John Carpenter, the filmmaker behind Halloween and The Thing, said he “came to hate” the body‑horror film “The Substance” after watching it.
When asked what exactly bothered him about Coralie Fargeat’s Oscar‑winning picture, Carpenter replied:
“Everything.”
Last year Fargeat admitted that Carpenter and his soundtracks had a major influence on her work. She also noted that many of her films are made as homages to Carpenter and David Cronenberg.
“The Substance” premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it took home a prize for its screenplay. The story follows aging actress Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), who undergoes an experimental procedure to create a younger version of herself. Over time, the clone—Sue (Margaret Qualley)—begins to displace Elizabeth from her own life, with devastating consequences.
“The Substance” won an Oscar for Best Makeup and earned 540 million rubles at the Russian box office.
