If you’re looking for something different to watch during spooky season, you won’t find a more unusual offering than Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance. This isn’t the typical horror of ghosts or ax murderers. It’s more in the body horror tradition of David Cronenberg, offering a range of monstrosities, from bloody violence to bodily mutation, that will send chills down your spine.
The story follows a fading Hollywood star, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), who gets fired from her own fitness TV show. The aging actress decides to compete for her position in showbiz by undergoing a strange rejuvenation treatment. Although its effects are spectacular, it soon becomes clear that ignoring the warning that accompanies the treatment leads to unintended consequences.
The Substance, voted best screenplay at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, is best seen in cinema. However, if you want to rewatch Coralie Fargeat’s body horror, here is the information regarding the film’s release on home media.
How to watch The Substance now
Currently, the Demi Moore-directed horror is available in theaters.
In the United States, you can purchase your tickets on the AMC Theaters and Fandango websites. In the UK you can book them on Vue, Cineworld and Odeon.
Here is the trailer for the film:
When could The Substance be released on streaming services?
In the United States and the United Kingdom, Coralie Fargeat’s body horror film was distributed 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 release.
Many films distributed by Mubi were released for streaming approximately a month and a half after their theatrical release; this was the case for 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 appeared on the Mubi service 21 days after its theatrical release, while The Settlers by Felipe Gálvez only appeared after 77 days.
The Substance was released theatrically in the US and UK on September 20, 2024, and for an arthouse film, it’s doing very well at the box office. Everything indicates that Coralie Fargeat’s horror is the most successful film distributed by Mubi. As such, the company is likely in no rush to release the film on its service – we predict The Substance could be available to stream in early November 2024.
Note that this date is only 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 to 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. Depending on the DVD release dates, this could happen as soon as 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 planned for release on DVD and Blu-ray on July 1, 2025. The film is currently available for pre-order. However, we don’t know if this date is certain, as Mubi has not yet confirmed it.
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