If you’re looking for something different to watch during the spooky season, you won’t find a more unusual offering than Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance. It’s not your typical ghost or ax murderer horror. Rather, it’s in the tradition of David Cronenberg’s body horror, which offers a range of monstrosities, from gory violence to body mutation, that will send chills down your spine.
The story follows a fading Hollywood star, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), who is kicked off her own fitness TV show. The aging actress decides to fight for her position in showbiz by undergoing a bizarre rejuvenation treatment. Although the effects are spectacular, it soon becomes apparent that failure to heed the warning associated with the treatment has unexpected consequences.
Awarded Best Screenplay at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, The Substance is best seen in theaters. However, if you fancy another look at Coralie Fargeat’s body horror, here’s information about the film’s home media release.
How to watch The Substance now
Currently, the Demi Moore-led horror is available in theaters.
In the US, you can get your tickets on the AMC Theaters and Fandango websites. In Great Britain you can book them at Vue, Cineworld and Odeon.
Here is the trailer of the movie:
When could The Substance hit streaming services?
In the US and UK, Coralie Fargeat’s body horror was released by Mubi, a film distributor specializing in arthouse and independent films. Mubi also has its own streaming platform, so The Substance will likely premiere there after its theatrical run.
Many films distributed by Mubi ended up on streaming about a month and a half after their theatrical release; this was the case with Holy Spider by Ali Abbasi, Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki and Perfect Days by Wim Wenders. However, there are exceptions to this rule. For example, Gasoline Rainbow by Ross Brothers was released on the Mubi service 21 days after opening in cinemas, while The Settlers by Felipe Gálvez was only released after 77 days.
The Substance premiered in US and UK theaters on September 20, 2024, and for an arthouse film, the film is doing very well at the box office. Everything indicates that Coralie Fargeat’s horror film is the most successful film distributed by Mubi. As such, the company is likely in no rush to launch the film on its service – we predict The Substance may be available to stream early November 2024.
Please note that this date is just a prediction and Mubi has yet to confirm it.
How to watch The Substance on VOD
Currently, there is no confirmed date for The Substance’s release on digital platforms.
However, you can already pre-order the film on Amazon Prime Video US, but it’s unclear when The Substance will be available for purchase or rental. According to the DVD release dates, this could already be happening October 29, 2024although Mubi has yet to confirm this date.
When will The Substance be released on DVD/Blu-ray?
As you can read on The Substance page on Amazon UK, the horror is scheduled for release on DVD and Blu-ray July 1, 2025. The film is currently available for pre-order. However, we do not know how certain this date is, as Mubi has not yet confirmed it.
