The Substance: 5 movies to watch if you liked the body-horror film

Among 2024's horror films, The Substance stands out, expertly combining gore, comedy, and pointed social commentary to create a fascinating experience for viewers.

In Coralie Fargeat's film, aging actress Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) undergoes a terrifying experience after taking an experimental drug designed to create a "new her." Elisabeth's duplication by the drug leads to a power battle.

Avid fans of the movie are fascinated by its deep exploration of graphic body horror, complex issues of identity, and stringent social beauty standards.

These five films offer more equally charming movies; add them to your watchlist.

Here are 5 movies to watch if you love The Substance:

1. X (2022)

Distant from the town, X chronicles a group of young adults producing an adult movie on a rural farm but the filmmakers soon encounter the furious anger of their disapproving older hosts.

Ti West's slasher film blends an important amount of graphic violence and a large degree of explicit sexuality while examining the anxieties of aging.

Similar to The Substance, X employs a meaningful amount of horror in a precise and forceful manner to analyze society's large and common preoccupation with youth and beauty.

Pearl, the prequel, along with the sequel, MaXXXine, advances the film's exploration of how the entertainment industry treats women, a key theme in Fargeat’s work.

2. Ginger Snaps (2000)

This cult classic horror film by John Fawcett narrates the story of two sisters named Ginger and Brigitte, whose relationship is put to the test right after Ginger suffers a transformation into a werewolf.

As Ginger’s ferocious compulsions slide from under her control, the sisters deal with their altering dynamic.

A lot like Elisabeth and Sue in The Substance, the siblings’ relationship replicates themes of individuality and power struggles.

3. Starry Eyes (2014)

Starry Eyes follows an aspiring actress, Sarah played by Alexandra Essoe, who is seen to be making a Faustian bargain (a deal with someone evil where the person ends up giving up on something in exchange for worldly advances) with an ominous producer in exchange for stardom and fame.

As Sarah’s body begins to rot and deteriorate in horrifying ways, the film highlights a dark picture of Hollywood’s abusive behavior.

Starry Eyes looks into the ominous side of the entertainment industry, which emphasizes the stress it takes on women’s bodies.

4. Dorian Gray (2009)

With the underlining themes of The Substance, a film adaptation of a book written by Oscar Wild comes to mind. Dorian Gray and The Substance both explore the societal obsession with youth and beauty.

Elisabeth Sparkle who is a fading and aging Hollywood star, makes a horrifying deal with “the substance,” which allows her to create a younger, beautiful version of herself.

Sue and Elizabeth here share the same consciousness and it has been highlighted time and time again in the film with the tagline “You are one.”

However, it is the lifestyle that Sue learns to adapt and becomes the cause of Elizabeth’s body to rot and deteriorate quickly.

A lot like Dorian Gray his cursed portrait in the attic painted by Basil Hallward highlights the eerie after-effects of such desires to remain young forever.

Along with the body horror with criticism and social commentary on Hollywood’s beauty standards set for women today, The Substance brings out a much more modern link to Oscar Wild’s timeless classic.

5. The Fly (1986)

David Cronenberg’s retelling of The Fly with Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle, who is a scientist whose experiment with teleportation goes wrong when his DNA blends with the DNA of a fly. Seth’s horrifying alteration into the “Brundlefly” is one of the most looked at films when it comes to body horror.

Fans of The Substance will find resemblances in The Fly’s quest for identity, bodily deterioration, and the emotional outcome of such drastic changes.