‘Tis the season for horror movies, specifically body horror as Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley occupy the same body in “The Substance.”

It’s been many years since Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) got her coveted Star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. She’s now an aging actress who has built an empire on her TV aerobics videos: “Sparkle with Elizabeth.” 

But then a smarmy, misogynistic executive, aptly named Harvey (Dennis Quaid), decides she’s too old, no longer attractive, and should be replaced by a perkier, prettier younger version. “After 50, it stops,” he tells her – in no uncertain terms. 

Elizabeth is so devastated that she crashes her car, only to emerge unscathed but in possession of a ‘thumb drive’ tempting her to try a mysteriously futuristic treatment called The Substance., which comes in compartmentalized boxes filled with phosphorescent green liquid, tubing and syringes. 

The Substance promises enhancement – “a better version of yourself” – which it delivers. After enduring a gory, grisly, grotesque transformation, naked Elizabeth emerges as a sexy, shiny young doppelganger (Margaret Qualley), who auditions as her nubile replacement and becomes celebrated as Sue, hosting the high-octane “Pump It Up.” 

The creepy ‘catch’ is that – while cloned Sue’s lithe gyrations captivate lecherous men of all ages – the following week, elder Elizabeth is back, gazing forlornly in the mirror and facing constant rejection. Somethin’s gotta give, right?

Obviously channeling Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” still-stunning 61 year-old Demi Moore (“Ghost”) has a renewed shot at stardom, making her ‘comeback,’ as French writer/director Coralie Fargeat (“Revenge”) satirically traces Elizabeth’s stylized journey from desperate to damaged to deranged, detailing The It Girl becoming The Gollum.

At the recent Cannes Film Festival, subversively feminist Fargeat won Best Screenplay and received a 13-minute standing ovation.

FYI:  if you’re still intrigued by this cautionary-yet-campy, youth-obsessed concept, “Death Becomes Her” opens on Broadway this Fall…and Margaret Qualley is real-life Andie MacDowell’s daughter; back in 1985, Demi Moore & Andie MacDowell worked together in “St. Elmo’s Fire.”

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Substance” is a sleazy, stomach-churning, self-loathing 6, playing in theaters.

When “Uglies” debuted as No. 2 on Netflix, I was naturally curious about the screen adaptation of Scott Westerfield’s popular 2005 young adult novel; apparently, it was watched 20.8 million times in its first three days.

Unfortunately, it’s an abysmal disappointment.

Set in a dystopian world where beautifying cosmetic surgery is a requirement for every resident at the age of 16, it’s all about turning “uglies” into “pretties.”

That’s a ritual that 15 year-old Tally Youngblood (Joey King) eagerly anticipates: “All my life I wanted to be pretty. I thought it would change everything,” she says.

Since her bestie Peris (Chase Stokes) is a couple of months older, he undergoes the transformation first and promptly ‘forgets’ his promise to meet Tally on a specific night. When she pursues him into Pretty City, he’s flawless yet mindless and obviously no longer comfortable in her company.

Then her new hover-boarding pal Shay (Brianne Tju) openly refuses surgery, running away to link up with an elusive rebel group known as the “Smoke.” 

Confused, Tally seriously considers joining free-spirited Shay but is confronted by sinister Dr. Cable (Laverne Cox). Dr. Cable convinces Shay to join the anarchists on an undercover mission to betray her friends.

The Smoke turns out to resemble an old-fashioned, off-the-grid nature commune, led by mysterious David (Keith Powers), who dutifully explains the why and how of its existence. 

Superficially scripted by Jacob Forman, Vanessa Taylor and Whit Anderson, the CGI is overdone and the outcome is utterly predictable.

Despite McG’s fast-paced direction, Joey King is 25 years old and is no longer believable as a teenager. And the familiar sci-fi plotline in which ‘free thought is eliminated’ has become hackneyed and outdated.

Casting Laverne Cox as the villain is a curious choice.  Cox became the first openly transgender person to appear on the cover of Time magazine and the first transgender person to have a wax figure of herself at Madame Tussauds.

And since 61 year-old author Scott Westerfield served as executive producer, he’s hardly in a position to defend its vapidity; on-screen, he made a quick cameo as the Wheelbarrow Smokie, nodding to the camera.

On the Granger Gauge, “Uglies” is a fake-looking, fantasy 4, streaming on Netflix.