The Substance Leaves Horror Icon John Carpenter Cold

Coralie Fargeat took her time between movies. Seven years after her bruiser of a debut, 'Revenge', she came back swinging with 'The Substance' — a buzzy, bloody feminist body-horror swing that put Demi Moore back in the awards conversation. Most people called the wait worth it. John Carpenter did not.

So, what is 'The Substance' again?

Fargeat’s second feature follows a has-been celebrity who grabs at a miracle fix and gets a nightmare instead. The hook is clean and nasty: a shot that creates a younger version of you, and the two of you have to share your life on a strict schedule. It’s gory. It’s funny. It’s a ride.

• Writer-director: Coralie Fargeat, returning seven years after 'Revenge'
• Leads: Demi Moore ('Ghost') as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister dumped from her fitness TV gig by a repellent studio boss named Harvey; Margaret Qualley ('Once Upon a Time in Hollywood') as Sue, Elisabeth’s newly minted, twenty-something self
• Premise: A clandestine treatment literally generates a younger duplicate. The catch is a one-week-on, one-week-off body swap schedule. Break the calendar and, well, you can guess how fast it gets ugly
• Vibe: Delirious satire of toxic beauty culture, big laughs under bigger splatter, and a full-on, go-for-broke body-horror sensibility
• Fest/awards: A Cannes sensation that helped earn Demi Moore an Oscar nomination
• Marketing spin: Framed as a be-careful-what-you-wish-for fable and a coronation for a new 'visionary' voice
• MPAA: Rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity, and language

Carpenter saw it and bounced

During a recent Q&A, the 'Halloween' legend said he did not like anything about 'The Substance'. No breakdown of what rubbed him the wrong way, just a clean thumbs-down. There’s a clip of him saying it floating around, if you want to watch him make the face. He’s been popping up in the news a lot lately — not shocking given we’re forever talking about his 1978 classic this time of year — and this one definitely raised eyebrows because the movie’s been broadly embraced.

And this is not his first spicy take

If you’ve ever dug into early-career Carpenter, the man’s never been shy about calling it like he sees it. In an old on-set interview from the 'Halloween' days, he sours on a bunch of 70s titans — George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma — while giving credit where he feels it’s due. He thought cinema basically came apart in the 60s, didn’t care for a lot of what followed, but tipped his cap to 'American Graffiti' and 'Jaws'. His toughest swipe was saved for Robert Altman:

'not a good filmmaker'

So yeah, the man has a long history of pointed opinions. Whether you’re in the camp that thinks 'The Substance' is a sharp, deranged home run or you’re on Team Carpenter, it’s the kind of movie that gets people arguing — by design. That weekly body-share rule? It looks tidy on paper. In practice, it’s a blender.