TORONTO – The new body horror film “The Substance” is filled with many surprising moments. However, for star Demi Moore, the most shocking part was watching her co-star Dennis Quaid devour shrimp with such ferocity.

“Watching that scene again and again? Absolutely disgusting,” Moore chuckled after the film’s late-night screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it premieres on September 20.

The film offers a daring and unique perspective on age and beauty, showcasing Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a past actress and middle-aged TV fitness personality who endures ridicule for her “ Jurassic fitness” program and is replaced by her network’s younger talent. To reclaim her status, Elisabeth undergoes a secretive procedure known as “The Substance,” which transforms someone into their ideal version of beauty. The outcome of this process is Sue (played by Margaret Qualley), who starts her own show filled with more energetic dancing.

“I do enjoy dancing, but never in that style and never again,” Qualley joked on stage alongside Moore and French writer/director Coralie Fargeat.

The scenarios faced by Elisabeth and Sue escalate to absurd levels, with Qualley remarking on the script being “so unique, vivid, and wild” upon her first reading. Moore confessed her initial reaction was that the film could either turn out to be “something remarkable or an utter disaster.” This unpredictability added to the thrill of taking on such a project, as it approached the subject of self-criticism in an unconventional manner.

Fargeat, who previously attended the Toronto festival in 2017 with her action film “Revenge,” which tells the story of a woman (Matilda Lutz) seeking vengeance after being assaulted, felt empowered after that experience. “I felt stronger to articulate my views on the violence women endure and was eager to explore deeper themes,” she explained. “Now that I’m past 40, I’ve begun to feel the pressure of possibly being forgotten or disappearing. I wanted to express a strong message that we need to change and break free from the pressures leading us to accept violence in silence.”

It was essential for Fargeat that “The Substance” showcased violence and horror through a female lens. She reflected on how horror films in her youth felt gendered and catered primarily to boys. “As a little girl, those films seemed to invite me into an area where I wasn’t really supposed to be, and it was thrilling,” she shared.

“Growing up, boys had permission to engage in activities that girls were restricted from. The feminine ideals of always being pleasant, accommodating, and gentle were so constraining. For me, those films represented a means of fully expressing myself,” the director noted.