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Seen The Substance? Here’s What to Watch/Read Next!
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items Since watching The Substance on Halloween night, I haven't been able to think about much else besides it! I enjoyed the film so much, and recently saw the cinematic parallels between The Substance and various cult classic films that I haven't watched...
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Starring Elle Fanning, this film explores the dark side of the modelling industry in Los Angeles.
The Neon Demon - Rakuten TV
An inspiration for The Substance, The Fly is a body horror classic that looks at what happens when a scientist accidentally splices his DNA with that of a fly.
The Fly (1986) - Rakuten TV
Dan Cain has got his work cut out for him when he finds that his peer, Herbert West, has successfully re-animated dead flesh! The resemblance between this and the Activator serum in The Substance is uncanny!
Re-Animator (1985)
Focusing on the idea of perfection and lengths humans go to in order to achieve this, Black Swan follows ballerina Nina who is battling with a talented newcomer to play Princess Odette in the New York City Ballet's production of Swan Lake.
Black Swan (2010) - Rakuten TV
By all accounts, Hunter seems to live in the perfect marriage. But she soon develops pica, the urge to ingest inedible objects and materials, which reveals a much darker secret.
Swallow (2019)
A surgeon becomes riddles with guilt after a surgery on his daughter goes wrong. To rectify his mistake, he goes to extreme lengths.
Eyes Without A Face (1960)
I've been wanting to watch Possession for a while as it's considered a cult film! It follows a spy and his wife (played by Isabelle Adjani) who begins to display signs of worrying behaviour following her request for a divorce.
Possession (1981) - Shudder
A recently-widowed producer uses his position of power to audition potential candidates for marriage. He becomes increasingly taken with one ballerina, but secrets are soon revealed!
Audition (1999)
Lilico is a successful model, but has undergone various cosmetic surgeries in order to do this. After she begins experiencing strange side effects, Lilico desperately attempts to maintain her perfect image and looks.
Helter Skelter (2012)
Based on a real-life case, Skincare follows Hope a famed aesthetician who believes someone is out to compete with her recently-launched skincare line.
Skincare (2024)
Antonio Banderas plays a plastic surgeon on a mission to invent a new skin after losing his wife in a car crash fire.
The Skin I Live In (2011) - Rakuten TV
Black Mirror is an anthology series that explores the effect of growing technology in the not-so-distant future
Black Mirror
Looking at stills from The Stuff makes me squeamish but it deals with similar themes around food/food sources that can have a dramatic effect as it does in The Substance. A private detective is investigating the popular food substitute "The Stuff" th...
The Stuff (1985) - The Roku Channel
This is a short film from The Substance director Coralie Fargeat. I watched this before The Substance and really liked it!
Reality+ (2014)
The visual aesthetics of The Shining are a strong influence on the symmetry of The Substance!
The Shining (1980)
Advantageous is a film that explores sexism, racism, and ageism in a near-futuristic world that prizes wealth and youth above all else
Advantageous
Reads
Salesman Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find that he has transformed into a giant insect. After watching The Substance, a film which focuses on societal views on women and femininity, Metamorphosis is a great read to explore the allegory of mod...
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Currently in line to be adapted for TV, Natural Beauty explores the intersection of beauty and wellness with race, patriarchy and class divides.
Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang
After her mother's unexpected death, a lonely dress shop assistant is sent down a dark path of the pursuit of youth.
Rouge by Mona Awad
The original creature feature, and my FAVOURITE book of all time, Frankenstein looks at the story of eccentric scientist Victor Frankenstein, whose pursuits cause him to create a sentient creature known as "The Monster".
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
This novel was the basis for the 1999 film mentioned above!
Audition by Ryū Murakami