Why ‘The Substance’ is Leading a Genre of Feminist Horror Films
Demi Moore may have walked away empty-handed after missing out on the Best Actress in a Leading Role at this year’s Oscars. However, the subject matter of ‘The Substance’ reignited a much-needed conversation.
On the surface, the body horror film speaks about an aging actress’s pursuit of relevance and youth.
Elisabeth Sparkle, played by Moore, comes across an experimental drug promising to “birth” a youthful version of her. Regardless of the disturbing side effects, Elisabeth takes the drug.
Writer-director Coralie Fargeat explored themes of society’s obsession with youth, and our disturbing fixation on ageless beauty.
‘The Substance’ may be a bitter pill for many viewers. Despite its gratuitous gore, the movie is leading a genre of feminist horror films that utilizes body horror and shock as powerful storytelling tools.
Below, we’ll explore similar themes in Hollywood movies that center the female experience through horror.
Manipulation and Gaslighting
The 2022 thriller ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is less of a horror than a sci-fi thriller. Directed by Olivia Wilde, it is a shocking commentary on women’s gendered roles in a fictional male-dominated society.
While the film received scathing reviews, This Week Media’s Eze Baumsa says critics neglected to look beyond the behind-the-scenes drama. At its core, ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is a story about manipulation, gaslighting, and the subversion of women in a patriarchal society.
One issue that stood out is Alice’s (Florence Pugh) aversion to being pregnant, whereas Jack (Harry Styles) insisted on starting a family.
In their perfect dystopian world, the choice was taken away from her, touching on themes of agency and control.
Consent
Mitchell Lichtenstein’s 2007 film ‘Teeth’ started as a viral joke. With the laughable plotline about a vagina with teeth, it was bound to produce giggles in high school hallways.
Now almost a decade since its release, it is a movie before its time. Exploring themes of feminine rage and consent, the dark horror comedy shifts the focus away from the vagina dentata cliché, writes Collider.
Medical Misogyny
‘The Teeth’ speaks about consent in a broader sense. Women and informed surgical consent have been a contentious topic. A case in point is the transvaginal mesh lawsuit.
Transvaginal mesh implants or pelvic mesh implants treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Thousands of women claim the mesh implants caused chronic pain, organ perforations, bleeding, and vaginal mesh erosion.
Despite giving surgical consent, many say they weren’t informed of the transvaginal mesh complications associated with the implants. Attorneys overseeing the lawsuit say transvaginal mesh settlement amounts can be $150,000 to over $400,000.
The Guardian reports that hundreds of women in the U.K. were prevented from filing a claim due to the strict 10-year limit on the vaginal mesh implants’ manufacture date.
The implants were widely used in England until they were suspended following a government probe. Activists blamed the scandal on a culture of medical misogyny.
TorHoerman Law says most vaginal mesh cases are resolved, but lawyers continue to file vaginal mesh lawsuits in various courts.
Agency
A disturbing story about witches, femininity, and motherhood, ‘Suspiria’ is what ‘American Horror Story’s Delicate’ aspired to be. Unfortunately, the latter fell flat by concentrating on its star power instead.
A remake of Dario Argento’s film, the Massachusetts Daily Collegian describes the two versions as the “same bones in a completely different body”.
Gory and suspenseful, ‘Suspiria’ explores themes of coercion, inflicting violence on those more vulnerable than you. There’s also the question of handing over your agency to someone else.
Yes, some scenes are uncomfortable to watch, yet it’s a compelling representation of “the sacrificial lamb.” Throughout the film, the witches don’t harm everyone but repeatedly sacrifice their students to maintain their rule and protect the planet.
A Distorted Fantasy
Despite the gory scenes, ‘The Substance’ hit a visceral nerve for millions of women nearing their fifties.
It embodied a distorted fantasy of how aging should be a natural process. Yet, society gets to dictate what type of woman holds value, writes Electric Lit’s Katie Kopajtic.
In an age where Botox and fillers are hyped as “preventative skincare,” it’s easy to fall into the trap of doing it to feel good about ourselves.
What sets ‘The Substance’ apart from other feminist horror flicks is that “The Crone” is a product of our creation.
The powerful archetype representing wisdom and repose is meant to be embraced instead of stored in a dusty cardboard box under the bed.