Coralie Fargeat has by no means been one to shrink back from pushing boundaries. The author-director of The Substance, among the finest horror films of current reminiscence—and now a 2025 Oscar nominee for Finest Image—has constructed a profession on visceral, thought-provoking storytelling. However, when it got here to studio suggestions on her daring, finest blood-soaked physique horror flicks, probably the most surprising pushback didn’t come from its excessive violence or unsettling themes. It concerned a not-so-gory scene, and Fargeat says it got here from… simply the “guys.”
The French filmmaker lately appeared on Selection’s Awards Circuit Podcast recalled receiving a very odd studio notice relating to a pivotal lunch scene that includes forged member Dennis Quaid. The filmmaker was stunned by how strongly sure folks reacted to one thing she by no means imagined could be controversial. She defined:
From all of the issues within the film that I believed may hassle folks, the one which I may have by no means imagined was the shrimp… It got here solely from guys, I’d say. Like, ‘Come on, relax with the shrimp.’ And I feel it made them uncomfortable as a result of it was portrayed in a method that felt excessive.
At first look, it’s an absurd critique, however as Coralie Fargeat sees it, the discomfort wasn’t in regards to the crustaceans themselves—it was about what the scene represented.
The Revenge filmmaker has at all times been fascinated with exploring the visceral and grotesque, and this second, like many others in The Substance, makes use of exaggerated imagery to touch upon bigger themes of magnificence, energy, and management. The shrimp was simply one other ingredient that made particular viewers uneasy, which is exactly what the director supposed. And I get it as a result of this movie is one in all my favourite current horror flicks, nevertheless it’s so bizarre that I discover it tough to advocate it. The shrimp scene contributes to that oddness.
The Substance has been making waves because it was launched, with critics praising its mix of visceral horror and biting social commentary, with CinemaBlend hailing it as one of many 25 finest movies of 2024. The movie dives deep into magnificence, ageing and self-worth themes in an business that always sidelines ladies previous a sure age. Lead actress Demi Moore’s efficiency, particularly, has been hailed as a career-best, profitable her a Golden Globe and incomes her an Oscar nomination.
After all, the shrimp notice wasn’t the one studio concern. The Le télégramme director additionally revealed that execs had reservations in regards to the movie’s monstrous creature—a grotesque but unusually susceptible manifestation of the movie’s themes. Some thought it didn’t match conventional “magnificence requirements” for creature design. However Coralie Fargeat, who has spoken at size in regards to the two phrases she stored repeating whereas conceptualizing The Substance’s monstrous visuals, stood her floor. To her, all the function of the movie was to problem expectations.
Demi Moore is not any stranger to business double requirements herself, related deeply with the movie’s themes–revealing in a previous interview that it got here on the proper time in her profession. In one of many movie’s most potent scenes, her character removes her make-up in entrance of a mirror—a second of uncooked vulnerability that turns into the emotional turning level of the movie. The scary flick’s helmer has credited Moore’s efficiency with bringing a stage of depth and depth that made the scene actually land.
On the finish of the day, the shrimp controversy is simply one other instance of how The Substance pushes boundaries. If a seemingly innocent element can rattle some viewers, it solely reinforces the movie’s means to impress discomfort and spark dialog. And actually? That’s precisely what nice horror ought to do.
With The Substance persevering with to rake in award nominations and preserve audiences speaking, Coralie Fargeat has cemented herself as a drive in fashionable horror. And, if this movie is any indication, no matter she does subsequent might be simply as daring, unsettling, and unforgettable. The movie is now out there to stream on the digital service Mubi. Additionally, take a look at our 2025 film schedule to see what different upcoming horror films are headed to theaters quickly.