The Substance is released on September 20.
