Demi Moore’s Transformation in The Substance Was Inspired by The Fly

Warning: The Following Contains Mild Spoilers for The Substance

Genre cinema’s latest body-horror film The Substance is garnering a lot of buzz coming off its premiere at Cannes earlier this year, and ahead of the film’s theatrical release in September, the makers behind the new flick have revealed the inspiration behind Demi Moore’s gruesome transformation. Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a celebrity who gets fired from her job hosting a fitness show due to her age and injects a mysterious substance into her body in order to become a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” version of herself. Directed by Coralie Fargeat, let’s just say that the results are not what Sparkle was hoping for.

Speaking with Total Film (via GamesRadar), French prosthetics artist Pierre Olivier Persin – whose past work includes Avengers: Infinity War and Game of Thrones – said that he looked to the 1986 David Cronenberg classic The Fly for inspiration when it came time for Moore’s metamorphosis in The Substance. For him, it was all about finding the right balance to not make her transformation too sudden for an unsuspecting audience.

“I was thinking of The Fly. At first, he [Jeff Goldblum] has hair on his back. He’s losing one nail. It’s a small decay. It’s step by step. He’s not suddenly gruesome. So it was trying to find the right balance. We didn’t want one stage to be too much, so when we see where it’s going, it’s a surprise.”

Much like Goldblum’s transformation in The Fly (whose effects were handled by Academy Award-winner Chris Walas, Inc.), Moore undergoes a slow and painful shift in The Substance. However, instead of turning into an insect, a gnarly wound on her back gives birth to the younger version of herself she so desperately wants, portrayed by Margaret Qualley. Elisabeth’s transformation continues in the third act in ways best left unspoiled.

For Demi Moore, The Substance marks a first in her career. After getting her start in the 1982 science fiction-horror film Parasite, the 61-year-old actress has rarely stepped foot in the genre since, and as such, she hasn’t had to deal with a lot of prosthetics being applied to her body over the last four decades. The Substance changed all that, and Moore was required to sit for hours in the make-up chair while Persi and his team went to work. Moore says it’s all part and parcel of the role, and something that enticed her to play Sparkle in the first place.

“I will say: reading it on paper is certainly a lot easier than what it actually is. It was also a part of what was enticing and exciting. The team was incredibly talented. But it’s time-consuming. It’s intense. It really does require that you get very Zen, to be still. But even with whatever discomfort or challenge – for me, it’s why you want to do something, because it’s so far outside of my normal baseline existence. And it was such an important part – and a unique way – of telling this story.”

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Demi Moore Was Brought Back From the Brink of a Huge Career Decision by New Body Horror Movie

Demi Moore faced a lot of self-doubt before taking on the role of Elisabeth Sparkle in the new film by Revenge director Coralie Fargeat.

The Substance currently holds a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with early reviews calling it “a grotesque commentary on growing old gracefully,” “the most bats*it crazy film of the year,” and “an instant body horror classic.” We have high hopes for this one, and can’t wait to see Moore’s transformation when The Substance hits theaters on September 20 from Mubi. Check out the teaser trailer below.