body horror – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: We, the vampires have been together for an eternity.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that there is more about togetherness in this movie.

Vampire Owl: So, you think that there is not enough of the same among us.

Vampire Bat: Togetherness is not something that can be evaluated.

Vampire Owl: At least the movie is on Amazon Prime Video to be evaluated.

Vampire Bat: I wonder about the kind of supernatural present in that movie.

Vampire Owl: Should I consult the parapsychologist Dr. Frankenstein on the matter?

Vampire Bat: When did Mr. Frankenstein graduate in psychology?

Vampire Owl: He has so many graduations that we will never know all of them.

Vampire Bat: This Frank needs to be reported to Uncle Dracula for his fake degrees.

[Gets a podi masala dosa and three cups of Kodaikanal tea].

What is the movie about? :: A man has been searching for a missing couple with his two dogs. But after the unsuccessful search, he finds the dogs fused together as one. A few days later, Tim Brassington (Dave Franco) and Millie Wilson (Alison Brie), a couple going through an emotional path, and at the same time, latter finds a job of teaching elementary school English. Tim has been trying to make his mark as a musician, but has not been himself since the memories of his dead parents have been haunting him. Millie proposes to Tim at a going away party held by their friends but, he shows some hesitation which makes them further ponder over their relationship. As Millie meets her new co-worker Jamie McCabe (Damon Herriman), he tells them about the interesting walking trails near their home that goes deep into the woods and remains a beautiful view. While hiking through such path, they fall into an underground cave and decide to camp inside for the night due to the rain getting heavier. Tim drinks from a pool of water but Millie does not.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: As they wake up on the next morning, Tim and Millie find their legs stuck with each other with some material which looks like glue, but they are able to separate them without much difficulty, and feels that it was some random sticky thing of fungal nature. Tim feels like he is physically and brutally drawn towards Millie, which leads to complicated situations which makes them feel that this is a psychological problem. The doctor that Tim sees also dismisses the incidents as panic attacks and asks him to use some muscle relaxant pills, and reminds him that the place has its charm, but also dangers, as a local couple had also gone missing. Tim looks at the news and also at the social media pages of the couple, and finds out that these particular couple had also visited the same cave, identified by some of the marked bells outside and some signs on walls of the cave. Jamie arrives at their place and welcomes them to the neighborhood, and they have a dinner together.

And what more can happen as the couple seems to be confused in between? :: The couple recounts their experience at the cave, which Jamie explains was a hippie-type church which had some activities which were considered strange for the commonly accepted churches. He adds on that people who got better options moved away to cities with their families, the church was abandoned, and became part of the cave system, as time passed. He adds that this is not a terrifying Satan worshipping cult of anything, and no followers of the same remains there. Even though Millie drops Tim off at the train station for his journey to the city for a musical programme, he experiences another episode of being attracted to her and immediately goes to Millie’s school, much to her surprise, as he gets on to her. This time, she is also attracted to him, but she denies the same, but it the strange attraction would come to her at night too, and the mystery deepens. Can they get out of this as they seem to be getting attached to each other, and this seems to be a problem to which there is no solution?

The defence of Together :: The romantic drama mixed with disturbing body horror is something unusual, and thus provides a fresh feeling that will keep the audience interested. It is nice to see that this becomes a metaphor for interdependent relationships and also signifies the need for togetherness in a relationship rather than keeping on separating each other – as it says in the Holy Bible: “A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” – Genesis 2:24. This seems to be a strange coming together of the same, as at least the same thought process should guide a relationship, as the fusion of ideology will guide them better; something which could often include religious ideology. In this case, everything is shown with that body horror that stays effective, and the fear factor is surely active, and it includes being scared of losing identity. Alison Brie with Dave Franco of Now You See Me and Nerve do manage to bring some real chemistry, as they are also real-life couple, despite the former at times looking much older. Their moments together are very good with a certain amount of love which feels apart, but so much longing to be together, like the body horror itself calls for. Disturbing transformations and dark humour remain effective too.

The claws of flaw :: The movie remains repetitive in parts, and there seems to be moments when nothing much past. There is also a little too much useless time spent in pondering over the past of the main male character when it could have easily gone on with just a small mention of the same, thus making the length of the movie exact as intended. The narrative just goes on the usual path with the couple story while moving towards the fresh twists. The mixture of romance and body horror does not always work the best, and signs can be seen here – some people can even find part of this to be gross, thus justifying its rating in India. Some cringe moments are also present and dialogues get a little too weak at times. The emotional connection could have been also more, as the romantic background is already set. There is also the need for a lot more explanations with this one, as the weird mode keeps on being active. We can see the chance for some people clearly missing out on the idea.

How it finishes :: If you are looking for experimental horror with focus on the body-based terror, this might be the movie for you, as performances and hidden ideas and messages also seem to come in here and there, despite there is nothing too grand about it with moments where the movie just seems like a usual random journey that stays repetitive. Even if togetherness story is your key, this will be your relationship-focused tale with a dark twist, as the darkness would take the whole world to something beyond comprehension. But you are not to look for fast-paced and plot-drive works with this one. But seeing the fusion of the couple, you might not stop feeling that there is the need for togetherness coming from religious scriptures fulfilled right here, whether some subterranean or alien entity is involved in the process. After all, we know that there shall always be too many things that we do not understand, and can stay on the mysterious side; and so we go through this movie, and enjoy the same in moments, with one final shot of togetherness with innovation. Still, the body horror of The Substance remains one of its kind.

Release date: 30th July 2025
Running time: 102 minutes
Directed by: Michael Shanks
Starring: Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Mia Morrissey, Karl Richmond, Damon Herriman, Jack Kenny, Francesca Waters, Sarah Lang, Aljin Abella, Rob Brown, Charlie Lees, M J Dorning, Ellora Iris, Melanie Beddie, Rom Considine, Nancy Finn, Flynn Wandin, Mark Robinsom, Michael Shanks. Sunny S Walia

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl: What kind of substance would this be?

Vampire Bat: I am sure that this cannot be tea.

Vampire Owl: Well, tea is a substance.

Vampire Bat: I am sure that they are talking about some illegal substance.

Vampire Owl: There is a list related to that with killer names too.

Vampire Bat: I heard that there are vampires of substance.

Vampire Owl: Would they be related to this?

Vampire Bat: We cannot be sure about that.

Vampire Owl: This move still seems to be a very different in its approach.

Vampire Bat: Well, it was a much-appreciated movie, so we can trust it up to an extent.

[Gets a vegetable samosa and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), who has been one of the most wanted celebrities and models of her time, finds herself in a struggle and would soon be fired by her producer (Dennis Quaid) who finds her too old for the job that involves a lot of aerobics and exercise. She no longer has any role to play in Hollywood with everything that she had done in her youth immediately fading into an oblivion of forgetfulness, and the only people who seem to admire her are those classmates and old friends from a past when she used to look stunning in their eyes. She is distracted by these happenings, and crashes her crash, landing her in a hospital only to have a nurse provide her with a USB drive advertising an illegal drug known as “The Substance”, which comes with a promise of a much younger and more beautifully perfect version of oneself that aligns with the demands of the market around them. A killer body is indeed what she would need to rise like a phoenix from the ashes instead of descending into madness.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Desperate to get to her days of beauty and glory, she buys the drug and injects herself with it only to find a young naked young lady coming out of her body. This seemingly perfect nude body would be known by the name Sue (Margaret Qualley), and living within the new skin, she finds each part of her to be flawless. Even though the old body becomes inactive, the two bodies must switch consciousness every seven days, with the inactive body remaining unconscious and fed. Daily injections of stabilizer fluid taken from the original body is required for the new body to remain the same without losing its parts. Sue becomes very popular with her new body appreciated by everyone including Harvey, while her photos in swimwear and bra and panties become sensation and part of many billboards, magazine covers and cutouts. She is chosen to prepare for a grand programme which is to follow, but it is to be seen if the new body will work perfectly for the same.

The defence of The Substance :: There is a strange beauty about the movie, and it is not just about the charm of the leading cast who manages so well. There is the ideal vision of beauty, and then there is the attempt to maintain the same while bringing out the worst in the process. Both the leading actresses seem to have put a lot of effort in their respective avatars, not just with the performances, but also with their bodies, which deserves all the appreciation. The birth of the new body sequence is one grand spectacle with a fantastic work from Margaret Qualley which nobody needs to miss – each and every sequence involving both these actresses seem to bring out the best from both. The final moments, even though happening just as expected, makes an impact and ends the idea of temporary beauty really well. One watches that and is reminded of the consequences of being fake and focusing only on the outside beauty, seeking glory and appreciation all the time while losing one’s soul in the process.

The claws of flaw :: The movie remains a complicated one and defies logic as one would expect, with the world going into an allegory, leaving the reality behind, as if to keep a message running out there with enough strength at all times. The ending of the movie is too much predictable, and there is no innovation or class added to that, which is a shame. The idea could have been brought about more logically, maybe with the right science fiction or fantasy elements, but the movie has chosen to just use a drug status instead. Instead of just taking the new face and body to fame, a tale about the process could have also added, but the storyline never really has any focus here, with things just happening and nobody caring about a lot of things which happens around. Even a random vampire romance movie made for teens would focus more about the story and could force better logic out of nowhere to satisfy even the least bothered fans. With such an addition, this movie could have even had a fine sequel at some point.

The performers of the soul :: It is Margaret Qualley’s performance that sets this movie apart, from that naked rebirth and look at her own body, to living like a dream, her expressions make the happenings feel so real. When she takes a shower, her focus on her nude body becomes a reminder that it not hers, and that this perfection is not something that she deserves. The way she looks at herself and others is a reminder of how much she gets into the character. There might be not many other people who would suit these perfect looks, as there seems to be not even a blemish in her performance or the appearance. Demi Moore is not far behind in being shocked and pleasantly surprised at her own new appearance, and the naked other that stays unconscious on her, never failing to appreciate her own perfect body reborn as another. We remember some of those special movies of her, and she maintains that charm. Dennis Quaid makes different quick impacts during his existence as a deciding factor in the movie.

How it finishes :: The Substance is that kind of a movie which you can watch for the underlying message about beauty, while also going through the beautiful people whom you witness throughout the run and not in a flash, especially Margaret Qualley coming up with a performance that will charm and haunt the viewers for a long time. There is never losing the idea about what the movie intends to convey, even when the focus on storyline and logic is lost. Being a body horror comedy with that message which makes no innovation, this is not the movie for everyone, that much we can be sure about. But with the divergence surely there, this is a film which we can watch for the variety it brings, even with so much predictability hidden within. The movie has been a much appreciated one, and it becomes the duty of most movie lovers to check out the reason behind the same.

Release date: 20th September 2024
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed by: Coralie Fargeat
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid, Edward Hamilton-Clark, Gore Abrams, Oscar Lesage, Christian Erickson, Robin Greer, Tom Morton, Hugo Diego Garcia, Yann Bean

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