Demi Moore, known for her roles in films like G.I. Jane and Ghost, plays an aging star who goes to disturbing lengths to recapture her youth in the twisted first trailer for the body-horror The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat, known for her brutal 2017 film Revenge.
Hugo Diego Garcia, Dennis Quaid, and Margaret Qualley also star in the movie that centers on Moore’s Elisabeth Sparkle. Elisabeth is a celebrity aerobics show host fired on her 50th birthday due to her age. Desperate, Elisabeth doesn’t think twice when a mysterious scientist approaches her. She accepts his offer. She is given an experimental chemical to revert her to her “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” self. However, the dream Elisabeth has been sold will soon turn into a nightmare.
The trailer gives viewers blink-and-you’ll-miss-them shots of Quaid’s creepy salesman and a neon-green vile labeled “Activator.” We also see a lot of leotards, and Elisabeth’s younger version is covered in blood.
Fargeat won Best Screenplay for The Substance at Cannes, where the movie caused controversy due to its graphic nudity. When it premieres in theaters nationwide on September 20, 2024, you can expect a wild ride filled with body horror, dark humor, and action.
