‘In Search of Darkness Part II’

John Carpenter isn’t a hater exactly, but the legendary sci-fi and horror director is known for having strong opinions. About people like Rob Zombie (a “lying piece of sh*t”). Or David Cronenberg (“he takes himself so seriously these days”). Oh, and Halloween II. And it looks like Carpenter isn’t too fond of this Oscar-winning horror movie either.

When asked about his thoughts on Coralie Fargeat’s Oscar-nominated body-horror hit The Substance at Fan Expo Philadelphia, Carpenter revealed that he liked “zero” percent of the movie and disliked “everything” about it.

Watch a clip from the Q&A below:

Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, The Substance has ignited a never-ending stream of discourse both on and offline about our culture’s hyperfixation on youth and beauty, hypersexualization, body dysmorphia, and the entertainment industry itself, with some calling it a “feminist masterpiece” and others calling it “clumsy” and “stale.”

Fargeat’s Reaction

Now, without sharing my own thoughts on The Substance, I want to mention that I don’t think a movie is automatically feminist just because it features women or explores the issues that primarily affect them. In fact, one of my more controversial takes is that Carpenter’s The Thing is, in its own way, a feminist film (or at least reads more interestingly through a feminist lens) precisely because it doesn’t have any female characters (the 2011 remake, which added them, completely misses the point).

But I’m not here to pit two of my favorite directors against each other. Fargeat is a fan of Carpenter’s. In fact, The Thing was a major influence not just on The Substance, but on her work in general.

“[The Thing] has been very important for me for the ending of [The Substance],” Fargeat told IndieWire earlier this year. “With The Thing, I thought of the endless transformation, the endless metamorphosis for the very end [of The Substance] in the theater when the final monster comes on stage and the head is blown away. The Thing influenced her decision to use prosthetics and practical effects as well. “That’s a movie that was a big inspiration in terms of craft, and the way they found their own techniques.”

Now, I’m not going to suggest that Carpenter should retract his statement just because Fargeat is a fan. He’s earned the right to have strong opinions—he’s John Carpenter. Legends don’t have to love everything inspired by their work. They certainly don’t have to love something just because everybody else does. But as a fan of both directors, I hope he at least recognizes the impact he has on The Substance (and works things out with Zombie).

And if you have opinions on The Substance, or opinions on John Carpenter’s opinions, let me know in the comments below or @ashjenexi on Instagram and X. And be certain to catch The Substance currently streaming on HBO Max.

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