‘The Substance’ Is Now Streaming: Where to Watch the Gory Thriller for Free

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Plenty of films satirize Hollywood, dating back to 1950’s Sunset Boulevard and beyond, but few are as giddily gruesome as The Substance. The film stars Demi Moore as an actress who’s been deemed past her prime and pushed out of Hollywood, so she signs up for a regimen that promises to make a younger version of her (played by Margaret Qualley). In typical monkey paw fashion, the substance in question has some serious side effects.

The Substance opened to strong reviews and pulled a respectable box office haul for a high-concept, low-budget, body horror flick. If you didn’t catch it in theaters, it’s now available to buy or stream.

buy on prime

How to Stream The Substance for Free

Typically, films get a VOD release before they hit streamers, allowing viewers to rent or buy the film at home, often during the film’s theatrical run. Mubi, the cinephile-focused streaming service that distributed The Substance took a different approach, opting to make the movie available to buy on Prime or stream on Mubi at the same time. The film is not currently available to rent.

If you’d rather not sign up for a whole new streaming service, Mubi is available as a Prime Video add-on. Prime members can get a 7-day free trial to Mubi to catch The Substance, as well as acclaimed indie films like Fremont, Boyhood, and Frances Ha.

get mubi trial on prime

After the 7-day free trial, Mubi is available for and is $10.99/mo. after with a Prime membership. If you don’t have Prime, you can sign up for a 7-day free trial to Mubi, followed by a $14.99/mo plan.

Reviews for The Substance praised Demi Moore’s performance in particular, with Rolling Stone’s David Fear writing, “[I]f Moore’s extraordinary, best-of-career performance doesn’t kick off a full Demi-aissance, there is no God — this riff on The Picture of Dorian Gray goes ballistic in the best possible way. You want a climactic bloodbath that puts The Shining‘s plasma-gushing elevator to shame? You got it!”