The wildest moments from horror film The Substance that caused major cinema walk outs

Coralie Fargeat is only on her second film, and is arguably the most exciting filmmaker around right now. If you missed her debut Revenge, get it seen. But the film everyone cannot shut up about – and with very good reason – is The Substance. Fargeat’s second film The Substance is an “instant classic” body horror, and stars Demi Moore as a fading celebrity who takes a mysterious substance that creates a younger, “better” version of herself with DIRE consequences. Like all good body horror films that get slapped with the “instant classic” achievement, The Substance has been majorly controversial and has several moments that will literally leave your jaw on the ground, your stomach churned and disbelief at what you’re watching. The Substance has had walk outs of every screening from people who can’t hack it, so here are the film’s wildest moments if you need to understand why.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Shrimps

In many ways, this one should be the least offensive. But for those of us who aren’t insane, it is actually top tier most harrowing. When Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is fired by her boss Harvey (Dennis Quaid), he decided to do so whilst gorging himself on a big bowl of shrimp. Nothing wrong with that of course, beyond the misogyny he’s spewing, but the way Coralie Fargeat creates this scene it feels like you’re watching a zombie devour human flesh. It’s vile. I’m shuddering thinking about it.

The first Substance injection

When Elisabeth Sparkle acquires the titular Substance, the moment we first see what it’s going to do is so shocking. It basically rips open her back, where she births the younger, better version of herself as promised in a moment that makes you absolutely itch.

The leather suit unzipping moment

When Sue first starts abusing her week in the world, she has a hallucination where she unzips her suit and what can only be described as hunks of meat and gore come flopping out. The gasp I let out in the cinema could be heard from Mars.

Sue completely abusing the stabiliser fluid

One of the most harrowing and heartbreaking parts of the film is when Sue decides she’s going fully off the deep end and not switching back to Elisabeth. She abuses and drains fluid from Elisabeth’s body to live on for three months and it leaves Elisabeth a haggard old woman. It’s so grim. The body stitching and piping to get the fluid is grim too. It’s all grim! But so good.

Sue starting to deteriorate

When she fully used all the stabiliser and then killed Elisabeth after the two separated, Sue couldn’t maintain her body without the other and so she starts to deteriorate. Cue the teeth falling, the ear falling off – hell and horror at every turn.

MONSTRO ELISASUE

I refuse to spoil this even for those that don’t care about spoilers, but after Sue starts to deteriorate she breaks the rule and injects herself with a Substance applicator. This creates Monstro Elisasue, a fusion that is utterly monstrous that merges both in a horrendous form. She causes chaos and gore erupts at the big finale of the New Year’s Eve show that the film has been building to. One of the wildest things you could ever see in a cinema. The Fly on steroids.

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