The Substance is a tragically beautiful film with a good balance of heartbreak and body horror. The Substance also contains plenty of Easter eggs and references to past horror movies, including Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Fargeat's nod to Psycho runs deeper than just a visual nod, however; the 2024 horror film also tackles similar themes.
The Substance & Psycho Exploit Vulnerability In Similar Ways
Both Movies Use A Bathroom To Do So
In The Substance, the creation of Sue takes place in Elizabeth's bathroom. It's a gruesome "birth," as Sue spawns out of Elizabeth's back, almost ripping her in two. From then on, the bathroom becomes a key location for The Substance. It's where the inactive body rests, and it is where Elizabeth's most vulnerable and heartbreaking scenes take place. Whether she's taking the drug, fixating on her flaws before a date, or discovering Sue is stealing her youth, Elizabeth faces her worst insecurities and fears in the bathroom.
The Substance's 90% Rotten Tomatoes Success Is A Perfect Reminder To Watch This Cult 1989 Body Horror Movie
The Substance is a critically acclaimed satirical body horror movie, reminding audiences to watch another, closely related genre release from 1989.
Using the bathroom as the space to explore these vulnerabilities is a brilliant idea, but it is not new. Psycho does something similar with its infamous shower scene. Like Elizabeth, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is at her most vulnerable in the bathroom. Her guard is down, and she feels safe enough here to be completely exposed. However, that safety is shattered when Norman Bates, one of Hitchcock's most unforgettable villains, sneaks behind Marion and kills her while showering.
While what commences in the bathrooms of The Substance and Psycho is different, the use of these locations is similar.
This Psycho scene has gone down in film history, using the combination of nudity and violence to shock audiences. The location of the bathroom — specifically a shower — helps make it more violating because Marion is so vulnerable here. While what commences in the bathrooms of The Substance and Psycho is different, the use of these locations is similar. In both films, it's where Elizabeth and Marion are at their most vulnerable. It's also where their bodies are subject to unimaginable horrors.
How The Substance References Psycho
The Substance Visually Nods To Alfred Hitchcock's Horror Film
Beyond the thematic similarities these films have when it comes to this set location, there is also a visual nod to Psycho — specifically, the movie's shower scene — in The Substance. As @cinematogolist_ on Instragram highlights in their video, the scene where the Substance takes effect on Elizabeth mirrors Marion's death.
In Psycho, after Norman Bates stabs Marion several times, she collapses on the floor and dies naked and alone. As she breathes her last breath, Marion has no choice but to stare into the void, helpless and exposed. Similarly, when the Substance kicks in and Sue is "born," Elizabeth is left suffering, exposed, and helpless on the floor, forced to watch a new version of herself take control of her life.
The Substance is currently available to stream on MUBI.
The Substance, which is now a streaming success, is all about exploring a woman's vulnerabilities in regard to her age and body. Therefore, setting some of the most traumatic scenes in the bathroom makes sense. Furthermore, referencing the shower scene from Psycho works beautifully, as it is an infamous scene that perfectly fits The Substance's themes.
The Substance
- Release Date
- September 20, 2024
- Runtime
- 140 Minutes
- Director
- Coralie Fargeat
Cast
Demi MooreElisabeth Sparkle
Margaret QualleySue
WHERE TO WATCH
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.
- Writers
- Coralie Fargeat
- Studio(s)
- Working Title Films, A Good Story
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