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You dont hear the termelevated horrorso often these days, and for that, we can be grateful.
Theres also the fact that its hard to define and based almost entirely on vibes.
Forget about elevated horror:The Substancecan be calledelevated trash.
Trash, elevated or otherwise, need not be a pejorative.
She refers to films that are crudely made and crummy-looking.
Think early John Waters movies, made on the cheap and dripping in bad taste.
Unlike elevated horror, elevated trash is not genre-specific, and ultimately,The Substancefalls into both categories.
None of this is to say thatThe Substanceis a bad movie (far from it!)
or that there arent moments of real emotional honesty.
Theres no shame in being a little trashy.
ThatThe Substancelooks refined and intentional makes it palatable despite all the stomach-turning grotesqueries.
To be clear, if Demi Moore or the movie itself is nominated, it will be richly deserved.
The same can be said for Halina ReijnsBabygirl, which is earning star Nicole Kidman ample awards attention.
Its appeal, however, is largely the same.
At first glance,Conclavemay not seem like it fits the bill, but its actually a prime example.
you might also look back to the Academy Awards themselves.
At the 1988 ceremony,Fatal Attractionwas nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture.
To cite another Michael Douglasled example, 1992sBasic Instinctearned two noms, for its score and editing.
Still, the return of elevated trash in 2024 feels notable.
Amid the increasing instability of the world, theyre also a welcome reprieve.
All of the pleasure.
None of the guilt.
