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Best Horror: “The Substance.” (R)

Louise Lawhead, Reporter

April 28, 2025

“Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? Younger, more beautiful, more perfect. One single injection unlocks your DNA, starting a new cellular division that will release another version of yourself. This is the Substance.” – “The Substance” (2024)

The Substance follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) as she is fired from her job as a workout star for her age.

Elisabeth watches a commercial for “The Substance,” a treatment to “become your better self” and make a “younger, hotter” version. She orders the treatment, injecting the fluid into her body.

A second body emerges: Sue (Margaret Qualley). The two must alternate consciousness each week, “respecting the balance.” However, Sue replaces Elisabeth and slowly stops giving Elisabeth control, causing Elisabeth’s body to deform.

I will stop here but it was one of the most shocking and interesting movies I’ve watched. The message of the movie is that aging is natural and searching for youth will only make you unhappy, a message that our generation needs.

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About the Contributor

Louise Lawhead, Reporter

Louise Lawhead is a sophomore reporter and is looking forward to her second year on Tatler. She is most excited to write not only fun articles about media and trends but also articles on important subjects and advocacy. Outside of school, you may find her in musicals, constantly watching movies or hanging out with her friends. Besides show tunes, her go-to music artists are Tyler, the Creator, TV Girl, Reneé Rapp and Radiohead. If Louise were banned from watching “Carrie” or the original Broadway cast of “Newsies” ever again, she would delete all social media and change her identity. She is looking forward to spending another year with this amazing group!