‘The Substance’ is A+ Body Horror; It’s Also an Expertly Branded Nightmare

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If you attended a seven-p.m. screening of The Substance last month in Providence and heard hysterical laughing, a borderline uncomfortable cackle from the center-left portion of the movie theater during the last 20 minutes of the film, then I want to apologize. I was having a good time.

I am probably not the person you want to see a horror movie with, and I know for a fact that, at some point, I will embarrass my wife during a movie by laughing uncontrollably—mostly from silliness, sometimes from a state of anxiousness, but never during the jump the scare or the reveal. That’s sacrosanct. You don’t fuck with that. But it willhappen at some point.

It’s not exactly genre-specific, either. It doesn’t have to be a B-movie; it can be something that is genuinely regarded among the Joe Bob Briggs set as scary. But body horror usually gets the chuckle factory engine revved up. Incidentally, Barbarian is a hoot. So is Titane and Cabin Fever. There’s plenty more, honestly.

2 responses to “‘The Substance’ is A+ Body Horror; It’s Also an Expertly Branded Nightmare”

  1. Amy Park Avatar
    Amy Park

    Love this article – I just watched the movie last week and thought the same things about the packaging and branding of The Substance. It was a packaging designer’s dream of a movie (aside from the horrifics).

    1. Bill McCool Avatar
      Bill McCool

      Thanks, Amy!