10 New Horror Movies You MUST Watch This Halloween 2024
1. The Substance
Every once in a while, a horror movie comes out with minimal fanfare that manages to immediately enrapture the film community. With that in mind, all signs are pointing to Coralie Fargeat's The Substance becoming a classic.
The nightmarish dramedy follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a fading celebrity desperate to reclaim her fame by using a black market drug to create a youthful version of herself. Although Elisabeth believes her return to fame is imminent, things take a nasty turn when the side effects kick in.
The Substance explores many ideas, including obsession, ageism, celebrity worship, and superficiality. It also throws in a lot of genres, mixing drama, body horror, and comedy, and managing to pull off everything it's trying to accomplish. Fargeat's direction and writing is so airtight, The Substance never has a dull moment, which is an astounding feat, considering the 142-minute run time.
Then there's Demi Moore. Even thought the Ghost star's career spans 40+ years, she launches herself into this role in a way never seen before. The acting is excellent across the board - especially from Dennis Quaid - but Moore's performance takes The Substance to a whole other level.
Anyone who's seeking a truly great horror unlike anything else needs to give The Substance a go as soon as possible.