In the age of social media, the spotlight on aging has never been brighter. Creams, serums, and miracle lotions pepper feeds, promising youth in a bottle.
But what if those products actually worked? That’s the question at the heart of the film, The Substance. Can an injection actually make you younger? And what might the side effects be? It’s a delicious merging of social commentary and body horror that is so grotesque, you can’t look away.
If you’re looking for more of that specific blend of horror, we’ve got you covered. Here are eight novels that will horrify you just like The Substance.
Sweet
When Laurel’s friend Viv invites her to on the luxurious, celebrity-filled Cruise to Lose, she gladly accepts. Especially because she’ll get to try Solu, the revolutionary new sweetener that promises to shed 5% of anyone’s body weight in days.
But it doesn’t take long before she regrets everything. First by embarrassing herself in front of the hot celebrity host.
Then by being too sick to take the sweetener at all. The final straw is when everyone else starts acting bizarre. Now, Laurel has to fight to survive.
youthjuice
Sophia Bannon yearns for meaning in her life. She doesn’t expect to find it at HEBE, a luxury skincare and wellness company.
It’s obvious from the start that the company operates differently, almost requiring a cult-like loyalty. But Sophia soon learns why. Their next product, youthjuice, works so well at restoring beauty, even Sophia soon learns she can’t live without it.
But when she learns the secret ingredient that makes the product so effective, Sophia has to decide exactly how far she’ll go for beauty and what price she’s willing to pay.
Rouge
After her estranged mother mysteriously dies, Belle returns home to tie up loose ends. When a woman in red shows up at the funeral and sends her a link to a cryptic video about a spa, Belle is immediately intrigued.
After all, she’s been obsessed with skincare for as long as she can remember. It isn’t long before she’s lured into the same culty spa as her mother.
But when she discovers the real reason she’s always been obsessed with the mirror, she’s forced to face the demons lurking just beneath the surface.
Natural Beauty
When an accident leaves her parents debilitated, our nameless narrator abandons her dreams of becoming a concert pianist to work at a high-end beauty and wellness store to pay the bills.
Beyond money, this new job gives her access to all the products and procedures only available to the privileged. As she plies her body with treatments and develops an intoxicating relationship with the owner’s niece, she begins to change.
But there’s something sinister beneath this world of luxury and beauty. Something that will change her forever.
#thighgap
To have everything she ever wanted, Helen Troy had to starve herself to be skinny. And it worked. Now, she’s a fashion model with access to money, privilege, and power.
But her extreme diet isn’t just something she did once to lose weight. It’s become an addiction. When a rival model shatters her fragile sense of control, it sends Helen spiraling into a dangerous obsession with her reflection in the mirror.
How far will she go to be perfect? And what will she sacrifice to get there?
Invisible Monsters
Shannon MacFarland had everything. A boyfriend, a modeling career, a devoted best friend.
Until a car accident leaves her so disfigured people can barely look at her. Now, she’s an invisible monster with nothing. Until she meets Brandy Alexander, Queen Supreme.
She knows all about transformation. With Brandy’s help, Shannon sets out to erase her past and write her new future—by any means necessary.
Aesthetica
When Anna Wrey was nineteen, she was a famous Instagram model. Now, at 35, she’s desperate to regain her former glory.
The new cosmetic surgery Aesthetica promises to do that and more. If she survives, all her previous procedures will be undone, giving her a chance to start again. But there’s a risk.
The surgery is incredibly risky under the best of circumstances. And the night before the procedure, her past comes barreling back into her life, forcing her to face the ugly truth of her past and present.
If I Had Your Face
In Seoul, beauty is everything. There’s no procedure women won’t undergo if it means making it into the exclusive room “room salons” where they can meet wealthy businessmen. And fantasizing about perfect K-pop stars can border on obsession.
Four women living drastically different lives all struggle with their own dreams and desires. And for one, there’s no extreme she won’t go to make those dreams a reality.
Featured still via MUBI.
