9 of the most disgusting body horrors you need to watch after The Substance-Rebecca Sayce-Entertainment – Metro

Demi Moore has made history by receiving her first-ever Golden Globe for her role in The Substance.

The gory body horror, directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Margaret Qualley, follows ageing starlet Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore) as she embarks on an experiment known as the substance, a clinical procedure which promises to create ‘a better version of you.’

But things go awry when Elisabeth’s other half, Sue (Qualley), cannot respect the balance as the substance demands, with grave consequences for them both.

The Substance made waves when it hit cinemas in September 2024, garnering five Golden Globe nominations and a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

It marks a great start to 2025 for the horror genre, which is so often overlooked at major award ceremonies.

Horror has long utilised the real-life anxieties we have surrounding our bodies, from everyday anatomy changes to the fear of disease and death.

To celebrate The Substance’s award win, we have rounded up some of the most disgusting body horror films you can stream right now – from 80s classics to controversial modern releases.

The Fly (1986)

Before winning the hearts of audiences across the world in Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum disgusted cinemagoers in David Cronenberg’s The Fly.

Loosely based on George Langelaan’s 1957 short story and the 1958 film of the same name, the film tells the story of eccentric scientist Seth Brundle (Goldblum) who, after one of his experiments goes wrong, slowly turns into a fly-hybrid creature.

Where to watch: Disney Plus, Apple TV, Prime Video, and the Sky Store

The Thing (1982)

One of the most famous sci-fi horror films of all time, 1982’s The Thing features some truly groundbreaking body horror and special effects.

Directed by horror legend John Carpenter, it tells the story of a group of researchers in Antarctica who encounter an extra-terrestrial being that infects then assimilates its human hosts – leading to paranoia among the group as any one of them could be ‘the Thing.’

Where to watch: Available to rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, and the Sky Store

Tusk (2014)

Written and directed by Kevin Smith, Tusk was released in 2014 and centred on Wallace Bryton (Justin Long), the co-host of a viral video-mocking podcast who comes across a flyer from Howard Howe (Michael Parks) offering a room in exchange for hearing what he says to be interesting stories.

After accepting the man’s offer, Wallace quickly finds himself in a life-threatening situation due to Howard’s obsessions with a walrus named Mr Tusk who he says saved his life.

Where to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV, and the Sky Store

Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Shinya Tsukamoto’s feature debut Tetsuo: The Iron Man would go down in history as one of the most influential films to come out of Japan.

It centres around an unnamed Japanese salaryman (Tomorô Taguchi) who slowly turns into a man-machine hybrid after accidentally killing a being known as The Metal Fetishist (Tsukamoto), and develops a hit-and-run victim who is undergoing a similar transformation.

Where to watch: Microsoft Store

Videodrome (1983)

The ‘king of body horror’ Cronenberg appears again on our list with his grim 1983 hit Videodrome.

Starring James Woods, Sonja Smits, and Debbie Harry, the film follows CIVIC-TV president Max Renn (Woods) as he attempts to uncover the signal source of a broadcast showing snuff films, but as he does so, he experiences intense hallucinations that cause his grasp of reality to falter.

Where to watch: Now TV, Sky Go, Prime Video, Apple TV, and the Sky Store

Society (1992)

If you loved the light body horror in Barry Keoghan’s smash hit Saltburn, 1992’s Society directed by Brian Yuzna takes us into the secret world of the elite with plenty of twists and turns.

Its plot follows Beverly Hills teenager Bill Whitney (Billy Warlock) who begins to suspect that his wealthy family and friends are part of a gruesome cult for the social elite who engage in murderous orgies – but the truth, somehow, is far worse.

Where to watch: Arrow via Prime Video, Shudder via Prime Video, Apple TV, and the Sky Store

Re-Animator (1985)

Jeffrey Combs, Barbara Crampton, Bruce Abbott, and David Gale all appear in Stuart Gordon’s Re-Animator, a grotesque adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s 1922 novelette.

The infamous 1985 film follows medical students Herbert Wise (Combs) and Dan Cain (Abbott) who create a serum to re-animate the dead, bringing back Cain’s fiancée (Crampton).

Where to watch: Available to rent via Apple TV

Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1978)

Though sci-fi body horror Invasion of The Body Snatchers first hit our screens in 1956, the 1978 remake by Philip Kaufman really kicks the scares up a notch.

When Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams) complains of her husband’s strange mood, her co-worker Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) assumes it’s marital issues, but it soon becomes clear something more is afoot when writer Jack Bellicec (Jeff Goldblum) and his wife (Veronica Cartwright) discover a mutated corpse.

Where to watch: MGM+ via Prime Video, Apple TV, and the Sky Store

The Human Centipede (2009)

Last year, director Tom Six said his latest film may never be released because it is ‘too extreme’ – and as the creator of The Human Centipede, it’s easy to imagine why.

The controversial film follows psychopathic surgeon Dr Josef Heiter (Dieter Laser) as he kidnaps tourists in a bid to conjoin them surgically, mouth to anus – and two similarly grotesque sequels follow with even longer centipedes to, erm, enjoy?

Where to watch: Shudder via Prime Video and Apple TV

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