With The Substance finding a new home on HBO Max, fans have certainly been craving more of the dark and messed-up blend of social commentary and body horror that the film offered. Yet, what makes The Substance such a standout is its unique amalgamation of themes, delivered with a shiny polish that is only skin deep, hiding the ghastly terrors within. To select similar films solely because they are body horror or explore moral decay in Hollywood would be doing the film a disservice.
Thankfully, HBO Max offers a diverse catalog of complex, thought-provoking films across various genres, comparable to The Substance. Here are 8 that make for perfect companion watches.
‘Bring Her Back’ (2025)
17-year-old Andy and his visually impaired sister Piper’s lives are turned upside down when their father unexpectedly passes. They are placed in a family home until Andy turns 18, under the care of Laura (Sally Hawkins). Laura, dealing with her own trauma of having recently lost her daughter, at first seems like the perfect, welcoming figure the two need. Yet, Laura hides her own secrets and goes to extreme lengths to deal with her grief and bring her daughter back, which puts both of them in danger.
A Shocking Horror Movie with Depth
Another recent addition to the HBO Max catalog, Bring Her Back, brings a similar audacity in the form of extreme body horror, along with a more nuanced exploration of more complex themes. While not as celebrated, Bring Her Back also saw an incredibly talented actor, Sally Hawkins, redefine herself in the horror genre with a strongly impactful performance, similar to that of Demi Moore. Bring Her Back may lack the neon-tinted polish of The Substance, but it presents a shocking, grittier side of the same coin, exploring the fear of losing the very thing that brings one a sense of identity.
‘Weekend’ (1967)
From acclaimed director Jean-Luc Godard, Weekend follows bourgeois couple, Corinne (Mireille Darc) and Roland (Jean Yanne) as they embark on a road trip to the countryside with the intent of murdering Corinne’s father to obtain her inheritance. Their journey is delayed by an ever-increasing series of disturbing events, starting with traffic jams caused by accidents, escalating to cannibalism and the complete breakdown of a capitalist society.
Breaking Down the System
While far removed from the glamor and glitz of Hollywood, Weekend focuses on creating a delirious destruction of systems meant to dehumanize outsiders and hopefuls. Both films also delve into surrealism and have a sharp, deceptive humor at specific points. Love bleak endings? Weekend is on par with the soul-crushing conclusion of The Substance. Don’t let the different eras fool you. Both films also explore themes in a provocative way that will likely be discussed for decades to come.
‘Shame’ (2011)
Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) lives a successful life in New York, contrasted by an emotional coldness and an obsession with sex. When his sister moves in with him, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), Brandon is forced to confront and discuss his addictions to pornography and sex workers while also dredging up past trauma between the two. Having to face his self-imposed isolation and ‘shame,’ Brandon begins to spiral.
Forced To Face Insecurities
Making the body a battleground and prison through obsessive thinking gives the 2011 Steve McQueen film Shame a remarkable amount of shared ground with The Substance. At the same time, while taking a different approach, both movies explore the soul-corrupting effects of trying to conform to societal standards. In the end, though, it is a raw, emotional, and uncompromising approach that will have the two movies falling comfortably together under ‘messed up’ viewing experiences.
‘A Different Man’ (2024)
Dealing with a facial deformity, Edward struggles to connect with others and sees himself as someone undeserving of companionship. When he meets his empathetic neighbor, an aspiring playwright named Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), he begins to have some hope. Edward decides to move forward with his life and undergo an experimental procedure that will give him a new face. Seeing himself reborn, Edward (Sebastian Stan) soon finds himself obsessed with another who shares his past condition (Adam Pearson), after Ingrid writes a play based on Edward’s transformation, and the man is cast in the lead.
The Grass Is Always Greener
A Different Man may have fallen short come award season–with the most notable win coming via a Golden Globe for Sebastian Stan’s performance–the Aaron Schimberg film saw plenty of critical and fan praise during the same period. Yet, the two share more in common than one might think, despite their very different approaches, as A Different Man is not a horror film. Here, both explore the body as a vessel for greater emotional horrors, using transformation as a means to unearth a character’s fallacies. “Metamorphosis gone wrong” is not necessarily a well-known or recognized sub-genre unto itself, but these two would be exemplary cases.
‘The Brood’ (1979)
Frank Carveth (Art Hindle) has taken on the role of single father while his wife, Nola (Samantha Eggar) is undergoing psychiatric care under the supervision of a pioneer, Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed), in an experimental form of therapy. Yet when his son returns with scratches all over his body, Frank’s confrontations with the doctor and his wife lead to something far more deadly and sinister than he could have ever imagined.
Evil Child-like Monsters Are Only the Start of the Horrors in ‘The Brood’
David Cronenberg set the groundwork for countless filmmakers, with his influence approach to body horror still having an impact on today’s creatives, including The Substance director Coralie Fargeat. While HBO Max is missing some of David Cronenberg’s classics from its catalog, it does include the underrated The Brood. While one of Cronenberg’s most ‘straightforward’ movies, it still has his signature blends of bizarre body horrors used as a means to tackle greater societal issues.
‘Nightingale’ (2014)
Nightingale starts by introducing the audience to Peter Snowden (David Oyelowo), making a confessional video about the murder of his mother, showing little regret beyond the amount of blood he had to deal with. From here, Peter goes about his daily routine, seemingly existing in a state between time periods, still often speaking to his mother as if she were present. The decaying body and lack of communication with the outside world lead to the inevitable decline of Peter’s mental state.
Dwelling in Death
Nightingale captures an obsession with self and identity with such a fascinating darkness that it complements The Substance, despite being different in almost every other element. Here, fans who loved the themes of isolation and obsession over identity will find Nightingale a hidden gem that takes a more visceral and cold approach. David Oyelowo’s performance here is also quite the sight to behold, vastly underrated and deeply disturbing in the best sense.
‘Onibaba’ (1964)
Kichi, an older woman, and her daughter-in-law, Yoshihide, survive in a small secluded rural village by robbing the dead and selling their wares. Yet when Yoshihide finds a new potential suitor, Kichi feels the pressure of being on her own and goes about trying to terrify her daughter-in-law back into loyalty. Donning the mask of a fallen samurai in the form of a devil, Kichi soon finds the mask cannot be removed, and she slowly descends into madness and desperation for her life.
A Desperate Attempt at Survival
Set in feudal Japan, based on Buddhist folklore, and emerging from the 1960s, one might think there is no way that Onibaba and The Substance have comparable elements. Yet, both films frame the fears of aging with a haunting and profound narrative with a visually stunning approach. Moreover, both films feature a duality of personality as one of the characters transforms into a more nightmarish version of themselves, feeling that their youth is lost. Onibaba serves to demonstrate that cinema remains timeless, as the themes explored worldwide over 60 years ago still resonate.
‘Midsommar’ (2019)
To help deal with a recent family tragedy, Dani (Florence Pugh) reluctantly decides to join her boyfriend and friends on a vacation in Sweden. It is here that they stumble upon a remote community planning a landmark celebration–a once-in-a-century midsummer festival–and become unlikely observers of an ancient ritual. When the events turn deadly and the group becomes involved in the rituals, Dani plays an unlikely role in the community’s plans that sees her witness great horrors.
Elevating Horror to New Heights
Folk horror at its best, Midsommar’s popularity means that any horror fan has likely seen this before 2024’s The Substance. Still, both movies capture a decline into madness in such a visually rich and thematically engaging manner that both deserve the accolades they have received. Additionally, both tap into a sense of existential dread through a troubled protagonist that gives similar ‘messed up’ vibes. Setting the two aside, both are must-watch films in the horror genre and exemplify the genre’s ability to continue growing and adapting to reach new heights.
- Release Date
-
September 20, 2024
- Runtime
-
140 Minutes
- Director
-
Coralie Fargeat
- Writers
-
Coralie Fargeat