Film fans were left screaming and feeling faint when they sat down to watch Demi Moore’s new stomach-churning movie, The Substance, this week.
The brutal ‘body horror’ has left some cinema-goers feeling ‘traumatised’, while others told MailOnline it caused around a third of the audience to walk out of the cinema.
The Substance aims to tackle the issue of impossible Hollywood beauty standards and sees Demi play the role of Elisabeth Sparkle.
Unceremoniously sacked as she hits her 50th birthday, Elisabeth discovers a black-market drug known as ‘The Substance’ which can create a ‘younger, more beautiful, more perfect’ version of its user – but the drug’s strict conditions are gruesome.
The film’s most graphic scenes ramp up in the third act with Demi’s character and her younger self, who is played by Margaret Qualley, having a nude bloody fight.
But the reaction from fans has been mixed – with one fan enjoying the gory scenes and describing it as ‘really insane in the best possible way’, while another said he would only recommend it to people who were ‘weird’.
The Substance tackles the issue of impossible Hollywood beauty standards and sees Demi play the role of Elisabeth Sparkle
Body positivity is just one of the things that had critics raving about The Substance – in which Demi and Margaret Qualley’s (pictured) characters have a nude bloody fight
This is the official movie poster for The Substance, which has been dividing critics
Amy, 25, and George, 25, said they were left ‘speechless’ by the amount of blood and guts in the film which caused around a third of the audience to leave.
‘There is a lot of blood and gore at the end. It is fairly shocking’, Amy told MailOnline.
George added: ‘I did feel a bit faint. I took a sip of my water, tried not to faint.’
Amy said: ‘It took a weird turn that’s for sure. Quite a lot of people walked out actually, I don’t know if it was because it got bad or they didn’t like the blood. In the last half an hour people were leaving.’
When asked how many people left, George replied: ‘It was a 4pm on a Monday showing but 3 or 4 people left, and there were only about 15 people there to start.’
When asked if they enjoyed it, they both replied ‘yes’ and said although they wouldn’t go see it again, they would recommend it to a friend.
Another cinema-goer at the showing in central London said: ‘At least 20 people walked out of my screening in Leicester Square before the end. It was brutal.
‘Most people watched it through their hands. It was the most graphic film I’ve ever seen.’
Amy, 25, and George, 25, said they were left ‘speechless’ by the amount of blood and guts in the film which caused around a third of the audience to leave
The gore fest features huge amounts of blood – as well as other body parts including a vomited-up breast
The film shows Demi’s character take a drug called The Substance to relive her youth
Demi’s film, in which she co-stars with Margaret Qualley, is a blood-soaked dystopian satire of the male gaze, which takes graphic approach to speaking truth to power
The black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself, unknowingly gives Demi’s character horrifying side effects
Demi Moore’s gory new film The Substance is leaving cinemagoers walking out after mere minutes as they say it’s the ‘most graphic film they’ve ever seen’
Cammi, 28, and Lewis, 31, saw the film on Monday afternoon and said it was ‘wacky’.
‘I thought it was really good, quite insightful’, said Cammi.
Lewis said: ‘I thought it was insane. I thought it was really insane in the best possible way. It highlights that industry and the negative aspects surrounding that self-image that goes with your age and stuff.
‘If there are any fans of body horror out there, which I am, then it is just absolutely mental. It really reminded me of old-school 80s body horrors in a way. You could tell it was influenced from those films in a way.
‘I’ve watched a lot of horror films, I’m a huge horror guy. I kind-of get a kick out of all the gore.
‘This was the perfect kind of body horror that fans will kind of love.’
Cammi said: ‘Honestly a lot of people were laughing towards the end, and I was like “but Demi Moore is so pretty”. But yeah it made an impact on me but it wasn’t anything I didn’t already think when it came to ageism and sexism in the industry.
Lewis concluded: ‘Fantastic. Ten out of Ten. A great horror film for the season.’
Cammi, 28, told MailOnline: ‘I thought it was really good, quite insightful’
Lewis, 31, said: ‘I thought it was insane. I thought it was really insane in the best possible way. It highlights that industry and the negative aspects surrounding that self-image that goes with your age and stuff
One cinema-goer at a showing of The Substance in Leicester Square, central London, said: ‘Most people watched it through their hands. It was the most graphic film I’ve ever seen’
Social media comments have included calling the film ‘a raw, gory, grotesque, WILD depiction of the effects of ageism and the beauty standards set on women’
University student Callum, 21, said the film was ‘weird’ and the ending left him ‘sitting there not sure what to do’.
He said: ‘I’m quite fine with gore, but it’s quite a loud film. I don’t want to give spoilers but some people walked out, I saw maybe 5/6 people walk out in the third act.’
When asked to sum up the film he replied: ‘Strange. I have no idea. I don’t think I would watch it again.
And when asked if he would recommend it to a friend, he said: ‘If you have a weird friend then maybe. But a normal friend? They won’t like you.’
Maya, who works as an acupuncturist, loves to see films she has no idea what they are about, so went into the film totally blind.
MailOnline reporters spotted the avowed not-a-horror fan treading out of the cinema in Leicester Square with a stunned look on her face.
When asked about the film, the 50-year-old replied: ‘It is obviously a testament to women suffering in the pressures of beauty and ageing. I think that is the main part of it.
‘I was in the front row. I didn’t know what to expect but it was exceptionally gory.
University student Callum, 21, said the film was ‘weird’ and the ending left him ‘sitting there not sure what to do’
Maya, 50, said: ‘It is obviously a testament to women suffering in the pressures of beauty and ageing. I think that is the main part of it’
The horror film was written and directed by Coralie Fargeat (pictured at the premiere on September 16)
‘I didn’t hear people walking out because they were behind me but I wouldn’t have been surprised if they did.
‘I think it is very shocking really. But Demi Moore wow, to put yourself through that was quite amazing as well. It is a big testament to women, beauty and ageing, and Hollywood obviously. Praising youth you know.
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When asked if she would see it again, she replied: ‘Not in the cinema, no I wouldn’t see it again. It is very intense. I would absolutely go and recommend for people to go and see it.’
Jaz, 37, who works in banking, said: ‘It was good. I went into it having heard it was quite gruesome and it was worse than I thought it would be in that sense.
‘But I like the film, I don’t normally watch much sci-fi or horror but it was a bit of a wild trip.
‘I had to look away quite a few times, it was quite a lot. I did look away and pull my hat down but I didn’t want to walk out.
‘There was quite a lot of screaming and shouting but I don’t know if anyone walked out because I was quite near the front.
‘I wouldn’t go to see it again but I would watch it again at home.
‘I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, only to people if they had a strong stomach, it is not for everyone.’
Jaz, 37, who works in banking, said: ‘I had to look away quite a few times, it was quite a lot. I did look away and pull my hat down but I didn’t want to walk out’
Speaking to BBC News, Moore herself 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.
‘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.
They each enjoy freedom every week on an alternative basis – so while one of the two characters is out living her life, 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.
Movie-goers have been describing on X, formerly Twitter, how ‘gory’ and ‘disgusting’ they found The Substance – and also told of fellow viewers walking out of cinemas mid-screening
Demi discussed the film and her character on her first ever appearance on The Graham Norton Show on Friday.
The Ghost star was joined on the show by her canine companion Pilaf, a chihuahua who attends many of her public events with her.
Her little dog proved to be an instant hit with Lady Gaga, who was also on the show alongside Colin Farrell and Richard Ayoade.
Talking about the critically acclaimed film, she said: ‘It is almost impossible to fully describe because it is dealing with some serious subject matters.
‘The best way I can sum it up is that it is like The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Death Becomes Her meets a Jane Fonda workout video.’
Asked whether it was liberating not to worry about what she looked like for the role, Demi said: ‘I was very much pushed out of my comfort zone, but it was great to show up and be allowed to look bad!’
Elsewhere in the conversation, she reminisced about being nude on the cover of Vanity Fair when she was seven months pregnant with daughter Scout.
She said: ‘It really was taken just for me but then I got the call to say they would like to use it. I said yes, never thinking it would have the impact it did.’
Demi admitted it was refreshing to be ‘allowed to look bad’ in new body horror film The Substance during an appearance on The Graham Norton show
Demi reminisced on Graham Norton about being nude on the cover of Vanity Fair when she was seven months pregnant with daughter Scout
The film sees Elisabeth dealt a devastating blow on her birthday when she is fired by ruthless executive, played by Dennis Quaid
The Substance has been hailed by critics for what has been dubbed its ‘deliciously unhinged and dread-inducing’ levels of gore, with one describing it as ‘a shocking assault on the senses’.
The film sees the character Elisabeth dealt a devastating blow on her birthday when she is fired by a ruthless executive played by Dennis Quaid.
Feeling rejected by a town that once loved her and despairing over her bygone star power, Elisabeth learns from a handsome young nurse about a black-market drug that promises to turn the user into a ‘younger, more beautiful, more perfect’ version of them self.
Though Elisabeth initially tosses the phone number in the bin, she soon fishes it out in a desperate panic and places an order.
The one rule to follow is that Elisabeth and her better self Sue (Margaret Qualley) must trade places every seven days.
So for one week at a time, she is forced again to live as her 50-year-old self.
But the allure of youth and a made-for-TV butt proves too strong to resist that she tests the boundaries to see what the worst that can happen is if she squeezes an extra day or two in.
Earlier this month, Demi’s new film was described as the ‘most disgusting film ever’ by some viewers after it debuted on global streaming platform Mubi, having been generating buzz since its Cannes premiere in May
In order for the protocol to work, the two versions of Sparkle have to inject themselves daily in the spine (pictured)
Earlier this month, Demi’s new film was described as the ‘most disgusting film ever’ by some viewers after it debuted on global streaming platform Mubi, having 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.
This is all in a bid to stave off the physical effects of ageing by using a protocol described as ‘the substance’ – but leads to some unexpected outcomes, including a scene described by some as ‘boob vomiting’.
Following its Cannes premiere The Substance received positive reviews and, at the time in May, had a 92 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Body positivity is just one of the things that had critics raving about The Substance – in which Demi and Margaret’s characters have a nude bloody fight – which received a 13-minute standing ovation at the festival.
Earlier this month, Demi’s new film was described as the ‘most disgusting film ever’ by some viewers
Tim Robey, reviewing the movie for the Daily Telegraph, said: ‘It’s the casting of Moore and her willingness to denude herself at 61 – emotionally, as well as physically– that gives The Substance a startling connection with its themes.
‘Not for 30 years has she owned a film with anything like this certitude.’
Other critics have praised Qualley, Quaid and Fargeat’s direction.
‘[Coralie Fargeat] draws on much of the hyperbolic flamboyance that’s come to define megaplex horror,’ wrote Owen Gleiberman for Variety.
‘But unlike 90 per cent of those movies, The Substance is the work of a filmmaker with a vision. She’s got something primal to say to us.’
Not all critics were fond of The Substance – with Kevin Maher of the Times calling it ‘puerile, pointless and intellectually specious’ in his review.
Hannah Strong, for Little White Lies, wrote: ‘The Substance’s execution of its supposed themes is as shallow as the very thing it’s critiquing, a stab at feminism without actually saying anything other than ‘women are held to excruciating beauty standards’.
‘There’s no compassion here, and certainly no catharsis – just more and a sense we’ve done this all before.’
Margaret Qualley, Coralie Fargeat, Dennis Quaid and Demi Moore at the Los Angeles premiere of The Substance on September 16, 2024 in Los Angeles
Following its Cannes premiere, The Substance received positive reviews, and at the time in May, had 92 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes
In more recent reviews, the Evening Standard’s Nick Howells described it as the ‘best and maddest film of the year so far’ as he gave it five stars.
He added: ‘Caveat: as long as you like a full portion of body horror and are happy to be spattered head to toe in blood and mutant body parts.
‘It all climaxes way beyond where you could dare imagine it might end, in a riotously hilarious torrent of blood the likes of which you might never have witnessed before.
‘A sledgehammer parable for the Ozempic generation, The Substance, with all confidence, is an instant classic.’
Meanwhile, Krysta Fauria of AP described it as ‘disgusting and deranged’ as she wrote: ‘The film’s deliciously unhinged, blood-soaked and inevitably polarising third act is what makes it unforgettable.
‘What begins as a dread-inducing but still relatively palatable sci-fi flick spirals deeper into absurdism and violence, eventually erupting — quite literally — into a full-blown monster movie.’
For the Mail, Brian Viner wrote of the film’s ‘snapping, bursting, oozing and squelching’ in his three-star review.
Starring Hollywood’s highest paid actress Demi , The Substance tells the story of Elisabeth, a famed aerobics instructor with a televised show
He said: ‘There’s plenty of popping in The Substance. Popping, in fact, might be the least of it, alongside snapping, bursting, oozing and squelching, in a grotesque body-horror satire that isn’t for the squeamish but might be for the ticklish, if you can find the funny side.
‘Yet for all its dystopian grisliness, Oscar Wilde would have recognised this story, which echoes The Picture Of Dorian Gray, but of course has particular resonance in today’s looks-obsessed society.’
RTE’s Bren Murphy added: ‘Coralie Fargeat, the French director of 2017’s powerfully violent Revenge, returns with The Substance, and when it comes to delivering more shocking visceral images with a message, she’s not holding back.
‘Darkly funny, intense, and extremely graphic, this is a shocking assault on the senses, in a good way – on second thoughts, in a masterful way.’
However two critics weren’t entirely sure its critique of the male gaze had landed.
Financial Times journalist Danny Leigh said: ‘The longer the movie plays, the more you find other flaws. How gross beauty standards are, we are told, while for reasons that would be a spoiler, also being invited to shudder at elderly women’s bodies.
The Evening Standard’s Nick Howells described it as the ‘best and maddest film of the year so far’ as he gave it five stars
‘A satire of the male gaze this filled with young women twerking, they said, can look a lot like what it is meant to be satirising.’
While Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent noted: ‘The Substance’s final stretch descends into a full-blown, blood-fountain homage to gross-out cult classics like Brian Yuzna’s 1989 horror film Society.
‘It turns the body into a public spectacle and invites the audience in, a little too eagerly, to gawk at what has elsewhere been presented as such intimate, secret disgust.’
Meanwhile American viewers also told of people quitting their seats in dismay.
Among those reacting to the film was TikToker Kevin Jacobs, who declared himself a fan despite admitting to finding it ‘repulsive’.
‘This film is disgusting, repulsive and I loved it. It’s so so good that it’s probably in the mix in Oscar season but it’s probably too weird,’ he said.
‘If you are a freak, this is a film for you. Also, Dennis Quaid – who plays the Harvey character – is so gross. When he eats shrimp, it’s one of the grossest things I’ve seen on film.
‘If you love body horror, this is a great entry into the canon but don’t bring anybody who’s queasy.’
Other TikTokers shared videos of themselves looking happy going into the movie and queasy and disturbed afterwards, while one declared it the ‘most traumatising movie of 2024’.
Among those reacting to the film was TikToker Kevin Jacobs, who declared himself a fan despite admitting to finding it ‘repulsive’
Many reacted negatively to the movie, with ‘crazy.babooshka’ questioning the producers’ thinking.
‘I watched the substance yesterday and have a pit in my stomach. It’s also made me scared to age,’ she wrote.
‘I just found it so sad bar the last 10 minutes where I don’t know what the producers thought they were doing.’
Movie reviewer ceryslovesfilm was equally horrified, complaining of the ‘medical gore, physical violence’ and ‘thrown-up organs’.
TikToker such.polina offered a more nuanced take, insisting the film had ‘so much to offer’ despite being ‘messed up’.
‘The Substance is a very specific type of messed up,’ she wrote in a caption. ‘There’s body horror, loads of needles, lost of skin opening up, disturbing depictions of aging and A LOT of blood and visceral sounds, however if you’re able to get past that, this film has SO much to offer.
‘Between the stunning cinematography, amazing soundtrack and stellar performances The Substance really has it all, but only if you can handle it.’
TikToker ceryslovesfilm was horrified, complaining of the ‘medical gore, physical violence’ and ‘thrown-up organs’
X users also shared comments about just how ‘gory’ and ‘disgusting’ they found the film – though with many praising it and Moore’s performance in particular.
Comments have included calling the film ‘a raw, gory, grotesque, WILD depiction of the effects of ageism and the beauty standards set on women’.
One X user cautioned cautioned: ‘Be warned: Very gory & disgusting imagery.’
Another, from the US, wrote: ‘Ya shoulda seen the faces on the two women who walked out of the theater behind me. I guess they thought they were going to see a nice new Demi Moore movie.’
A separate poster wrote: ‘The Substance: not entirely sure what I just watched. Felt faint. Almost walked out. But also still enjoyed? Ageism is real. And despite at times feeling overly sexualised, it highlights that we can try to stop it – it’s impossible. Demi Moore is a force!!!’
Another said: ‘Three people walked out at my showing (which was quite full), each one during different scenes that were increasingly more graphic.’
