Shell 4K 2024

As it turned out, ever since the release of "Substance" starring Demi Moore, any body horror film about a woman’s pursuit of beauty and youth is bound to be compared to Coralie Fargeat’s grotesque creation. “Ugly,” in this context, is a compliment, since that’s exactly why audiences went to the theaters—to watch, with a mix of curiosity and revulsion, the transformation of a woman’s body into a monstrous sculpture of flesh.

Interestingly, in terms of logical detail, "Shell" confidently outshines *Substance*: the rejuvenation procedures here take place in a clinic under the supervision of doctors, not at home; at the start, the heroine is given a contract to review, including a description of possible side effects, which she skims through without paying attention—very human, just like all of us. The company selling eternal youth is personified by a charismatic boss played by Kate Hudson—it’s all out in the open!

As for the repulsive “Shell,” it’s unlikely to shock those who crave such shock. The man who fantasized about the imperfections of rejuvenation technology clearly doesn’t know the first thing about perversion. If you were expecting the level of depravity found in “Substance,” you’ll be disappointed. The most interesting transformation in the film—the storyline of the main character’s young, beautiful friend—remains off-screen. We’re simply told in words: the procedure didn’t go as planned, the doctor, who was in love with the patient, tried to help but failed, and here it is, the horror—look! But since the audience wasn’t shown the process of the beauty’s transformation into a monster, wasn’t shown her emotional turmoil, and wasn’t shown the turmoil of the doctor who cared for her, the final appearance of the bizarre creature doesn’t evoke much emotion. It’s as if we were told: see that chair? Well, it used to be Chloe.

The main character’s physical “horrors” are downright vegetarian, unlike the dinner she attends at the invitation of the boss of a rejuvenation corporation. The filmmakers could have sprinkled more of these “delicacies” on the audience so they could get their fill of the repulsive. The uplifting conversations that the main character and her antagonist-boss engage in ad nauseam left me feeling unsatisfied.