“It’s the casting of Moore, though, and her willingness to denude herself at 61 –emotionally, as well as physically– that gives The Substance a startling connection with its themes. Not for 30 years has she owned a film with anything like this certitude.”
★★★★★ Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph

“Fargeat does grotesque deliciously, and in every way.”
★★★★★ Nick Howells, London Evening Standard

"Homage to the great era of home entertainment pulp and video-store masterpieces of weirdness and crassness."
★★★★ Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

“Deep within all the oozing spinal fluids and pustulant growths here, there’s a kernel of credibility: The Substance plunges us into the deranged, disorienting emotional carnage of menopause in a way that few other films have managed.”
★★★★ Wendy Ide, Observer

“…think Showgirls if it were directed by David Cronenberg. But give yourself permission to revel in the excess and be rewarded with an uproariously good time.”
★★★★ Laura Venning, Empire Magazine