A fierce debate has erupted online about the genre of Demi Moore’s new film The Substance.
The film, billed on Wikipedia as a “satirical body horror” film, was recently submitted to the Golden Globes in the Best Musical/Comedy categories.
This has divided fans of the film and led to a debate over what genre it actually is.
‘Claim this year’s best film as a comedy? Of course there is little camp humor in it. But a comedy???’ one asked.
Another wrote: ‘There are a lot of things in this movie, but funny isn’t one of them.’
There has been a fierce debate online about the genre of Demi Moore’s new film The Substance
The film, billed on Wikipedia as a “satirical body horror” film, was recently submitted to the Golden Globes in the Best Musical/Comedy categories.
A third disagreed, writing: ‘I don’t know why people are confused. This was so clearly a comedy. Dark comedy, yes, but extremely satirical in nature.’
Another moviegoer agreed, noting, “Comedy can be many things and you don’t have to be honest about it being a comedy.
“Some things are just funny without you saying it’s funny.”
According to IMDbThe Substance is listed under multiple genres, including horror, dark comedy, and drama.
Demi stars in The Substance – directed, written and produced by French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat – as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former Oscar winner who has transitioned to a successful TV career with a popular aerobics program.
But when she turns 50, she is unceremoniously fired from her show because the network – led by an over-the-top Dennis Quaid – is looking for a younger host, even though the show seems to be getting good ratings.
When Elisabeth hears about a mysterious drug called The Substance that can help her stay young, she jumps at the chance.
The shadowy substance causes her to gain a second, younger body (played by Margaret Qualley), which she can inhabit for seven days – although she must be free in her body for a full week before switching again.
Fans are divided online over whether The Substance is a comedy or a horror
Her younger self proves to be a hit with the network and picks up her old show, but Elisabeth realizes that her younger self is having trouble using her body for only seven days at a time, and their delayed transmissions begin to cause significant, stomach-churning pain. impact on Elisabeth’s body.
The film is being praised by film fans for being a return to the body horror subgenre pioneered by filmmakers such as David Cronenberg (The Fly, Videodrome), Brian Yuzna (Society) and Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, From Beyond).
Demi, who undergoes multiple shocking physical transformations in The Substance, has received some of the best reviews of her career, while Margaret has completed a string of critically acclaimed performances with author filmmakers.
The film contains an impressive amount of gore for an international co-production that played at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Best Screenplay award earlier this year.
So gory, in fact, that moviegoers in both Britain and the US have deserted screenings because of the extreme violence on display.
Demi stars in The Substance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former Oscar winner who searches for a medicine to stay young
According to IMDb, The Substance is listed under multiple genres, including horror, dark comedy, and drama
Demi told Interview magazine she was “touched.” when she read the movie script.
She thought it was “such a unique way to explore this issue of aging, of societal conditioning, of what I also see as the pressures of the male-idealized woman that we as women have to deal with.”
She continued: ‘At its core it’s really about what we do to ourselves, and I loved that it was illustrated in such a physical way – that violence was shown with what we do with our thoughts, how we attack ourselves and things distort.
“There is great power in knowing that what we do to ourselves is a choice, and that we can make a different choice,” she continued.
“And for those who aren’t looking for such a profound message, it’s just plain entertaining.”
