Fans reported audience members walked out of cinemas when it was first released
Film fans say it is one of the best thrillers ever, so long as you can stomach it.
Ahead of Halloween, a number of horror movies have been added to BBC iPlayer for fans to enjoy at no extra cost. That includes The Substance, which was originally released in cinemas to great acclaim back in 2024.
It later landed on premium subscription services following its theatrical run. This includes the likes of Paramount+, where it can still be found, but the broadcaster’s platform states it can be watched at no extra cost on iPlayer for the next three months.
According to its synopsis, the film’s story follows fading actress Elisabeth Sparkle who becomes distressed when her chauvinistic boss fires her from her aerobics show. She soon injects herself with a new and mysterious serum that promises a younger, better version of herself. As you might expect, it’s not long before things go horribly wrong.
Despite being a relatively low-budget production at under $20 million, the title boasted an impressive cast list. This includes Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid, and Margaret Qualley.
It would go on to earn more than $80 million at the box office globally and even earned plenty of awards buzz both for the film and its stars. The Substance was also one of the highest-rated movie releases of the year it came out, boasting an 89% score on the website Rotten Tomatoes.
When it first arrived in cinemas, some reports claimed that moviegoers struggled to actually sit through the entire thing. There were claims on social media that people walked out, unable to stomach it all, while others stated that audiences applauded at the end.
A number of reviews backed this up, such as one which claimed: “The Substance is an incredibly difficult watch, even for the most hardened horror fan. “This film is exemplary, there’s no doubt about that, but it pushed me to my absolute limit – perhaps even just beyond it. Don’t be fooled by the big names in the cast, this does not operate in the boundaries of mainstream cinema, it shatters them completely and you’ll feel like you’re fighting for your life. Bravo.”
Another critic agreed and added: “It’s the kind of film that requires courage from everybody involved, including the caterers who were presumably tasked with preparing a menu that wouldn’t end up on the shooting floor every day.”
Despite this, many fans still recommend it, as one posted online: “What a spectacular film, out of the ordinary, what an incredible social critique, the ending was just a bit exaggerated, but that’s also part of the criticism, I thought it would be just another generic horror film, no, far from it…”
But some still urge caution: “Warning! This movie is insanely gruesome and bloody. So much so that if you can’t handle excessive gore, you might just find yourself gagging. But if you can stomach it, The Substance is an absolutely wild ride, delivering one of the best horror-thriller experiences in years.”
Someone else called it “bonkers” and added: “The last 45 minutes were one of the greatest cinema experiences of my life, listening to a group of humans howl with laughter and scream and cover their eyes and ears in equal measure.”
The Substance is streaming on BBC iPlayer and Paramount+