“Have you ever ever dreamt of a greater model of your self?” So asks The Substance, Coralie Fargeat’s sophomore characteristic, winner of the Finest Screenplay award on the 2024 Cannes Movie Pageant and 2025 Finest Image Oscar nominee. Whereas it has been streaming on Mubi for the previous yr, the physique horror romp is broadening its streaming horizons this fall.
The Hollywood ageism satire stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid, and constructive phrase of mouth made the horror film a shock hit. In case you nonetheless have not seen it — or if you wish to rewatch it this spooky season — here is all the pieces you have to learn about how you can watch The Substance at residence and on-line, together with when and the place it is streaming and the perfect offers to avoid wasting cash.
What’s The Substance about?
The Substance stars Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister who’s fired from her health TV program for the unforgivable crime of getting older. Battling with crippling Hollywood ageism, she’s launched to a brand new drug often called “the Substance.” A single injection is all it takes for Elisabeth to be reborn as the attractive and youthful Sue (Margaret Qualley), who then begins her personal rise by means of Hollywood.
In fact, there’s all the time a catch. The Substance forces you to separate time between your two our bodies; Elisabeth should spend precisely seven days as herself, then seven days as Sue. When she messes with the stability, issues get…bloody.
Try the official trailer:
Is The Substance price watching?
The Substance has grow to be probably the most profitable field workplace launch for arthouse distributor and streamer Mubi. The daring and bloody movie created a ton of buzz, with audiences giving it a 74 % ranking on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics’ ranking is much more spectacular with a glowing 89 %.
“Audaciously gross, wickedly intelligent, and probably Demi Moore’s best hour, The Substance is a gasp-inducing feat from writer-director Coralie Fargeat,” the critics consensus reads on Rotten Tomatoes.
Whereas Mashable’s personal reviewer wasn’t an enormous fan, writing that the “horror sci-fi plot of The Substance feels incomplete,” most evaluations are very constructive. The movie even earned itself a nomination for Finest Image on the 2025 Academy Awards.
Simply be warned, many people can be squirming of their seats over the quantity of blood and gore. It’s a physique horror film, in any case.
How can I watch The Substance at residence?
Credit score: Mubi
Purchase or hire on digital
The Substance made its digital retail debut on Oct. 31, 2024, that means it is obtainable for buy at video-on-demand retailers like Prime Video and Apple TV+ for $19.99. The movie can be obtainable to hire for simply $5.99. With leases, you will get 30 days to start out watching, however simply 48 hours as soon as you start.
Listed below are some fast hyperlinks to buy the movie on digital:
Stream it on Mubi or HBO Max
As a Mubi unique movie, Mubi has been the unique streaming residence for The Substance because it made its debut on Oct. 31, 2024. Whereas Mubi is certainly a worthy subscription for cinephiles, it is not usually in most individuals’s streaming lineups. So we had been thrilled to study that the film has now made its option to a brand new streamer as of Oct. 10, 2025: HBO Max. This Halloween season, the campy physique horror gem is lastly obtainable to a wider viewers.
Mubi subscriptions begin at $14.99 per 30 days, whereas HBO Max subscriptions begin at $9.99 per 30 days. We have rounded up a couple of methods to avoid wasting cash on each streamers beneath.
One of the best HBO Max streaming offers
Finest for most individuals: Save 16% on HBO Max Primary annual subscription
It can save you about 16% (in comparison with a month-to-month plan) if you happen to select an annual plan and pay upfront for a yr of HBO Max. The Primary plan with adverts usually goes for $9.99 per 30 days, however if you happen to go annual, that price drops to about $8.33 per 30 days — a yearly complete of simply $99.99. We expect that is the perfect HBO Max streaming deal for most individuals — though, if you happen to can’t stand adverts, the Max Commonplace annual subscription is the next-best deal at $169.99.
Get HBO Max totally free: Swap to Cricket’s Supreme Limitless plan
free with Cricket Supreme Limitless Plan
Need to get HBO Max totally free? Swap your cellphone plan to Cricket’s $60 per 30 days Supreme Limitless plan. It consists of HBO Max Primary (with adverts) for no additional price. If you open up the HBO Max app, you will simply choose Cricket as your supplier and use your credentials to log in.
Mashable Offers
Get HBO Max totally free: Join DashPass annual plan
Free with DashPass annual plan ($8/month)
One other means you will get HBO Max totally free in 2025 is thru DoorDash’s annual DashPass plan, which prices $96 per yr ($8 per 30 days). A DashPass membership will get you $0 supply charges and diminished service charges on eligible DoorDash orders all yr lengthy, plus free streaming (with adverts) by means of HBO Max. Simply activate your HBO Max Primary subscription by means of your DoorDash account to get began. In case you’d quite watch ad-free, you possibly can improve for a reduced charge.
Finest HBO Max deal for college kids: Save 50% on HBO Max Primary with adverts
Faculty college students can get pleasure from a whole yr of HBO Max Primary (with adverts) for half value. Confirm your scholar standing with UNiDAYS and use the low cost code you obtain to drop the value from $9.99 to $4.99 per 30 days. As soon as the yr is thru, your subscription will return as much as full value except you cancel.
Finest Mubi streaming offers
Finest total: Save 33% on an annual Mubi subscription
7-day free trial, then $119.88/yr (save 33%)
In case you’re a film lover and need to stick round to get pleasure from extra than simply The Substance, it can save you 33% by paying for a yr of Mubi upfront. An annual Mubi subscription prices $119.88 per yr, which breaks down to only $9.99 per 30 days as a substitute of the standard $14.99 per 30 days. You will nonetheless get a seven-day free trial to kick off your subscription as nicely.
Finest for college kids: Save $5/month on Mubi scholar subscription
30-day free trial, then $9.99/month (save $5/month)
College students actually get the profitable deal right here. In case you can show your scholar standing, you possibly can join Mubi totally free for 30 days, then get a reduced subscription for simply $9.99 per 30 days. That is $5/month cheaper than a typical subscription. Plus, with 30 free days, you will have loads of time to look at The Substance and many different movies earlier than even paying a cent.
UPDATE: Oct. 16, 2025, 2:40 p.m. EDT This text has been up to date with the newest streaming data concerning “The Substance,” in addition to the newest offers.
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