'The Substance' teaser will get under your skin

Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley lead Coralie Fargeat's sinister horror.
 By 
Shannon Connellan
 on 
Demi Moore blows a kiss in "The Substance."
Watch Next

Coralie Fargeat's sinister sci-fi horror satire The Substance took out best screenplay at Cannes this year, after premiering at the film festival. And now it's finally coming to cinemas.

Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley lead the unsettling teaser trailer for the film, which takes aim at the beauty industry through some twisted turns and the titular product dubbed "The Substance". Said product lets you "generate another you" which which you must share time: "One week for you. One week for the new you." But of course, as the trailer shows, that's not as breezy as it sounds.

"While visceral in spurts, The Substance is never quite in control of its satire on sexualization, an excess in which it revels without always meaningfully subverting," writes Siddhant Adlakha in his review for Mashable. "Its lead performances are fine-tuned — especially from Demi Moore, who delivers intrepid, career-best work — but the film is more a collection of mild jabs than a full-throated deconstruction of a cultural gaze."

The Substance hits cinemas Sept. 20.

Topics Trailers

A photo portrait of a journalist with blonde hair and a band t-shirt.
Shannon Connellan
UK Editor

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.


Latest Videos

Stephen Colbert reacts to the Artemis II moon mission
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, gesturing.


'The Daily Show' reacts to judge halting Trump's White House ballroom
Desi Lydic presents "The Daily Show" beside an image of Donald Trump.


A24's 'Mother Mary' trailer is worth it for the FKA twigs track
Anne Hathway is dressed in a red pop star outfit with religious overtones in a film still from "Mother Mary."

Jon Stewart has a brutal reaction to Trump waffling about pens
A man in a suit sitting behind a talk show desk looks angry. In the top left is an image of the president holding up a pen.

Stephen Colbert gleefully recaps the best signs at the 'No Kings' protest
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, smiling. The caption at the bottom reads, "I like that one."

Riz Ahmed is troublingly intense in new 'SNL UK' promo
A close-up of a man grinning in a slightly creepy way.


The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!