Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (2024), with its five OSCARS® nominations, redefines the genre of woman’s body horror, much like I Spit on Your Grave (1978) did, by exploring the harrowing experiences women face within the confines of societal expectations. While I Spit on Your Grave was marketed as an exploitation horror film after the original title, Day of the Woman, featuring Camille Keaton, didn’t garner attention, a young model Demi Moore wielding a knife in a revenge narrative helped rebrand it as a revenge film about a woman’s raw vengeance after being assaulted. The Substance, however, takes a more psychological approach. In it, Elisabeth Sparkle (played by Demi Moore), a fading actress, becomes obsessed with maintaining her youth and beauty at all costs, resorting to a mysterious substance that dramatically alters her body and mind. Both films feature intense, physical transformations that critique societal ideals of beauty and the extreme pressures placed on women to conform. Through chilling metamorphoses, these films illustrate the ongoing struggles women face regarding bodily autonomy, empowerment, and societal norms.
Fargeat’s earlier film, Revenge (2017), which centers around a woman named Jen—a name shared by the protagonist of I Spit on Your Grave—also explores the powerful arc of a woman reclaiming her autonomy after violence. In both films, the protagonists show immense strength in regaining control over their bodies and destinies, making a statement about female empowerment in the face of brutal societal expectations.
The body horror genre is often overlooked during awards season, yet it holds immense cultural relevance, particularly in its portrayal of women. By confronting themes of bodily autonomy, reproductive anxieties, and societal pressures, films like The Substance and I Spit on Your Grave take a visceral approach to these issues. The fact that The Substance earned recognition at both The Golden Globes and the OSCARS® signals a crucial shift in acknowledging the power of body horror. This genre, long relegated to the fringes, is now being recognized for its profound narratives and its ability to push boundaries in film, offering a fresh and necessary perspective on the female experience.
Top 10 Facts about I Spit on Your Grave (1978), Revenge (2017), and The Substance (2024):
1. OSCARS® Nominations for The Substance: The Substance earned five OSCARS® nominations, including Best Actress for Demi Moore’s transformative performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a woman willing to sacrifice everything to preserve her youth and beauty.
2. Demi Moore’s Connection to I Spit on Your Grave (ISOYG): Moore starred in the rebranding of I Spit on Your Grave in 1980, where her image was used to promote the film, marking a shift toward more sexually provocative marketing. Moore now stars in The Substance, a body horror film that similarly challenges societal expectations.
3. Female Revenge Protagonists: All three films center around women who seek empowerment after being violated. In I Spit on Your Grave, Jennifer Hills seeks brutal revenge after assault. Similarly, Jen in Revengetakes justice into her own hands after surviving violence. In The Substance, Elisabeth, though not a victim in the traditional sense, violently alters her own body through the use of a mysterious substance to attain the ideal of beauty.
4. Isolated Settings: Each film features protagonists in isolated settings. Jennifer in ISOYG retreats to a remote cabin in the woods, Jen in Revenge is stranded in a desert after her assault, and Elisabeth in The Substance lives in a minimalist, isolated home with a stark reminder of her younger self on a billboard overlooking the city.
5. Physical and Psychological Transformation: Revenge and The Substance both depict intense physical and psychological transformations. Similarly, ISOYG shows Jennifer’s transformation from victim to avenger, underscored by brutal violence, reclaiming her agency in a world that tried to strip it away.
6. Empowerment Through Violence: ISOYG and Revenge both use violence as a means for female empowerment after trauma, with the protagonists taking violent retribution for their assaults. In The Substance, Elisabeth’s power is tied to her beauty, but she also undergoes a painful, self-inflicted transformation to maintain it.
7. Coralie Fargeat’s Feminist Horror: Known for Revenge (2017), Coralie Fargeat continues exploring female autonomy in The Substance. Both films empower their female protagonists to take control of their fates, challenging societal constraints and the expectations placed upon them.
8. Body Horror and Transformation: All three films are centered on body horror, but in different ways. In ISOYG and Revenge, the physical transformation occurs through violence and survival, while in The Substance, it is a grotesque and self-inflicted transformation driven by societal pressure to maintain youth and beauty.
9. Femme-Centric Horror Narratives: Unlike traditional horror films where women are often secondary or victimized, ISOYG, Revenge, and The Substance place women at the forefront of their narratives. These films explore female empowerment, violence, and transformation from a female perspective.
10. Critique of Societal Expectations: The Substance critiques Hollywood’s obsession with youth and beauty, specifically through the lens of ageism and societal expectations. Revenge and ISOYG also explore how women defy societal norms, with The Substance focusing on how women go to extreme lengths to fit an idealized image, reflecting pressures that women face in both society and the entertainment industry.
