I'm hesitant to even share the trailer for The Substance, as I believe a completely blind experience might be the best way to approach it. What I can say is that it's an unhinged and utterly bonkers exercise in body horror. Coralie Fargeat and Julie Ducournau are going toe-to-toe in the French horror scene, creating films that are equal parts poignant and deeply uncomfortable.
The themes are purposefully unsubtle—Dennis Quaid’s repugnant studio executive is even named "Harvey." The performances are exaggerated in an entertaining way. It’s unabashedly Cronenbergian and might even make his most die-hard fans squirm.
The final act is insane. There's no other way to accurately describe it.