The Substance: how Pierre-Olivier Persin transformed Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley with prosthetic make-up design

Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley in The Substance.

The Substance, by French director Coralie Fargeat starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, premiered in September (2024). In just a few short weeks, the film has caused a cultural stir, securing its place in the body horror canon (although in her film review for Wallpaper*, Billie Walker begged to differ). And there is little doubt it will be discussed and analysed for years to come.

While speaking to the zeitgeist of the 2020s, an era of casualised plastic surgery, ‘weight loss injections’ and FaceApp, The Substance is also rich with references to 20th-century film and television, in a satirical narration of how society’s obsession with youth and beauty got us to this point.