Demi Moore’s horror filmThe Substanceis full of body horror, but one of the most disgusting scenes in the movie had no blood or guts at all.The Substancefollows an aging celebritynamed Elisabeth Sparkles who is unexpectedly fired from her job as a workout guru. Resentful of her age,. However, Sparkles is quickly in over her head as her younger self, Sue, starts to take over her life.
One major aspect ofThe Substanceisthe movie’s approach to body horror. While other movies rely on jump scares and unsettling monsters,The Substanceterrifies its audience with some truly repulsive imagery. For example, Sue is born out of Elisabeth by breaking through her spine, leaving a bunch of blood and goo in her wake. Of course,The Substance’sendingalso provides plenty of nasty moments, including lost fingernails and Demi Moore screaming out of Elisabeth’s deformed back. Yet,one disgusting scene has no body horror at all and is still absolutely revolting.
Dennis Quaid Eating Shrimp Is Absolutely Disgusting In The Substance
Quaid’s Character Harvey Explained
Early on in the movie, there is a scene in whichDennis Quaid provesThe Substancedoesn’t even need body horror to be disgusting. During the scene, Elisabeth is getting lunch with her boss, Harvey. Though Elisabeth doesn’t eat anything, Harvey stuffs himself with shrimp. The effect is atrocious. Quaid gives a monologue as he chews with his mouth open, gets shrimp all over himself, and dips his food into various sauces. Audiences end up with a bunch of shots of lip-smacking, chewed-up food, and greasy fingers.
For its portrayal of Elisabeth’s dilemma, TheSubstancewon Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival and the People’s Choice Award, Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Arguably, this scene makes perfect sense for Quaid’s character and the context. InThe Substance,Quaid plays Harvey as the perpetually sexist and rude boss of Elisabeth. From the very start,it is clear that Harvey is an uncaring and disgusting personwho views women as objects rather than actual people. Furthermore, the context of the scene is pivotal. At this moment, Elisabeth is learning that she is officially being fired from her show. Harvey’s chomping is just the cherry on top of an already awful situation.
Why The Substance Made Dennis Quaid Eating So Gross
The Substance’s Body Horror Explained
Ultimately, Harvey’s shrimp moment is much more meaningful than it might seem.The way that Harvey imbibes on shrimp says a lot about his character. He is a filthy and disrespectful man who is more interested in getting what he wants (shrimp, in this case) than anyone else’s feelings. Even as he fires Elisabeth, he is more concerned with his food and the friend he sees across the dining room. This just adds insult to injury for both Elisabeth and the audience. Viewers see just how unfair and cruel Elisabeth’s world can be.
Ultimately,The Substanceuses the most disgusting moments to show how women’s beauty standards have completely warped society, while men can eat shrimp as lazily as they want.
In many ways,The Substanceuses body horror and gross visuals to further its themes. A significant portion of the movie is dedicated to showing how attractiveSue looks in contrast to how Elisabeth looksin their athletic wear, crafting the perfect workout video. However, on the flip side, there are countless images of bodies becoming deformed in unique and horrifying ways. Ultimately,The Substanceuses the most disgusting moments to show how women’s beauty standards have completely warped society, while men can eat shrimp as lazily as they want.
The Substance
Cast
Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth by creating a younger, more beautiful version of herself. But splitting time between her original and new body leads to horrifying consequences as her alternate self, Sue, begins to unravel her life in a disturbing body-horror descent.
