The Substance (Dead Meat Podcast Ep. 223)

Chelsea and James discuss The Substance, the newest film from Coralie Fargeat (a.k.a. the Queen, the GOAT, and the Mayor of Butt City).
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MUSIC!! "U Make Me Feel" by MK2

[@bigjedimullet]

Anyone who thinks it’s “cringe” to be over a certain age and still be deeply enthusiastic about the things you love probably needs to get a hobby. I’d rather be able to find pleasure and happiness in something that seems “weird” than be miserable because some arbitrary period in my life to enjoy things has passed.

[@RusPitman]

Guarantee those people follow a sports team though 😂

[@Blossom_Screen]

I hope to be 80 speaking just as enthusiastically about art

[@liamkampff1]

It's a deeply childish thing, those people that say that I would hope will grow out of it (I know some don't ever) But yeah - anyone calling people like James and Chelsea cringe, don't know how to live life correctly!

[@Wubbs64]

This movie completely slipped under my radar until my mate asks at 8pm if i want to go watch it at 9pm in the local cinema. I was not ready

[@sol_stapleton]

Same, I had my film lecturer tell me to go see it.

[@scottgooding9935]

Same! I had never even heard of it but it was the day of release. Buddy called me at 8, we went at 9:30. No trailer, no warnings. I was also not ready 😅

[@orchids4256]

Aww Chelsea, thank you for being so real in this podcast. Listening to you describe the struggle of how you see yourself and all the external pressures that can just poison your thoughts about your own body was incredibly relatable. I'm just a stranger, commenting on one of my favorite youtube channels, that wants to share my solidarity. ❤

[@alainaatnip7811]

i sometimes forget that people feel the same as me and her talking about this really moved me and was so real to hear. i recently deleted everything but pinterest and youtube (obviously lol). i sometimes feel lonely but i also realize how much better i feel about myself and how i can bounce back from when i do get bad body dysmorphia. shoutout chelsea!!!

[@MissAlmostFine]

​@@alainaatnip7811 Trust me you aren't missing anything on those other apps. Glad you're feeling refreshed getting rid of that albatross.

[@jennah7215]

I'm so glad you brought up how people have started equating morality with looks. I find it disturbing how everyone's seemingly going "Yay, now we have an excuse to mock the way they look" while no one bats an eye.

[@alansharpe5523]

To be fair that's been a concept in culture since there has been culture, so many times in old fairy tales and myths, appearance has been a short hand of showing the reader who are the moral and immoral characters

[@jennah7215]

@@alansharpe5523 Entirely fair point, maybe I was just hoping we were at least pretending that we had evolved as a society beyond that.

[@pusheenqueen519]

​@@alansharpe5523 Exactly. Just for one example, being overweight always seems to be shorthand for a character being lazy, foolish, or selfish. It not only is a reflection of how people perceive real people who look a certain way but it reinforces that existing perception.

[@jennah7215]

@@pusheenqueen519 Completely agree. As a person with a chronic skin condition, it is really tiring seeing bad skin so often equated with being monstorous/creepy/a sign of disease. Horror movies especially love doing it, just think of any scene where a character being itchy/getting a rash is the first sign of something terrible coming...

[@hsisnothere]

no for real! i was in a problematic youtuber’s comment section yesterday and instead of making valid criticisms a lot of people just made fun of his body. it was so disappointing to see…

[@AW.2020]

Manifesting that the get to the kill bit for the kill count is james and Chelsea doing the exercise class to pump it up

[@krystalschrand4256]

and instead of the song saying "pump it up" it says "count it uuuuup!!"

[@korokonas]

I had a small audience, but had the best rando moment: when the voice on the phone asked Elisabeth "do you want to stop?" someone in my theater answered in a distressed "YES" I had to fight back a laugh. Man was NOT having a good time lol

[@sarahmemmott6282]

As someone with chronic illness that has nearly killed me already, I feel very fortunate to have made it to my early 30s. How fortunate I will be if I see my 40s! The perspective sickness gives to aging is another read I had of this film: the desperation to last for even another moment, no matter how "gross" you may be, simply because you are still alive! Insecurities are eclipsed by existential fear, and also by deep gratitude. It's when the fight for survival begins. I cannot possibly overstate how much I adore this film--viewed through any lens.

[@evanlinden4410]

@@sarahmemmott6282 I’m disabled, and I had the same thought. You can read Elisabeth being left in the bathroom by Sue as disability neglect, and the cooking scene is her taking back her independence, but the disability is still there

[@awesumtoast97]

I'm with you. Im in the same boat and doctors told my parents as a toddler i would be lucky to make it pass 18. I'm 26 now, ofc it's terribly worse and I have to get blood exchanges every month but I'm still here. It really opened my eyes.

[@hsisnothere]

1:24:00 after seeing this film i asked my grandmother and mother the same question. my mother is in her mid 50s and my grandmother is nearly 80. they both say the way they feel inside does not match what they see in the mirror and it’s very difficult to cope with. i think having these conversations is SO important!!

[@freudianslipp]

my dad also ALWAYS said this when I was growing up!

[@neonradius]

I ended up not liking this movie, but everytime I wrote a review it ended up more positive then negative because there’s so much I can objectively appreciate (even if it just doesn’t come together for me). I think a movie is really special when I can personally not like it, and still be completely happy that it’s topping so many lists. I’m just so happy movies like this are getting made!

[@cinemacola6398]

I thought it was good, but overrated. Especially with people coming out of film festivals saying it's the most insane movie ever. I was thinking we were going to get another Dead-Alive or The Thing type of movie where body parts were gonna fly everywhere, but it wasn't like that. The practical effects, production design and directing were fantastic, but I felt the script was lacking in some areas.

[@SpookyQuill]

Yeah this is a movie I hardcore appreciate because there's a lot of effort put in on all fronts and I don't have anything specific to say that I didn't like other than, I just didn't really vibe with it. I'm surprised at how overwhelmingly positive the reviews have been though which makes me think there's something wrong with my brain for being kind of meh about it.

[@kevinpearson8562]

I love how dense this movie is, even for a movie with very clear message. A 2 hour podcast and I don’t even think you guys mentioned “the picture of Dorian gray” which I feel plays a big part in the messaging as well. Love love love it.

[@coyoteclockworkstudios3140]

I had adolescent scoliosis and had my spine fused at 14. That really allowed me to bow out of the whole "Look good for men" thing, because it was like "I'm a hunchback and ruined already, no man will want me." I'm kind of grateful for it, because even though it wasn't the greatest attitude to have, it set me free from the anxiety of having to look good. And seeing other women suffer for their looks, I didn't want to join in.

[@kalinepereira1619]

Yeah, i totally get it. I grew up listening to my mom say the vilest sh*t about me for being the “ugliest” in a family full of blonde thin straight haired women… i gave up on tying my value to my looks very soon, and i see know I am not as afraid of aging as people around me, including those very beautiful women of my family. It’s f*cking sad.

[@lucidmemory4146]

Very vulnerable moments in the podcast. Saying out loud things that many people internalize. Thanks for keeping it real.

[@brandongamingtv7545]

this film is gonna be a strong contender for the Dead Meat Horror Awards for 2025, as I have a feeling that this film could potentially sweep the award show's awards

[@robertstoner4973]

An elderly couple sat behind me and, despite my worries, they were reacting and laughing all the right ways.

[@iheartbusterk82]

That along with Graessle’s comments makes me hope that maybe, just maybe I could get my mom to watch it because I think that she’d really love what it has to say.

[@panligero]

​@@iheartbusterk82 I watched it with my mom and she loved it! To be fair she's not really that old, she's only 46 AND she's pretty open to modern sensitivities and could interpret the movie in a non literal way, so I guess she just had the right combination of factors lol

[@ssescoe83]

Same at my movie theater. There was a old woman sitting in the front row just laughing her ass off.

[@marybellefleur]

This movie will resonate differently at different times in one's life. I'm 52 and think it's pretty funny. I hope I get to live into my 80s & lmao at The Substance.

[@dego5509]

i haven't seen many people talking about how ironic it is that lizzie crashes her car seeing her face getting ripped apart on a dental ad and that the first thing that starts falling at the end of the movie is sue's teeth really makes the whole message about missing what you had before in your life stronger

[@LokiMartin]

My Nana went to see this with me and my best friend, and she said this was her favorite horror movie of the year! Watching this with her because you are her favorite KZbinrs! EDIT: You guys are not cringe, the people who stopped watching you in 2019 and don't like how you live by your motto, "Be good people!" are cringe!

[@iheartbusterk82]

I knew that this episode was gonna be a long one because this movie has just so much going on. I love it so much. ETA: I feel like the casting of Demi Moore (from her history to how incredibly beautiful she is) was incredibly deliberate to the point where I almost feel like it might not have worked as well if someone else played Elisabeth.

[@1pknail]

Agree on the casting of Demi Moore. She basically invented (with Annie Liebowitz, of course) the naked pregnant belly magazine cover and has always had an insane amount of scrutiny (some of it invited) around her body. All that baggage feels essential to the character.

[@michelleperry4373]

As an art teacher, I immediately clocked that shade of blue as the complement of the yellow of the substance ads/packaging. I always love when Chelsea talks about colors!

[@Binktyler]

Ahhhhh!!! A 2 hour podcast on the best horror movie of the year!! Let’s do it🔥🔥

[@micklefox]

My boyfriend and I saw this and walked out of the theater stunned. He broke the silence with “Anne Hathaway could NEVER!” I laughed so hard!

[@Alyboba]

Did anyone notice Sue wears star earrings like Jen in Revenge?

[@saraviramontes9130]

👏

[@claravazbraga6342]

dragged my mom and dad to watch it with me and they LOVED IT my mom hates horror and being scared but said that this movie made her think and reflect about herself (being 51 and all) so much that she didn’t mind the gore at all both of them grew up with demi moore and say that this was poetic justice for everything that hollywood put her through and gave her kudos for committing so much 10/10 experience

[@Tariqthasandy1]

LOVE THE LONGER PODCASTS!!!

[@tcu1099]

This movie is my absolute favorite that I've seen in years. The tag line "it will change your life" is so accurate as a viewer. Everyone I've known that's seen it hasn't been able to stop thinking about it. All I've done is talk about it since.

[@SurinaSlackArt]

I really appreciate Chelsea's vulnerability about body image issues bc I struggle with it all the time

[@RealGeebs]

Ashton Kutcher's relationship with Mila Kunis is much more questionable than Demi Moore's relationship with Kutcher ever was

[@tbw_tsa7309]

Watched this last week in theaters and I've been waiting ever since for it to be on the podcast. What a time for horror fans. The true horror of this film was definitely the food.

[@HuyenTueDao]

As a woman who is 41 and, while generally comfortable and happy with herself, finds herself taking longer and longer and longer looks in the mirror and notices more things I wish were not there, I was legitimately heartbroken by the "getting ready" scene, and wholly moved by Demi Moore's performance. It was vulnerable, sad, frustrated, enraged, desperate, over-the-top in all the best ways, and at every second spoke to me in some way. I want to tell people that "Demi deserves a fucking Oscar for this role" but really the performance is too good for the Oscars (especially since we know how the Oscars treat horror). The sound design got me so hard. I'm glad that my husband and I experienced in theaters. The best part was at the end when SHE was putting in earrings and curling her hair, our audience had to laugh and it was this amazing catharsis after the insanity up until that point. Been SO excited to hear what y'all (and my girl Chelsea in particular; ❤ you and your perspective) have to say about legit one of my now favorite movies ever.

[@interestingusername306]

I think something fascinating this movie does that not enough people talk about is how, if given a second body to inhabit, someone that hates themselves as much as Elisabeth does would absolutely start ruining their hated selve's life even though she is one and the same person.

[@pusheenqueen519]

I'm turning 30 in less than a month and take satisfaction in knowing there's men out there that are offended I don’t feel anxious, dreading, or less beautiful at the prospect of being out of my 20s. Seriously, there's so many men and even other women who seem to take it as a personal insult when women over 30 don’t hate themselves and are just living their best lives.

[@imnotdarwin1473]

I mirror James when he's going off about dudes not washing their hands in the public bathrooms. Every single times, I'm shocked.

[@SaraBanartist]

The split on Letterboxd were women talk about how this movie was a shot through the heart vs the men trying to claim the story was "actually pretty sexist if you think about it" is INSANE

[@EhkoGone]

My friend, who isn’t a horror fan but went to see this with me because I’m going through a breakup and they’re being supportive, saw this with me without googling anything. By the time Elisasue was on screen I was laughing out of sheer “oh fuck I shouldn’t have brought you to see this” and they were staring at me with the knowledge that I now owe them SO MANY favors

[@marybellefleur]

Not a spoiler: This movie is an all-time classic. I'm so glad you're covering this on podcast! SPOILER: This movie is way funnier than I thought it would be. I love how Elisabeth's reaction to Sue's abuse of The Substance changes over time. At first she's horrified-- oh no, a gnarled finger! Then appalled-- gray hair and wrinkles, no! and then-- oh, wtf now what fresh fcukin hell is this... it's a very funny metaphor for the process of aging in general. Omg, this gorgeous wonderful gem of a movie.

[@isabellepeterson329]

Oh man, you guys have fully convinced me to see this movie. I was hearing a lot of stuff about the body horror and wasn't sure, but this seems like an instant fav for me. Even if they do sometimes whack you over the head with it, if a movie has something it really wants to say with its whole heart, I always appreciate it. Especially with an issue so universal and yet so specific as this. Thanks for the thoughtful commentary as always.

[@ericcox7349]

Hearing Chelsea talk about feeling frumpy made me sad. She's absolutely gorgeous.

[@cousinmajin]

Favorite movie of the year so far! Loved your guys' commentary on it, especially Chelsea. Obviously men can still relate to this movie, but this is certainly a movie with a woman's voice. I'm 27 and I'm already feeling the pressures that Chelsea and this movie talked about. I loved how Chelsea described it as angry but also joyful. It's fucked up subject matter but the movie felt like fun the whole time while still having so much empathy and heart and not feeling totally doom and gloom. Really, really special film.

[@aud2d2]

Chelsea, there are some hand sanitizer lotions you should try for conventions!! My hands get so dry in the winter and having the lotion really helps, especially if you’re applying it a lot!

[@Danzorel]

Accidentally took my little brother to see this one. He was completely shocked and didn't know how anyone could like it. I loved it so much.

[@xx2MuchTimeGURL11xx]

This upload saved me from a terrible mental health morning 😭 I love you dead meat thank you ❤️❤️❤️ The podcast is my favorite!

[@yuriferraz8707]

For me this movie is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for baddies. A mix of Death Becomes Her + Society + Videodrome. Also the final minutes are low-key a homage to King Kong and maybe Braindead lol. Coralie Fargeat is a genius and she KNOWS what she wants! She created a modern classic.

[@emanuelcr]

Chelsea's comment about Sue molting like a bug made me think of a cicada - and, as Cronenberg comparisons go, we know how The Fly works.

[@vivianw3576]

Chelsea you're the best part of the pod, you are so funny and sooo smart and insightful and I love hearing your commentary on movies, I was so excited to see this was uploaded the day after i finally got around to watching it. i loved how you noticed the blue and were able to put a meaning to it--i also noticed Sue's mascara was bright blue and have been curious putting your meaning and that image together, but i think it's indicative of that fate of expiration and discard existing within every woman, even perfected sue. Ily Chelsea!!! :)

[@silhouby]

the thing that always gets me with the type of subject matter a film like this delves into is just how universal those experiences can be, like obviously it happens to women, it happens to men too, and by extension it happens to trans and non-binary people, like we're just getting hit in the crossfire with this shit. as someone who does NOT identify as a woman in any way yet still presents as traditionally "feminine," so many beauty standards out there still end up affecting me because of how often i'm misgendered. and like yeah, it's a whole other can of worms to say "if i don't want people to think i'm a woman, then i should put more effort into passing as a man," but it'll always be a lose-lose situation because i'll never be Enough to be either side of that binary, which is stupid as hell when i'm not a part of it in the first damn place. plus, this isn't even getting into how race/ethnicity plays a part in this (coming from someone who's also mixed native american), like just as one example: i can't even do fun stuff with my hair without having to weigh my options of do i want to pass or do i want to honor my culture? but gods forbid you try to broach that subject in a movie without people calling it "woke garbage"......

[@garrettjvb]

I went to see this with two friends and our theater was packed. I had heard the hype and had a vague idea of the plot, but nothing could have prepared me. We were all blown away! One of the best theater experiences I've had in at least a decade. Everyone was screaming, and laughing, and gasping. Then there were long moments of fascinated silence. It was perfect. I loved it.

[@Allonsy305]

James & Chelsea have always made great podcast episodes, but this one reminds me of why I love to hear their own personal takes on recent or past horror films for so many years. I 1000% agree with Chelsea on how celebrity men are shown in media, especially superhero movies. Chris Hemsworth, Michael B Jordan, and Miles Teller don't look like that 24/7. And what's sad is that, they're already in good shape, so the work of them going through rigorous diets is uneeded. It's like putting a hat on a hat.

[@christinamay2463]

This movie is shot beautifully. Loved the Dennis Quaid scenes of him essentially manspreading in every frame and having zero self awareness because, as a middle age successful white man, he didn’t need to. Juxtaposed with Demi Moores character who is all consumed by her appearance because that’s all the world has valued her for in her life. It’s great.

[@bethany8379]

There are certain RULES that one must abide by in order to successfully survive The Substance. For instance, number one: you can never go longer than a week. Number two you have to feed the body unused. Number three: you must subscribe to Dead Meat.😂

[@Fakegingy]

28:17 ill never forget when kumail nanjiani had his “transformation” and men’s health was trying to say it was chicken and broccoli 6x and not steroids

[@8MillsProductions]

Oh boy! It must be Christmas for this long of a podcast episode.

[@EmmyLayton]

Not even a minute ago and im already getting more podcast? My smoke sesh is about to be lit af, such a lovely treat this wednesday 💛💛

[@V2Itself]

This is unironically my favorite film ever. As a trans woman the themes of this film hit me harder than I could ever describe

[@sapphichazard]

The Substance is probably my favorite horror film this year so far. And of course just an absolute love letter to Kubrick. Glad to see you guys covering it. 💜

[@dawsonsharpton4124]

As soon as I left the theaters for the substance I was like “I can’t wait for dead meat to react!!”

[@6994KERG]

Just did a little dance in my seat at work seeing the runtime here. Excited to listen!

[@matthewhaley3674]

Especially in the gay community is this happening with men and guys. Sure you can find some here and there that don't mind body type, but honestly it feels like 80% of the others think all men must look like Adonis 😅 27:53

[@bunnidot0rg]

Just got back from watching this film with my best friend and this film told me simply that maybe I’m not as numb to body horror as I thought I was! The way we were stressing in our seats- it was unbearable, i literally came out the theatre with a headache. 10/10 regardless

[@mm-kf5mo]

Putting this on as I get ready for work ✨️✨️

[@admiralweb27]

I've been looking forward to this one! Loved this movie!

[@TheLovelyLadybug]

I have been waiting for this episode ever since I came out of the theater for this movie.

[@danween]

this movie fucking rules. i can’t stop thinking about it

[@bunnidot0rg]

2 HOURS???? OH IM BEING FED

[@clandman]

Dennis Quaid eating them shrimp is definitely the most horrific scene of the movie. I cannot stand close ups of people eating 😂

[@I_Like_Horror-237]

Super hyped for this. Will come back after watching the movie!

[@jonathanstmartin]

I am so mad that my theater dropped The Substance after only a week, before I had a chance to see it!

[@yGuru_]

On of my favourite movies of the year & one of my favourite episodes of the podcast so far, really great discussion from the 3 of you

[@youngmoneyblood2515]

I was counting down the days for this podcast to come out like Elizabeth counting down the days To Sue! Amazing work as always guys, I love the background info on Demi Moore cuz I couldn’t stop thinking about that parallel watching the film.

[@erin1912]

really appreciated chelsea’s perspective on this one- this movie made me think about my relationship w my body way more than expected lol

[@riddypr]

I rarely, if ever, go to the cinema to watch movies. But I made an exception for this movie because it's by Coralie Fargeat, and after Revenge ROCKED MY WORLD after it was covered on the Kill Count, I just HAD to see The Substance as soon as possible. With it, Coralie Fargeat has cemented herself as one of my new all-time favourite filmmakers. Her editing, her cinematography, her sense of dark humour, her everything; I hope this movie propels her into the mainstream if she's not there already. What a POWERHOUSE of a film.

[@NatalieNebilak]

Death Becomes Her reference making my decade. Everyone I suggest this movie to has never even heard of it and it's one of my absolute favorites!

[@RealGeebs]

The bathroom discussion reminded me of the "Sexy Getting Ready Song," from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which was another purposefully unglamorous look at the cost of beauty standards

[@sirse4492]

Back in the day (pre internet) the movie Pump Up The Volume had cover of Leonard Cohens Everybody Knows performed by Concrete Blonde yet the main theme was the original song. On the soundtrack it was Concrete Blonde and Leonard Cohen nowhere to be seen. Had to search record stores to find the album that had the song, no google to help lol!

[@MrRage-lg1ts]

Omg Chelsea’s hair looks so good 😍! I need to figure out how to do that!

[@hsisnothere]

this movie made me feel every emotion possible, and also made me feel faint 😭 i’m glad i stuck through it though!

[@BrunoBritos]

I think its my favorite of the year, watched 2 times and want more, love it so much

[@poseidonlewis563]

i hope Elizabeth/Sue appears in the next Horror Survivor

[@AmitysWake]

I honestly love this movie. I had a real bad audience where multiple person were talking and it soured the experience but it was insane

[@tratsie4112]

Oh my god! A 2 hour podcast YESS !!!

[@charyzah]

new deadmeat podcast best way to get errands done lets goooo

[@hsisnothere]

1:44 my boyfriend took me to see this movie after he’d already seen it. it really means something totally different to especially women. he was able to experience it almost from the outside looking in while i needed days to recover from what this movie did to me emotionally.

[@lucidmemory4146]

@@hsisnothere I see it had a big impact on you. I can’t take that away from you and love that movies connect with people. It’s why we’re all here.

[@bobbykeniston7240]

"The Substance" is a brilliant film, and an important one. In my opinion, Coralie Fargeat should receive an Oscar nomination. Demi Moore is fearless in it, and Dennis Quaid, though I find his politics distasteful, is a terrific actor--- I'm glad more people will remember him this year from "The Substance" than "Reagan". I studied acting and playwriting and screenwriting. A big challenge for me in terms of receiving certain roles has been my height--- I'm short, 5'5", Daniel Radcliffe height, but, unlike the brilliant Mr. Radcliffe who deserves all of his success, I wasn't Harry Potter before growing up to be a short king. So I focused more on writing. These last 6 years I have been taking care of my Dad, and I think so often about how my "youth" has slipped away. How I was never an Orson Welles, and long, long past anyone calling me a wunderkind or something. It's interesting to me that people have called you both "cringe", which simply isn't true. Funny, though: when you were looking for another writer for the Kill Count recently, and I saw the write-up about it, initially I was like, "Yes! I could do this! With my love of horror, with my familiarity and love of the Kill Count, I could do this!"... but almost immediately, I then thought, "No. I'm probably about a decade older than everyone on the Dead Meat team." So I didn't apply. It's just funny how this notion of aging and society's thoughts on it can really keep us from doing the things we want to do, from attempting the things we want to attempt, as though dreams should have an expiration date. Anyway, great episode!

[@konstance13]

The Substance may genuinely be one of the most relatable movie I've seen, as crazy as it may sound. So many scenes had me thinking, "oh, I feel that. I've felt that." After my friend and I saw it, I texted him, "Womanhood is a man telling you to smile right after you've actively pulled out three of your teeth in a bathroom."

[@aliaj4038]

so glad yall recommended this, I got to catch it in theaters!

[@LotusDecember]

I like to think that Herbert West is the one who created the substance and Dan is the one on the phone patiently explaining the rules.

[@carlasanchezdlf]

At 1:14:01, when you guys talk about Sue being so careless with Elisabeth's body, what really struck me was that, at first, Sue puts a towel under Elisabeth's head, she shows care at first, to then be so rude and treat her like an animal, very cow-esque where she milks her later in the film.

[@drew_harrison]

I am loving the growth of Dead Meat Presents and can’t wait to see what’s next

[@Jello.jessoo]

I only had one other older woman in my theater (small town.) After the credits rolled, we both got up to leave and all the said was "well, that was disturbing"😭

[@tastysandwhich]

The blood spraying everywhere part had me laughing so hard. Not because it was bad, or funny, but because it was so insane and fantastic. Laughter was the only way to express my joy at the insanity.

[@matt3rall]

I saw a review on Letterboxd (a 0.5/5 review at that) that said that the movie didn't go deeper into celebrity culture and social media and how they couldn't have pushed it by making the executives hate Sue and ask her to lose more weight etc etc. And that was before I saw the movie. And then I watched the movie and I was perplexed. Cause, like, this person wanted a DIFFERENT movie. The Substance never once touched on Social Media - this movie shows modern phones but as MODERN PHONES. Even when Elisabeth had to write phone numbers, she used a pen. She saw the ad on a newspaper. Her TV was blocky (iirc) and I think that's where she plugged in the flash drive? This movie is not a critique of 2024 celebrity social media worship. It wasn't interested in overcomplicating an already complex idea by adding fucking Instagram in it - it's not an HBO show, with iMessage bubbles on screen. This feels like a movie with a bit of 80s, a bit of 90s, a bit of 2000s, a bit of 2010s, a bit of 2020s. That review I read was so filled with weird opinions and takes, but I'm still thinking about it over a month, so kudos to you, mama. LOVED this podcast episode. That comment about "being mean to your body"? It didn't occur to me - I did watch the movie having some alcoholic beverages, but I LOVED IT so much, peak movie going experience, gasping and gagging and cheering - like, I've been joking friends that, although I'm gay, those scenes with Sue's body were THAT GOOD that I probably would lol. The set design is beautiful, the colors are vibrant, none of that "shitty HBO GoT gritty and dark lighting", just so effervescent, minimal CGI, lots of practical effects, 10/10, no notes, stan The Substance!!!

[@AnthDog88]

At 1:46:37 when Elisabeth stops from terminating Sue, I did notice that she plugged the IV switcher directly into Sue’s chest/heart instead of her forearm like they had done all other times in the movie - not sure if it’s relevant but I thought that might have been the catalyst for Sue waking up while Elisabeth was active? A literal kickstart to the heart so to speak.

[@michaelm2618]

Dare I say that I look forward to Dead Meat Presents content as much or more than Kill Counts!?!

[@maddeyashby]

we love a classic chelsea rebecca color analysis!!! pink is not only just a feminine color but is specific for little girls. growing up i went through a phase of “i’m too old to wear pink” which goes right a long with how youthful sue is. i thought the sticky note the guy left could be interpreted as talking about sue. elisabeth will “take care of her” until he gets back. this movie is so interesting and fun to pick through and do different readings of. i hate the rhetoric that this movie isn’t subtle, bc the very straight foward reading is in your face, but there’s so many more interpretations that are subtext! i don’t know i just love this movie and it’s talking about more than what’s on the surface

[@cyrus565]

reddit every now and then suggests like r/nosejob and it's just a bunch of people asking if they should get surgery on their very normal looking noses and these stories about how much they hate their noses....... It's sad as fuck.

[@marybellefleur]

That's heartbreaking. Our society runs on dissatisfaction with our bodies so that we buy more stuff and it's worked horrifyingly well.

[@SnakeWrangler4]

Walked out of this movie absolutely stunned and this podcast only made me love it more. Loved especially the lens of "beating up your own body" and felt it in a different way, sometimes getting frustrated over just... mental health and dysfunction. One of my favorite little beats you didn't mention - when Elisabeth is doing all her "witch cooking" and she's beating together just a TON of eggs. Had to be a conscious choice after what Dennis Quaid said to her about what you lose at 50!

[@Chris_m29]

I committed the cardinal sin of reading the summary on Wikipedia before seeing it and even then I still wasn’t prepared

[@saftabi1511]

I did the same because I struggle with body horror. I was not prepared for what the ending was gonna be 😮

[@lucidmemory4146]

1:22:45 A cool thing to note is that it’s literal. We do things in our youth (smoke, drink, eat like shit) that definitely affect us later, because the trade off seems more abstract.

[@shawnthompson940]

I sooooo enjoyed this film and i have been waiting to watch this episode. I really love how close i have come to feel to you guys through your channel. I just turned 37 and this movie and episode hit deep. Keep doing the good work!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@scottc4199]

Being in a packed theater late night for The Substance and having EVERYONE invested and reacting to all the body horror was one of the greatest experiences ever!! Really made the viewing so amazing and gross 😂❤

[@DigiDestined55X]

Wakes up. Sees notification. "yes... Yesss... YEEEESSSSSS!!" LOL😄😂

[@lunarb00ts3]

Oh I was about to go to sleep but I have been WAITING for this one !!! Super excited !!