The Substance | The Screenplay Lab
A Screenplay that Knows Its Themes: Beauty, Identity, Perfection
By Jeff Barker
Welcome to THE SCREENPLAY LAB, where we study, deconstruct, and appreciate screenplays as independent literary works, not just as blueprints for film.
I’m Jeff Barker, a screenwriter, and each week, we take one screenplay and break it down by analyzing its structure, style, and unique storytelling choices.
This week, we’re looking at a screenplay that pushes boundaries, challenges societal norms, and delivers a visceral body horror experience on the page:
THE SUBSTANCE by Coralie Fargeat
An Academy Award-nominated psychological body horror film, The Substance explores the obsession with youth, beauty, and self-perfection. The screenplay forces the reader to confront their own relationships with aging, beauty standards, and self-worth.
Reading the Screenplay Before Watching the Film
Unlike many, I have not yet seen The Substance. That’s intentional. Instead of experiencing the film visually first, I wanted to study the screenplay as a literary work.
How does it build tension and horror on the page? How does it convey emotion, psychological breakdown, and transformation without the aid of performance, cinematography, or sound design? By reading first, I receive the movie in my mind, exclusively from the text.
WHO IS CORALIE FARGEAT?
Coralie Fargeat was born in Paris, and studied at La Fémis, France’s most prestigious film school. Early in her career, she worked as a television script supervisor and First Assistant Director, a role that she credits with helping her become meticulous with details while on set.
Fargeat’s short films explore themes of transformation, identity, and societal expectations, often through a lens of female empowerment and vengeance.
Her first feature film, Revenge (2017), was a feminist revenge thriller featuring hyper-stylized visuals and a visceral journey of survival. The film’s unique perspective and bold direction established Fargeat as a director with a distinct voice.
She is heavily influenced by David Cronenberg, whose work in body horror and transformation narratives is echoed in The Substance, as well as David Lynch, whose ability to create dreamlike unease and psychological dissonance is reflected in Fargeat’s surreal approach to horror.
HOW THE SUBSTANCE WAS DEVELOPED
Fargeat first began writing The Substance in 2017 while sitting in a coffee shop in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. The first scenes came to life organically, but over the next two years, she refined and expanded the script.
Initially, the film was developed through her own production company, Blacksmith, before gaining further support through Working Title Films and A Good Story.
The project gained serious momentum when Demi Moore signed on as the lead, giving it both star power and industry credibility. Once Moore was attached, casting continued with the additions of Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid, further solidifying the film’s talent.
With a budget of $18 million, The Substance was filmed in France over the course of 108 days. The extensive shoot was necessary to accommodate the film’s intense practical effects.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won Best Screenplay.
The Substance went on to receive three Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
THE LOGLINE
Official Logline:
A fading celebrity takes a black-market drug: a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.
My Logline:
Desperate to reclaim her youth and stardom, a fading celebrity turns to an underground substance that creates a better version of herself, but as her flawless double thrives, she soon discovers that perfection comes at a horrifying price.
WHAT DOES THE TITLE MEAN?
1. The Literal Meaning: The Black-Market Drug
At its most basic level, The Substance refers to the experimental, cell-replicating drug that allows the protagonist to create a younger, perfected version of herself. It is both a miracle and a curse, offering everything she wants while slowly erasing her true identity.
2. The Existential Meaning: Essence of a Person
Beyond the drug itself, The Substance refers to the essence of identity.
What truly makes someone who they are?
If you create a “better” version of yourself, does the original version still matter?
3. The Societal Meaning: Something to Be Consumed
The film critiques the way women, especially in entertainment, are treated as substances to be consumed.
TONE
1. Visceral and Unsettling
This screenplay is drenched in the grotesque consequences of scientific overreach, pulling the reader deep into the "ick."
The horror isn’t just physical - it’s psychological. Elisabeth’s loss of self and growing desperation make her unravel before our eyes.
2. Societal Satire
Beneath the horror, The Substance is a sharp critique of modern society’s obsession with youth, beauty, perfection, and consumer culture.
This story is a reflection of real fears, especially those imposed on women in our culture.
3. Classic Tragic Drama
At its core, this is a story about a woman who wants to be loved.
The tragedy is that she’s flawed, but not in the ways she believes she is flawed.
Her downfall is expected but still deeply emotional.
THEMES
1. The Cost of Perfection
How far will someone go to be happy with themselves?
Is happiness even possible when it’s tied to an unattainable version of yourself?
Elisabeth’s obsession with improvement ultimately leads to self-destruction.
2. Loss of Identity
By creating a "better" version of herself, Elisabeth slowly realizes that she is no longer necessary.
If society values only the "perfected" version of someone, what happens to the original?
If we lose our identity, do we still exist?
3. Obsession with Youth and Beauty
A direct commentary on aging, especially in entertainment and consumer industries.
Society tells us that youth equals value, and when that fades, so do opportunities, respect, and relevance.
This screenplay reflects real-world fears, especially for women.
CONFLICT
Internal Conflict
Self-Preservation vs. Self-Erasure
She takes The Substance to preserve herself, yet it makes her obsolete.
If the world only wants the younger me, do I still exist?
Love vs. Unconditional Love
She believes being younger and more beautiful will make people love her again.
But if love is conditional on youth, was it ever real?
External Conflict
Elisabeth vs. Sue (Woman vs. Woman)
Sue, though technically Elisabeth, becomes independent.
Eventually, Sue wants to replace Elisabeth entirely, leading to a deadly battle for existence.
Elisabeth and Sue vs. The Substance (Woman vs. Science)
What seemed like a miracle drug is a curse.
Neither Elisabeth nor Sue can control their own bodies.
Elisabeth and Sue vs. Power (Woman vs. Society)
Society reinforces a toxic system that pushes them toward self-destruction.
They become desperate and paranoid, realizing those who once adored them now betray them.
Elisabeth and Sue vs. Time (Woman vs. Fate)
No matter how much they fight, they can’t outrun time.
The Substance is a false cheat code. Aging always wins.
STRUCTURE
Fargeat follows a traditional five-act structure, using each phase to escalate the horror and emotional weight of the story.
Act 1: Setup
Elisabeth is an aging, iconic celebrity struggling with irrelevance.
Inciting Incident: She hears whispers about a black-market drug that restores youth but rejects it at first.
Turning Point: After a humiliating rejection, she takes the drug. The transformation is intoxicating.
Act 2: Experimentation
Fun & Games: As her younger self, she reclaims fame, adoration, and power.
Rising Conflict: But… she can’t remember what her younger self does when she’s "asleep."
The first signs of body horror emerge.
Act 3: Midpoint (The Unraveling)
Elisabeth tries to stop, but her younger self won’t let her.
Sue begins to resist control and becomes autonomous.
The horror escalates with grotesque transformations. Elisabeth is literally falling apart.
Act 4: Losing the Battle
All Is Lost: Elisabeth’s original identity is fading.
Final Showdown: She must fight Sue for control of her own existence, but the outcome is inevitable.
Act 5: The Resolution
Dark Ending:
Sue fully replaces Elisabeth.
No one remembers Elisabeth ever existed.
Tragic Victory:
Elisabeth destroys Sue, but she is permanently disfigured.
The industry discards her anyway.
FORMATTING AND MECHANICS
Scene Continuations & Page Numbers
Unlike many modern scripts, The Substance features “…sc” as a header, indicating when a scene continues from the previous page. This is an old-school formatting technique that’s not commonly used today, but Fargeat employs it consistently.
Similarly, page numbers are placed at the bottom of the page, another formatting choice that stands out.
The Use of Bold Text
One of the most striking formatting choices in The Substance is Fargeat’s heavy use of bold text.
This isn’t just about style; it’s about control. The bold text forces the reader’s eye to key moments, heightens impact, and creates a rhythmic, almost hypnotic reading experience.
Black Highlights
Fargeat also employs black highlights, a rare formatting tool in screenplays. It is used for several reasons, but the main one is to highlight a character's introduction.
This happens 22 times throughout the screenplay.
Different-Sized Text for Effect
Fargeat manipulates text size throughout the script, mirroring the film’s tone shifts and horror elements. Here are some examples:
Page 71 – Text sizes grow
Page 7 – Text sizes shrink.
Page 92, 120-121 – Large text is used to create a visceral, overwhelming effect in dialogue-heavy moments.
By breaking traditional formatting, Fargeat controls the screenplay’s visual impact, making the act of reading itself a psychological experience.
The Mystery of Red Text
One of the most perplexing aspects of The Substance screenplay is the use of red text. It appears nine times throughout the script but without any clear pattern.
At first, it seems like it could be a hidden riddle - phrases that, when connected, might reveal a deeper meaning.
Page 19 – “Elisabeth stands” (okay, off to a good start)
Page 22 – “wastepaper basket” (less clear)
Page 30 – A beat… “her eyes fall upon the wastepaper basket with the newspaper thrown by Elisabeth before.”(that repeated - feels like we’re losing ground)
Page 30 again – Scene 30 OMITTED (never mind)
Page 33 – Red text in a scene heading (“Establishing shot”)
Attempts to decipher any logical lead nowhere.
If the red text means something, it’s buried deep. If it doesn’t, it’s a stylistic decision that feels random rather than intentional.
One-Off Formatting Choices
Beyond bold text and red highlights, The Substance includes other isolated formatting choices that seem like accidents rather than deliberate decisions.
Blue Text (Page 88)
The words “at it.” appear in blue text. This is the only time blue is used in the entire screenplay. There’s no discernible reason for this, making it seem more like a formatting error than a creative choice.
A Single Highlighted Line (Page 5)
The phrase, “The cameras stop rolling, and the soundstage lights fade.” is highlighted. This is the only time this is done in the script. This line is thematically strong, but the isolated use of highlighting makes it seem unintentional.
French Scene Heading (Page 134)
The script is written in English, but one scene heading uses a French word:
INT. WINDING CORRIDORS – JOUR (“Jour” means “Day” in French.)
Again, this never happens anywhere else, making it feel like a one-time oversight rather than a stylistic choice.
Are These Choices Intentional or Random?
These isolated cases - the red text, the blue text, the yellow highlight, and the French scene heading - all seem too inconsistent to be purposeful.
DIRECTION ON THE PAGE
POV Shots from Inside Objects
One of the most visually striking techniques in The Substance screenplay is the use of POV shots from inside objects. This choice forces the audience to see from unsettling perspectives.
Page 20 – A low-angle shot from inside a trash can as Elisabeth opens the lid.
Page 38 – A fridge POV shot, revealing syringes and vials before a hand grabs them.
This technique is used nine times, including:
🗑 Trash Can (3x)
❄ Refrigerator (3x)
📦 Box (2x)
🔒 Locker (1x)
By placing the audience inside objects, Fargeat creates a trapped, voyeuristic feeling, reinforcing the film’s themes of control and self-perception.
Bathroom Scenes
In an astonishing 43 scenes, Fargeat sets moments in multiple bathrooms. This is far more than in a typical film. This highlights the importance of mirrors, self-examination, and transformation in the story. The bathroom becomes a space of physical and psychological change, where Elisabeth constantly modifies, repairs, or observes herself.
The Top Shot
Fargeat frequently calls for a high-angle “top shot”, a perspective that emphasizes vulnerability, detachment, and fate.
Page 144 – A static top shot on a pink star set into grey pavement.
She writes for this specific shot nine times, reinforcing a sense of distance and powerlessness.
THE WRITING
Farget’s style is dense, layered, shifting, and unapologetic.
Dense Text
One of the most striking aspects of The Substance is how thick and dense the writing is. The script features massive paragraphs packed with detail, reading more like a novel than a traditional screenplay.
Total Pages: 145 – The screenplay is on the longer side, especially for a horror film.
Minimal Dialogue: Only 29 pages contain dialogue - 116 pages of pure action lines.
A Long Stretch: There is one section (Pages 21-34) where there is no dialogue at all - a whopping 13 pages.
This is an unusual choice. Most screenplays rely on a balance of action and dialogue, but Fargeat embraces pure visual storytelling.
Speed Control
Fargeat has her finger on a momentum dial. She has an incredible ability to manipulate pacing through rhythm.
She slows things down with thick, descriptive passages that feel like reading a short story.
She speeds things up with rapid-fire, fragmented lines, stripping away verbs to create a staccato effect.
No Time for Action Verbs
One signature of Fargeat’s writing will be obvious to me in the future. That is her use of rapid action phrases without verbs. She lists items like she is checking off a props list. The way she mixes this in works and is now part of her writing fingerprint. Here are some examples.
Page 7-8: "A white sink. The neon lights. The sound of a toilet."
Page 72: "Her sizzling smile. Her firm breasts. Her slender thighs. Her suggestive hip. Her abs. Her gnarled, deformed fingers."
Page 66: "The withered skin. The protruding and swollen veins. The deformed knuckles. The stranded empty vial. The insistent ringing tone. Her bright dazzling smile.
FROM THICK AND SLOW TO THIN AND MOOOVVVVIIINNN…
From pages 48-50, 15 scenes play out over just three pages, making the sequence feel relentless, chaotic, and breathless—mirroring Elisabeth’s unraveling.
Her Approach to Word Economy: Redundancy as a Choice
Most screenwriters aim for word economy - saying as much as possible in as few words as possible. Fargeat doesn’t care about that. She is willing to say things two or three times if it means hammering home an idea or an image.
Examples of Repetition
Page 20: "All of a sudden, Elisabeth turns around and hurls the globe with all her strength against the wall: BAM!!! The globe smashes and shatters into pieces against the framed poster, splattering everything in the process."
Page 48: "She leans against the doorframe and looks down at Elisabeth’s slumped body on the tiles. A long moment as she looks down at the limp matrix, sprawled on the ground like a rag doll. CRRRRRUNCH - she crushes the can in one sharp gesture and starts looking around, as if searching for something."
Little Use for Subtext
Fargeat often forgoes subtext to hold the reader’s hand, feeding emotional and visual cues.
Page 42: "The two egg yolks sizzling next to one another feel like a strange reminder."
Page 45: "His excess of enthusiasm stresses the fact that he wants to get rid of her as soon as possible."
Page 59: "They stumble and laugh. We quickly understand that they're both completely drunk."
Fargeat’s style is immersive, and she wants to ensure the audience experiences the world exactly as she envisions it.
Adjacent Reality
One of the most fascinating aspects of The Substance is that it’s set in a world that feels familiar, but slightly… off.
It’s modern, but strangely outdated.
We have USB drives, but doctors still use beepers and paper charts.
Jazzercise fitness shows still exist as mainstream entertainment.
This "modern-adjacent" setting adds to the eeriness. It’s not quite our modern world, but close enough to feel unsettling.
Sexualization of Women: A Deliberate Commentary
Fargeat’s screenplay is sexually charged, fixated on the female form, and intentionally provocative. The screenplay is littered with references to the female body, but flattering and judgmental, both objectifying. Here is an example of just what can be found on one page:
Page 54:
"Asses start to sway."
"Asses moving to the beat."
"Thin waists and pelvises."
"High-cut leotards."
"Perfectly waxed groins underneath."
"Firm and bouncy bosoms."
This sexualization isn’t accidental. It’s thematic. The Substance is about a woman being reduced to her appearance, and the screenplay itself mirrors this objectification in its descriptions.
IMAGERY AND SYMBOLISM
The Motorcycle
Elisabeth first visualizes a motorcycle when her body nearly dies:
Page 41: “The motorcycle hurtles toward the screen like a ghostly figure, accompanied by a heartbeat sound that intensifies.”
The man Sue brings home for a fling has a motorcycle helmet, and Elisabeth sees her reflection in it while they have sex.
Later, Elisabeth sees her own haggard reflection in a motorcycle helmet.
The motorcycle represents death, autonomy, and the inability to escape fate.
The Spider
When Elisabeth pulls out her back sutures, they land in the sink and we are told they look like "spider legs."
The ever-present palm trees outside her window begin to resemble giant spiders.
Page 135: When Sue is obsessed with performing on New Year’s Eve, her vision is obscured by the shape of a spider.
Spiders symbolize being trapped in a web. Elisabeth, like an insect, is caught in a web of perfection, beauty, and self-destruction.
The Full Circle Ending
One of The Substance's most brilliant elements is its full-circle imagery involving the Hollywood star on the Walk of Fame.
Opening Sequence (Pages 2-4):
The sidewalk is destroyed.
A Hollywood star is constructed.
It’s for Elisabeth Sparkle.
There is a buzz of excitement.
We have the official ceremony.
Elizabeth molds her handprint.
Press and fans adore her.
Everyone leaves.
Time goes by… can’t stop time.
No one pays it any attention.
She is not relevant.
A guy drops a burger on the star by accident.
He tries to clean it with a greasy burger paper.
Ketchup is smeared on the star and remains…
Final Sequence (Pages 144-145):
“MushofMonstroElizaSue” is a gooey piece of flesh.
She crawls to the star with all her might.
She is satisfied.
She decomposes into: “PuddleOfMonsteroElizaSue.”
She diminishes into nothing but a blood stain.
The stain looks like… ketchup.
Day breaks…
A street cleaning machine cleans her off like she never existed.
Fargeat masterfully connects the first and last scenes with the same shot, showing the inescapability of time, obsolescence, and the horror of being erased.
Final Thoughts: What Makes this Screenplay Unique?
Fargeat pushes the boundaries of psychological body horror, bringing it to mainstream attention.
She is persistent and consistent with her themes, ensuring that every scene, moment, and line reinforces her vision.
The full-circle connection between the beginning and ending is a brilliant storytelling choice that adds even more depth to the film.
Her use of bold fonts, oversized text, black highlights, and descriptions without action verbs makes her writing instantly recognizable.
And now that The Substance has catapulted Coralie Fargeat further into the spotlight, she will have even greater freedom to create boundary-pushing films in the future.
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NEXT WEEK ON THE SCREENPLAY LAB…
We’ll be dissecting another Oscar-nominated screenplay
🔥 A REAL PAIN by Jesse Eisenberg
Until then… keep writing, never let a NO slow you down, and keep reading screenplays.
Jeff Barker
The Screenplay Lab
Thanks for reading.
Really dope work. This helped me to phrase the reasons this movie stood out to me