Classic Cinema: One Week (1920)

“Good luck. You’ll Need It!”

Newlyweds (Buster Keaton and Sybil Seely) are gifted Lot 99, a Build-It-Yourself house, and a lot of chaos in 1920’s hilarious One Week. The silent short was Buster Keaton’s first independently released film and has a number of notable stunts and one rather racy scene that made censors of the day very nervous. The short also starred Joe Roberts in a small role as a piano delivery man and an unknown actor who portrays Seely’s rejected love interest who swaps the numbers on the house building kit, causing the chaotic moments in the film.

In the film, Keaton attempts to build his home following a series of numbered boxes. The jilted lover of Seely paints over the numbers of some of the boxes and Keaton builds the house out of order. This causes the house to be constructed in a haphazard fashion, with doors on the second floor that open to the outside, a leaky roof, and a slanted awning over the front porch. While hosting a house warming, a storm strikes and literally spins the house, tossing Keaton, Seely, and all of their guests out of the home. The couple then learn that they have constructed their home on Lot 66, not Lot 99, and have to move their home across the railroad tracks. This leads to an altercation with a train and a hilarious attempt at towing the house down the street.

The film is notable due to the fact that it features Buster Keaton’s first filmed “wall falling” stunt where one side of the home falls on top of him, only to have him standing in a doorway and the wall falling safely around him. The first known use of this stunt was in 1919’s Back Stage, where a wall falls down on Fatty Arbuckle in a similar fashion. Keaton was in that film as well. Keaton would use the gag two more times, in 1922’s The Blacksmith and most notably in 1928’s Steamboat Bill, Jr. The film is also the first movie to shoot a scene utilizing a camera revolving 360 degrees per IMDb. All of the stunts in the film used full sized props, including the house.

Aside from the falling wall, spinning house, and numerous other gags in the film, the movie garnered a lot of attention for a somewhat racy scene in which Seely is taking a bath and drops the soap. Although she was covered in the scene (you can actually see the fabric protecting her “lady parts”), the fact that she is supposed to be nude in the tub caught the attention of the censors. Keaton made the “risque” scene intentionally funny, with Seely giving a knowing look to the audience, breaking the fourth wall, and then having a hand appear over the camera lens while Seely retrieves the soap. While it seems tame, and even a bit cute, today, it was very risque for its time.

Of all of Keaton’s legendary films, One Week is one of the best. It’s an early example of a true comedic master’s work and showcases the stunt work of not only Keaton, but of Seely as well. I highly recommend this short and hope that you give it a look.

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Wolvesbayne (2009)

“What’d you do to me?!?!?!?”

It might be a TV movie released on the SyFy Channel, but 2009’s Wolvesbayne is actually a pretty decent flick. I recently watched it on Amazon Prime and I really enjoyed it. Sure, the CGI effects are a little bit hokey and the dialogue is rough at times, but there’s just something about this film that captivated me. I’m sure that a lot of people will compare it to Underworld, but Wolvesbayne stands on its on as a solid little horror/action film.

In the film, Russell Bayne (Jeremy London), a selfish sleazeball that’s gobbling up property in New Orleans, gets thrust into the thick of a battle between humans, vampires, and werewolves when he is turned into a werewolf. A rogue group of vampires headed up by Von Griem (Mark Dacascos) are collecting amulets that, when united, will bring their powerful goddess, Lilith (Yancy Butler), back from her eternal prison. Attempting to stop them are a collective of vampire elders that want to prevent her return. There’s also a group of highly trained human assassins led by Jacob Van Helsing (Rhett Giles) that are trying to stop Von Griem, and they’ve made an uneasy alliance with the vampire elders and Bayne, who gets a crash course in being a werewolf by Alex Layton (Christy Carlson Romano), a passive werewolf who agrees to join the fight as well. Will the humans, good vampires, and werewolves stop Von Griem or will the fur fly when Lilith unleashes her power on her enemies? Check out Wolvesbayne for yourself and see who wins the war!

Seriously, if this film had a slightly better budget for the CGI effects, a tad bit better direction, and perhaps some stronger dialogue, it would have been an excellent film. It’s not bad as is, thanks primarily to the performances of London, Romano, and Giles, and the decent practical effects and makeup. Dacascos and Butler are wasted a bit. Dacascos does a lot of glaring and not much else in the film, save for one epic battle where he gets to show off his martial arts skills. Butler has very limited screen time and most of it is spent threatening and/or killing people. The supporting cast is pretty good and the music is very good.

If you want to watch a decent film full of vampires, a couple of werewolves, and Kim Possible, Wolvesbayne is the film that you need to watch. It’s not the best film out there, but it is a very solid made-for-TV film.

Thanks for checking out my review.

The Long Walk (2025)

“May God reward your bravery.”

2025’s The Long Walk, based upon the 1979 Stephen King novel of the same name, isn’t a bad film. It isn’t that good, either. Its premise is somewhat convoluted. A group of fifty boys, one from each state, is selected to participate in a walk that starts somewhere near the Canadian border and continues until only one boy remains. If a boy fails to keep the recommended pace, he is given a warning. On the third time that he fails, he gets his ticket…..he gets killed. If he goes off of the path for too long, he gets killed. If he shows any type of defiance, he is severely warned and then killed if he doesn’t change his tune. The final boy wins a large cash prize and is granted one wish. This is meant to inspire the people in the United States which is currently in a severe depression following another civil war. Sounds sort of silly, right? Well, it is, at least to me.

The crazy thing is that the movie isn’t that bad thanks to the simply amazing performances of Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson. They play the two primary protagonists in the film, Ray and Pete, respectively. They manage to make a paper-thin plot that is spread out over one hundred plus grueling minutes somewhat interesting. There’s also some great supporting work by Tut Nyot, Garrett Wareing, Charlie Plummer, and Ben Wang. The only real weak performance in the film is that of Mark Hamill, initially unrecognizable as the Major, the grouchy antagonist of the film. I just don’t buy Hamill’s “tough guy” persona in the film. He was miscast in my opinion.

The film is obviously very bleak and depressing, but it misses the heart of other King adaptations like Stand By Me and the sheer agony of movies like The Mist. Sure, there’s the token foul mouths of youngsters that you come to expect in works based upon King’s stories and quite a bit of violence as well, but something is missing, and that something is a solid plot. Aside from some excellent (at times) cinematography and the great performances of the main cast, there’s not a lot to like about this film. Sometimes I believe that recent adaptations of King’s work have been given a pass based upon King’s longevity and the popularity of his books and many of the film adaptations of his work. Maybe that’s just me.

Is The Long Walk worth a look? Yes, especially to see the performance of Jonsson. Otherwise, you aren’t really missing anything with this King adaptation.

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Rec (2007)

“I can’t slide down there with the camera.”

Oh, but Pablo does manage to get down there with the camera, and upstairs backwards with the camera, and even gets chased by fast zombies with the camera in 2007’s much loved Rec, a Spanish found footage film starring Manuela Velasco, Pablo Rosso, and Ferran Terraza. As my regular readers know, I’m not a fan of found footage films for the most part, and while Rec is a pretty good film, the whole concept of “found footage” ruined it for me. I’m in the minority on this, however, as the film birthed three sequels and an American remake that also had one sequel.

In the film, Velasco portrays Angela Vidal, the host of a series called While You’re Asleep that follows people around while they are doing their jobs at night. For the episode in the film, Angela and her cameraman, Pablo (Rosso), spend the evening with a crew of firemen and they are assigned to record the duties of Manu and Alex. After a long night of interviewing firefighters, watching them eat, sleep, and play basketball, Manu and Alex finally get a call to assist a woman that has been locked in her apartment and is screaming for help. When they arrive on the scene, two police officers are dealing with the other residents of the apartment complex on the street level. The police, firefighters, and Angela and Pablo make their way up the stairs to the room where the elderly woman is found acting erratically and covered in blood. When one of the officers approaches her, she attacks him, violently biting into his neck. Alex stays behind with the woman while the rest of the group head back downstairs to try and get the injured officer to an ambulance, but when they attempt to leave the building, they find that the doors have been blockaded and authorities tell them that the building has been quarantined. Soon after this, Alex slams into the ground after falling (or being tossed) from the floor on which he was watching the woman. Bleeding profusely but somehow still alive, he and the attacked officer are taken to an area to be patched up by a doctor that lives in the complex. Things escalate as the night goes on, and we watch it all unfold from the lens of Pablo’s camera. What follows is a mix of fast-paced horror blended with science and Catholicism. How does it all end? Watch Rec to find out what happens in the apartment complex from Hell!

This really could have been an excellent zombie film, but the found footage angle totally ruined it for me. Much like Cloverfield and every other found footage film out there, there’s a guy, in this case it’s Pablo, that’s carrying around a camera the entire time and instead of setting it down and helping as much as possible, he only sets it down a couple of times when the Manu and others demand his help. It’s ludicrous for a guy to “keep the film rolling” while being chased by bloodthirsty zombies. Had this element been removed, I would have enjoyed Rec a whole lot more.

The cast is really excellent, especially Velasco, who comes off as a bit of a snob at the beginning of the film and then quickly spirals into a delirious and desperate woman. I also enjoyed the performances of the complex residents, who were all fairly stereotypical citizens that brought humor and heart to the film. The zombie effects were very good as well.

Despite a strong cast, cool zombies, and a solid script, Rec fell flat for me for the same reason that almost all found footage films fail: the annoying guy who won’t put the camera down long enough to really do anything. If you’re okay with this concept, you’ll probably love Rec. If you’re more like me, watch the film for the great performances of the cast.

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The Snow Demon (2026)

“Last year, winter brought him…..”

Written by C.M. Wright and directed by Dominic Nutter, The Snow Demon (2026)is an above average creature feature that embraces practical effects, but falls short with its story. It stars Gina Smith, Belle Taylor, Francesca Weir, Jessie Vinning, and Ben Maddocks. It co-stars Renny Mendoza and Jenny Miller, with Jamiyka Jones in the suit as the creature. The film was produced by ChampDog Films, It is currently available to watch for free on Tubi.

In the film, a group of friends return to the place where their friend, Lila, went missing and was never found a year prior, to light candles to guide her spirit home. None of them are particularly spiritual, and it is mentioned that they made fun of Lila about her beliefs, but they do this in order show her respect and to honor her life. There’s also a folklorist (Mendoza) in the same area, doing research for his book. He bumps into Harper (Taylor) while she’s taking a run on the trail near the cabin where the group is staying. He fills Harper in on the legendary beast that supposedly stalks the forest and they go their separate ways. Later that evening, as the group is holding their ceremony for Lila, they hear a blood-curdling cry come from the forest. Thinking it’s the folklorist, Harper and Rowan (Maddocks) go to help him. When they arrive at the scene of the attack, they find that some legends are true.

The film really isn’t that bad. Taylor gives the best performance in the film in my opinion. The rest of the cast do just fine. I didn’t like the way that the story set up a great subplot with the folklorist and then tossed it entirely too quickly in my opinion. I also didn’t care for the flimsy “final girl” set up that could have been much better. What I really loved about the film is the practical effects. The wolf, while obviously a suit, looked great. I wish that the mouth on the suit worked better and I also wasn’t a fan of how the creature pawed at its victims for what seemed like a very long time before chomping into them. I also really enjoyed the snow effects and gore.

Overall, The Snow Demon isn’t a shabby horror flick. If you like practical effects and traditional creature features, you’ll like this film. I want to see more of Belle Taylor’s work and I’d love to see a sequel to this film. Thanks for checking out my review.

Cult Classic: Cutting Class (1989)

“No cutting class!”

Brad Pitt becomes Suspect #1 in one of his earliest starring roles in 1989’s Cutting Class. The film also starred Jill Schoelen, Donovan Leitch, Brenda Lynn Klemme, and Dirk Blocker. The film also featured Roddy McDowall and Martin Mull in small roles, adding some star power to the production. The movie was written by Steve Slavkin and directed by Rospo Pallenberg. Pallenberg is best known for his screenwriting skills, having penned Excalibur and The Emerald Forest, among other films.

In the movie, Paula Carson (Schoelen) has the house to herself while her father, District Attorney Carson (Mull) is on a hunting trip. Paula’s boyfriend, Dwight (Pitt), has plans for the two of them while her father is away. Problems arise, however, when a returning student, Brian, begins to have feelings for Paula. Brian has been freshly released from a mental hospital and has a history with Dwight. Both of them have difficulties in school. Dwight struggles with his grades and blows a shot at an athletic scholarship. Brian is the “weird” student that can’t make friends. It doesn’t help that the faculty at the school is loaded with perverts, jerks, and tyrants. This sets the stage for a series of murders that occur. Is Brian still insane? Has Dwight cracked? Maybe the janitor is the murderer? Watch Cutting Class to find out what goes down at the high school!

Sadly, the movie struggles to find a rhythm. It has slapstick level comedy at times and then very dark and unhinged moments. It also features a fairly lame slasher. The only real treats in the film were trying to figure out who the killer is and poor Martin Mull. Mull alone seemed to know exactly what this film was, and his performance reflected this. The rest of the cast was okay, but nothing too amazing. Roddy McDowall was absolutely creepy as Mr. Dante. The kills were dull despite being very dramatic at times and the music just okay. Overall, not a “need to see” slasher, but if you like the genre or the history of Brad Pitt’s acting career, you might want to watch this film.

Thanks for checking out my review!

Heretic (2024)

“Religion is just a system of control.”

Hugh Grant plays a man with ill intentions who invites two young female Mormon missionaries into his home in 2024’s Heretic. The two young ladies are portrayed by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, both of whom grew up within the Mormon faith in their real lives. The film was released by A24 and co-written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.

In the film, Sister Paxton (East) and Sister Barnes (Thatcher) are on a missionary trip in Boulder, Colorado and they encounter the warm but odd Mr. Reed (Grant), who invites him into his home where he assures them that his wife is in the kitchen preparing a blueberry pie. The ladies are not allowed to enter a home without a female partner present, so they enter the home with a bit of hesitation. Once inside, things slowly become stranger as Mr. Reed challenges the faith of the young ladies. Soon enough, Srs. Paxton and Barnes become frightened and determine to escape from Mr. Reed’s home. When they realize that they cannot escape due to timed locks and they can’t call out due to the metal in the walls, the missionaries accept the challenge of a game from Mr. Reed. If they succeed, they win their freedom. If they fail, who knows what awaits them? Check out Heretic for a wonderfully nerve-wracking time.

Heretic isn’t a perfect film, but it sure is fun to watch. Hugh Grant’s disarming and eccentric delivery quickly turns into a sinister friendliness, if that makes any sense. Sophie Thatcher’s performance is cold, calculated, and confident. I especially enjoyed her deconstruction of Mr. Reed’s challenges not only to her Mormon faith, but of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. While I am personally not well-versed on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I do know my Catholic faith, and I laughed a bit whenever Mr. Reed offered his comparisons of Christianity to Mithras, Horus, and more. All of these arguments have been snuffed out for some time, so I am curious if the writers simply googled “arguments against Christianity” or they intentionally chose the weak arguments presented in the film. Theology aside, the film is very entertaining and Srs. Paxton and Barnes were easy to cheer for in the film. Chloe East did an especially amazing job as Sister Paxton, with her character becoming the strongest in the film as far as I’m concerned. Also keep an eye out for a wonderful and unexpected cameo from a well-known sitcom star who has had a marvelous career in film as well.

No matter what your status is when it come to faith and religion, I think that you’ll enjoy Heretic. It’s one of my favorite movies from the last few years, and its core story of control and self-empowerment plays out with perfection.

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Classic Cinema: Monster From The Ocean Floor (1954)

“It could absorb a man.”

The first film that Roger Corman ever produced, Monster From The Ocean Floor (1954), may not be the best film that Corman was ever part of, but it’s definitely an important film despite its B-movie status. It starred Anne Kimball as Julie Blair, Stuart Wade as Steve Dunning, and Dick Pinner as Dr. Baldwin. Wyott Ordung has a small role as Pablo. Ordung also directed the film and took a cut in his pay for the opportunity to direct the film. Corman also has a small role in the film as Tommy.

In the film, Julie Blair, who is vacationing in Mexico, becomes interested in a local legend about a creature that has been blamed for mysterious deaths in the area since 1946. She has a chance encounter with Steve Dunning, a marine biologist who happens to be in the area with a team doing research off of the coast. He also happens to have a sweet one-man submarine. That may or may not become important later in the film. The two become close rather quickly, but Dunning writes off Blair’s obsession with the sea creature as nothing more than legend. While he and his team move farther down the coast to do their research, Julie tackles the mystery on her own, getting help from a shady local named Pablo (Ordung), who has been told to sacrifice Julie to the beast by Tula (Inez Palange), a local woman who still worships Quetzalcoatl. Pablo tries to sacrifice Julie on a number of occasions, but fails every time. He ultimately agrees to help her discover what the beast truly is, but when she sends a sample tissue from the creature to Steve and his team, they realize that Julie and anybody that gets too close to the creature may get absorbed by it! Will Steve be able to get back in time to save Julie? Watch Monster From The Ocean Floor for the terrifying conclusion of the film!

The film is pretty run-of-the-mill for 1950s science fiction. Like many films of the time, Monster From The Ocean Floor played on the fears of U.S. citizens about nuclear fallout and radiation resulting from tests like those executed on the Bikini Atoll beginning in 1946. The tests triggered the birth or mutation of a gigantic amoeba-like creature that absorbs people in the film. The movie also has a number of audio issues, with some dubbing sounding as if the actors are talking into cans. So why is the movie so significant. For starters, it’s the first film produced by Roger Corman. Secondly, it heralds the beginning of Corman’s habit of getting the most bang for his buck when it comes to a film’s budget. It also features amazing underwater cinematography guided by Floyd Crosby, an Academy Award winner who would continue working with Corman. It is also credited as being one of the few films of the era that featured a woman who was not only intelligent, but took initiative on her own to discover the creature.

Despite a basic plot and slightly above average acting, Monster From The Ocean Floor is worth a look. You get a glimpse at Corman’s earliest work as a producer and you get to see the Aerojet General submarine in action!

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Companion (2025)

“I’m free. And all it took was a bullet to the head.”

Sophie Thatcher portrays Iris, a robotic companion that takes things into her own hands in 2025’s Companion. The film co-stars Jack Quaid as Josh, her owner and lover, Lukas Gage as Patrick, Harvey Guillen as Eli, Megan Suri as Kat, and Rupert Friend as Sergey. The film was written and directed by Drew Hancock in his feature film directorial debut. It’s a science fiction thriller with strong callbacks to films like The Stepford Wives, Terminator 2, and, at least in my opinion, Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith.

Spoilers Ahead!!!!!!

The film opens with Iris and Josh meeting in a supermarket. Josh flubs his attempt to approach Iris whenever he sends oranges flying across the grocery store floor, but his goofy charm shines through and the two fall in love. We are then taken to the duo in Josh’s self-driving car, where they are heading out to meet some friends for a nice getaway. When they arrive, Iris is worried that Josh’s friends won’t like her. After he reassures her that everything will be fine, we are introduced to a friendly couple, Patrick and Eli, and Kat, Josh’s abrasive friend, and her lover, Sergey.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Sophie Thatcher in a scene from “Companion.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

The first night goes off with only minor issues for Iris. Kat seems to dislike her, but tolerates her enough to keep the mood mild. We also learn that Kat is Sergey’s mistress and “property,” which will be a constant theme throughout the film. We find out that Patrick and Eli have a strong bond between themselves as well. Things start to go south when, on the next morning, Sergey attempts to sexually assault Iris and she kills him. The problem is that as a robotic companion, Iris is forbidden and programmed not to kill. It’s at this moment we find out that Josh and Kat have orchestrated the murder of Sergey in order to claim the twelve million dollars that is stashed in the cabin. They agree to split the money with Eli whenever they are forced to tell him what is really going on with Sergey’s murder. It is then revealed that Patrick is a robotic companion as well, which leads to Eli demanding that the money be split four ways. Iris eventually escapes from Josh and his friends, disarms Josh’s ability to control her, and tries to find a way back to civilization and freedom. The friends split up to try and find Iris. This results in a number of bloody deaths, questions about bodily autonomy, and, if you dig deeper, tackles subjects like sex trafficking and the ethics of robotics.

Thankfully, the film doesn’t dive too deeply into any of the subjects in touches upon, leaving that up to the audience instead. It could have jumped head first into bodily autonomy or any other themes, but I believe that this would have killed the pacing of the film and taken it to a dark place where this style of film doesn’t do well. What it does do, however, is give us some excellent action, a real hero to cheer on in the film, and the aforementioned callbacks that I mentioned. From the way that Iris is dressed throughout the film to that iconic wave in the mid-credits scene, I saw influences from quite a few movies including those already mentioned and M3GAN, which Drew Hancock swears he didn’t watch in order to steal from it. There were also quite a few funny moments in the film as well, some perhaps not intentional but I laughed just the same.

The cast did a great job with their roles. Quaid was instantly unlikeable as Josh, and he played the character very well. Megan Suri was excellent as Kat, a character that was in a similar position as Iris, but had human emotions as well. She was one of the more tragic characters in this movie. Guillen was fun and enjoyable as Eli, even when he goes on the hunt for Iris. His relationship with Lukas Gage’s Patrick made his character a bit more sympathetic in my eyes. Both Patrick and Thatcher’s Iris were sad characters, and despite Patrick being weaponized against Iris, I felt terrible for him. Thatcher nailed Iris. I haven’t cheered on a character like her in a long time. I was pulling for her right away and I believe that most other folks were as well.

Companion is a really good film. It has clearly defined heroes and villains that wade through some heavy subjects, keeping the story light enough that it doesn’t get dull. I highly recommend this film and appreciate you for reading my post. Thank you.

The Substance (2024)

“The balance must be respected.”

We all age. We get wrinkles. Our bodies begin hurting in ways we never dreamed of when we were young. Eventually we become senior citizens and, like it or not, society looks down its nose at a lot of us. In the glitzy world of film and television, getting old comes with potentially deep losses. Actors are almost always expected to be young and attractive and when that first crack of the skin appears on an actor’s face, especially on an actress’ face, the role offers and callbacks start to dwindle. Such is the situation that fifty year old Elisabeth (Demi Moore) finds herself in in 2024’s The Substance. The film is written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, who is known for Revenge (2017) and Reality+ (2014).

Spoilers ahead!!!!

In the film, former award-winning film actress Elisabeth finds herself unceremoniously dumped by the studio that produces her workout show due to the fact that she’s too old in the eyes of Harvey (Dennis Quaid) and he wants a younger, prettier “girl” to replace her. After getting in a car accident on the way home, Elisabeth is offered the substance by a nurse. When she arrives at home, she stands in the mirror, completely nude, and looks at her aging body. She ultimately contacts the producer of the substance and injects it into her body, resulting in the “birth” of Sue (Margaret Qualley), a younger version of Elisabeth who is catapulted into the spotlight by Harvey.

The substance comes with a strict set of rules. Elisabeth and Sue must switch between one another every seven days. One remains in a comatose-like state while the other gets seven days of freedom. Sue embraces her newfound popularity while Elisabeth grows more and more jealous of her popularity. Sue begins to push the limits of the rules, taking more and more time from Elisabeth and accelerating the aging process. Problems begin to ramp up for Elisabeth, as her aging gets out of control and Sue’s popularity continues to skyrocket. The big issue here, though, is that Elisabeth and Sue are the same person in two very different bodies. As Sue falls in love with her new life, Elisabeth begins to make Sue’s life miserable. The duo ultimately have a massive face-off, resulting in a new version of them, Monstro Elisasue, to be born. The creature lurches onto the stage on New Year’s Eve, a night that was supposed to shoot Sue into greater stardom, and blasts the crowd with blood, crying for acceptance. In the end, Elisabeth is reduced to a gooey face that is squashed on her own star on the walk of fame.

While the film definitely has its highlights, for the most part, The Substance lacks…..substance. The story is nothing new and something that has been around since films have been around. Actors get older and begin losing roles to younger actors. Older actors will go to great lengths to maintain their youthful appearance. The film highlights this, especially the toll it takes on actresses, and the way that many corporate sleazeballs objectify women. On the other hand, it shows how actors will turn on others in order to get what they want. There are no real heroes in this film. Everyone is tragic and/or unlikeable. Fargeat’s direction and shots are all taken from other films and directors. You don’t need a very sharp eye to see influences from films like The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, and more. It also draws influence from works such as The Picture Of Dorian Gray and Carrie. The film also has very limited dialogue and sluggish pacing as well, making it a tough watch.

One thing that the film does get right is the practical effects. Almost all of the film’s effects are realized using makeup, prosthetics, puppets, and appliances. The Elisasue creature looks great and appears to draw influence from The Thing, Basket Case, and other gruesome creatures. I also want to applaud the performance of Demi Moore. Although she was portraying a character that just turned fifty, Moore was actually sixty-one at the time of filming. She still looks great, and much like her character in the film, she’s had enhancements over the years to retain her youth. That said, she appears completely nude multiple times in the film and she does show her age. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say anything derogatory about her, it’s just that in one particular scene, perhaps the best scene in the film, her character is looking in the mirror at all of her imperfections. The camera pans around her entire body, revealing every wrinkle and crease. It’s sad and beautiful at the same time. Elisabeth is sad that she is aging, but it is beautiful that Moore is willing to bare her own aging to the world.

Ultimately, The Substance is just one more in a long line of body horror films that has flashes of brilliance, amazing effects, but ultimately falls under the weight of its own story. The ending completely derails any momentum built earlier in the film and brings a ho-hum experience to a brutal halt.

I don’t necessarily recommend this film, but if you grew up watching Moore on the big screen like I did, it might be worth your time. Thanks for reading my review.