The Substance producer Eric Fellner reveals that he didn’t exactly know the surprising genre film starring Demi Moore was a “full-on” horror movie with plenty of gore. While he most likely read the script before greenlighting the film, chances are that director Coralie Fargeat kept a few details to herself.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Fellner sat with Tim Bevan at an event at the BFI London Film Festival, where they spoke about The Substance, which was produced by Working Title. One of the most important British studios in TV and film production, Working Title, has produced films like Shaun of the Dead, as well as rom-coms like Notting Hill and Love Actually. The Substance joins their noteworthy catalog of genre films, but Fellner says they didn’t exactly know that the film would break some rules and be unlike anything we’ve ever seen from them in the past. Per Fellner’s claims:
“I personally didn’t totally understand just quite how full-on it was going to be. But I think it’s a good thing. It’s definitely brought people to the cinema, which is great.
And for a company like Mubi to be bringing people to the cinema, it’s fantastic because it shows that both — streaming platforms and theatrical — can coexist and can work well together.”
In The Substance, Demi Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, a Hollywood superstar who has seen better days. She’s now a faded celebrity whose aerobics TV show can’t collect the ratings that allowed her to have an extravagant lifestyle. After being fired and then involved in a car accident, Sparkle receives a second chance in the form of “The Substance”. The mysterious serum that Sparkle acquires promises her a better version of herself. What she doesn’t know is that after injecting it into herself, her new version is born. Literally. Out of her spine comes a confident and beautiful woman. The problem is that the use of the Substance has some rules… and they aren’t strictly followed.
The film stars Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid. It has received critical acclaim, with most of the praise going to writer/director Coralie Fargeat, who has achieved a wonderful exercise in horror. The film’s social satire is spotless, but it doesn’t mean Fargeat cuts back on displaying her horror vision. The third act of The Substance is mind-blowing: It will make you laugh, give you nightmares and produce some nausea all the same time.
The Substance was made for less than $20 million, and it has already amassed almost $30 million. Universal Pictures originally passed on the film, pulling out as distributor after being worried about how the film would be received. However, after a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, things began to change. Streaming service Mubi acquired the film for worldwide distribution (even in theaters), and while there are still some territories that haven’t had the pleasure of seeing The Substance on the big screen, things are looking good.
Horror isn’t exactly a super-expensive genre in cinema. Microbudgets are usually sufficient, and filmmakers always use their creativity to achieve their visions. Cases like The Substance, 2022’s Talk to Me, Jordan Peele’s Get Out, and the Terrifier franchise prove that audiences are not interested in how small the budget is. They just want to see good, effective movies. The producer of The Substance says:
“It made us realize that if it’s really out there, people are interested, they don’t get turned off. Films need to cost less money, and they need to be bolder in that space.”
Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for an aerobics show, faces a devastating blow on her 50th birthday as her boss fires her. Amid her distress, a laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself.
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