The highly anticipated horror film "The Substance," boasting stellar performances from Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, and directed by rising French talent Coralie Fargeat, is poised to kickstart the Midnight Madness section of this year's Toronto International Film Festival.
The narrative centers around Elizabeth Sparkle, impressively portrayed by Moore, an aged Oscar winner suffering the cruel realities of ageism within Hollywood. Seemingly sidelined to a morning fitness show, Sparkle's career seems to desert her until a cryptic outsider extends an offer; the eponymous "Substance" promising an improved version of herself. Margaret Qualley gets entangled in the narrative as the upgraded version of Moore, and they quickly discover the trials of coexistence within Fargeat's brutal fantasy.
Joining the roster, revered music video and movie director Joseph Kahn will screen "Ick," a nod to 80s monster hits, featuring Brandon Routh and Mena Suvari. Another intriguing entry is “Else,” by Tibault Emin, which sketches an eerie narrative about a disease that causes its victims to merge with their physical environment.
The lineup also welcomes two 'found-footage' projects: "Dead Mail," a spine-chilling story of a malevolent Post Office department by Joe DeBecker and Kyle McConaghy, and "It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This," a meta journey of a duo renting a haunted property to make a film, with hopes of making it into Midnight Madness at TIFF.
Adding to the variety, Tim Robinson, Kate Mara, and Paul Rudd star in Andrew DeYoung's directorial debut, "Friendship." The film, produced by the creators of the quarantine hit "Barbarian," trails a meek man as a charismatic weatherman upsettingly disrupts his life by moving into the neighborhood.
TIFF launches on September 5, unveiling an exhilarating Midnight Madness program.
