2024’s Oscar-Winning Body Horror Is Surging Back on Streaming

A year after its initial release and awards-season run, the brutal body-horror thriller from Coralie Fargeat, The Substance,has surged back into the conversation, climbing to #12 on HBO Maxand reminding audiences just how wild, polarizing, and unforgettable the film really is.

Starring Demi Moore in one of the most daring performances of her career, The Substance became a genuine cultural moment in 2024. It wasn’t just talked about — it was argued over. Some viewers recoiled. Others couldn’t stop thinking about it. And then awards season rolled around, where the film’s impact was officially cemented with an Oscar win (Best Makeup & Hairstyling), turning what could’ve been a niche genre release into a certified prestige horror title.

Set in a near-future nightmare fueled by vanity, ageism, and exploitation, The Substance follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore), a fading celebrity who turns to a mysterious black-market drug that promises youth and reinvention. The catch? It creates a younger version of herself — Sue (played by Margaret Qualley) — and the two quickly find themselves locked in a grotesque, symbiotic power struggle over identity, fame, and bodily control.

Is ‘The Substance’ Worth Watching?

Collider’s review of the movie stated that The Substance is a bold, maximalist body-horror film that builds on Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge and echoes the transgressive energy of Titane. The film follows an aging actress who turns to a youth-restoring drug, unleashing grotesque physical transformations and a warped identity struggle. While the review praised Demi Moore’s fearless performance, Margaret Qualley’s unsettling presence, and a truly unhinged, blood-soaked finale, it criticized the film’s overlong runtime and hyper-stylized approach, which prioritizes visual excess over character depth. Ultimately, its outrageous final act redeems an otherwise exhausting experience.

“The Substance drives toward a New Year’s Eve special that Sue is slated to host, a gig sure to skyrocket her stardom to a new level. After being cooped up in the same few locations for much of the runtime, this finale leads to some set pieces that exit the TV studio and Elisabeth’s apartment—a welcome change. The suspense here makes the narrative flatness of the film’s first two-thirds more apparent and disappointing. Considering The Substance’s ending builds on the blood-soaked ending of Revenge, then God help us for what Fargeat has in store for us for her third feature. The Substance ensures she’ll have a legion of new horror fans anxiously anticipating it.”

The Substance is streaming now on HBO Max and Vudu.