The Substance – How Color Enhances Its Body Horror and Satire
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (2024) isn’t just a grotesque body horror film—it’s a razor-sharp critique of beauty culture, and its bold use of color plays a crucial role in driving that message home. Through cinematographer Benjamin Kracun’s vision and colorist Fabien Pascal’s precise grading, the film crafts a visual language that merges unsettling horror with an almost seductive allure.
Inspired by vintage film aesthetics, the color palette draws from the deep reds, warm tones, and rich blacks of Ektachrome and Kodachrome, evoking a glossy, hyperreal quality. This contrast between beauty and horror makes the film’s themes even more striking—what at first appears seductive soon turns grotesque. The deep reds not only symbolize desire and transformation but also hint at violence and decay, reinforcing the film’s critique of extreme beauty standards.
Fargeat’s influences are clear in key moments where color shapes mood and meaning. A hallway drenched in The Shining-like oranges heightens the psychological unease, while a cold, sterile pharmaceutical setting reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey underscores the film’s exploration of artificiality and wealth. These carefully crafted visuals make The Substancemore than just a horror film—they turn it into a visceral experience, where beauty and terror coexist in every frame.
By using color to blur the lines between glamour and horror, The Substance becomes a striking visual statement on the cost of perfection, proving that in a world obsessed with idealized beauty, the pursuit of it can be monstrous.
