Demi Moore’s latest horror film, The Substance, is causing a stir in UK cinemas as viewers walk out due to its extreme gore and disturbing content.
The critically acclaimed movie, directed by French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, tackles the issue of impossible Hollywood beauty standards.
Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity who discovers a black-market drug that creates a younger, more beautiful version of herself.
However, the film’s gruesome scenes have proven too much for some cinema-goers, with reports suggesting that dozens of people have left screenings in Leicester Square and other UK venues, unable to stomach the graphic content.
One viewer told The Sun: “At least 20 people walked out of my screening in Leicester Square before the end. It was brutal. Most people watched it through their hands. It was the most graphic film I’ve ever seen.”
Social media has been flooded with reactions from disturbed viewers as one film fan wrote on X: “The way I spent most of The Substance movie covering my eyes because it was so hard to watch, so disturbing, horrific, way too gory.”
Another viewer stated: “The Substance is the most f**ked up movie I have ever seen in my life. I just walked out of this movie and I have no idea how to feel.”
Some cinemagoers reported physical reactions to the film’s content as another person shared: “My date wouldn’t let me drive him home after The Substance because ‘we haven’t been seeing each other long enough’ for him to throw up in front of me.
“He literally just walked home in the rain to vomit with dignity.”
The film’s plot follows Elisabeth Sparkle, played by Moore, who is unceremoniously sacked on her 50th birthday. Desperate to regain her fading star power, she turns to a black-market drug that promises to create a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” version of herself.
The catch? Elisabeth and her younger self, Sue (Margaret Qualley), must trade places every seven days. As Elisabeth pushes the boundaries of this rule, gruesome consequences unfold.
Moore described the film on The Graham Norton Show, saying: “It is almost impossible to fully describe because it is dealing with some serious subject matters.
“The best way I can sum it up is that it is like The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Death Becomes Her meets a Jane Fonda workout video.”
Critics have praised the film’s “deliciously unhinged and dread-inducing” levels of gore, calling it “a shocking assault on the senses”
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Despite the extreme reactions, Moore embraces the challenging role and told The Sun: “When I read The Substance I thought, wow, this could be really amazing — or it could be a f***ing disaster. So, of course, I had to say yes.
“I feel like Ghost was very similar, but I think when we push ourselves out of our comfort zone and it makes us afraid it always makes us a little better. Even if it fails.”
Moore also spoke about the film’s impact on her appearance: “I was very much pushed out of my comfort zone, but it was great to show up and be allowed to look bad!”
