"The Substance" is a dark modern fable that starts out blaming men for reducing women to sex objects and then cuts deeper. Fargeat saves a special rage for women who conspire in their own diminishment, trading their soul in a pulse beat for a few more shining hours as a goddess.

When it comes to upcoming horror movies, one of this year’s best may be hitting theaters this weekend, with Demi Moore’s body horror flick The Substance causing quite a stir amongst critics since its premiere at Cannes.

The Substance” blowtorches a single idea for two hours and 20 minutes, and narratively it turns to ashes by minute 40. It’s easier for a movie to become a talking point that way. Film festival buzz, which “The Substance” enjoyed at its Cannes world premiere,

The Substance, the new film starring Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore, has set a record for the latter. The body-horror film follows a fading celebrity (played by Moore) who begins to use a black-market drug that creates a younger version of herself (Qualley).

Since its Cannes premiere “The Substance” has churned controversy over its body horror scenario, frequent, flagrant nudity – and buzz about a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Demi Moore.

Demi Moore was joined by daughters Tallulah, Scout and Rumer Willis at the Los Angeles premiere of "The Substance."

What is The Substance? It's a drug that will create a younger version of you from your own DNA. That new you will graphically fall out of your back, complete with squishy sound effects.

Moore and Qualley give bravura performances, both surely having faced the scrutiny women in Hollywood and the world are under. Moore allows the camera to film closeups of her thighs and the stomach of a woman who has had kids,