By frag_editorial Ageing skin in ‘The Substance’ (Coralie Fargeat,2024) is the focus of this fragment. Fargeat’s use of mid shots and close ups fascinates me, disassociating the skin from the character who inhabits it. I’m also drawn to experiments around embodiment (inspired by Dayna McLeod and Johannes Binotto), that’s relevant to Part 2 of this exploration as I recorded the sound of hand cream combined with shots of my hand. I include clips from 80s skin care ads as they also invoke horror of the body. Using multiscreens and repetition I’m exploring how the familiar becomes unfamiliar to Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), the body horror being visceral and uncanny.
About the maker
Sarah Bell is a postgraduate researcher at Northumbria University. She is exploring the historic and contemporary representations of women and the menopause experience in American and European horror films. Sarah works as a visiting lecturer at Birmingham City University, teaching film and the principles of storytelling on the BA (Hons) Film and Screenwriting course. She previously worked in the West Midlands as an Assistant Producer in the creative industries but began her career as a performer and sometime fire-eater in devised physical theatre.
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/showcase/11571860