Shell (2024) review – Kate Hudson shines in a confused body horror

Welcome to Knockout Horror. Buckle up because things are about to get weird as we crack open Max Minghella’s bizarre body-horror misfire, Shell (2024).

All shell, no substance

Shell follows Samantha Lake (Elisabeth Moss), an actress who, after sharing a leading role in a hit sit-com, is now feeling a bit down on her luck. Roles are hard to come by and she believes that it may be as a result of her age.

After being directed towards a revolutionary new beauty treatment, Samantha grows close to the face of the company, Zoe Shannon (Kate Hudson). Little realising that her new found beauty comes with some shocking side effects.

It should probably be expected that, with the success of Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, we will see a whole new wave of beauty focused body-horror movies. In fact, it’s already started to happen with The Ugly Stepsister releasing earlier this year. What might be surprising however, is that today’s movie Shell was actually produced at the same time as the aforementioned horror mega hit.

In fact, it even shared the festival circuit with The Substance. The similarities between the two films were very apparent and noted by viewers. Despite the fact that the first draft of the screenplay dated back to 2018.

Unfortunately, the similarities in plot don’t extend to the quality of the films themselves. This is a movie that reminds me a lot of NightBitch. It promises a lot and delivers very little. In fact, I would go as far as to say it is quite a frustrating watch. Director Max Minghella attempts to channel a lot of the same off the wall kookiness that made The Substance so much fun but comes up short.

It’s a comedy of confusion

This is, ostensibly, a black-comedy, body-horror movie. Whereas The Substance garnered a few laughs through its outrageous story. The humour here is far more central to the plot. There are actual comedy sequences, we have the trademark funny side-character, and many of the scenes are played for laughs.

“Whereas The Substance attacked beauty standards with razor-tongued wit, Shell dances around the subject, using it as a vehicle for a muddled corporate satire.”

The first half takes us on a deep dive into the life of our protagonist. Relating the struggles of her fading acting career against a backdrop of getting older and becoming less desirable. Along with the temptation to take drastic measures to make all of those anxieties go away.

The second half moult reveals an outrageous thriller complete with chase scenes, monster madness, and over-the-top mega-villains. If that sounds like an odd mix to you, then you are not alone.

Shell aims for a Twilight Zone sense of uncanny dreaminess, paired with a touch of the wonderful horror camp. These traits don’t gel all that well with the drama elements, however. Leaving a film that flits between trying to deliver an important message and making jokes about vibrators.

Whereas The Substance attacked beauty standards with razor-tongued wit. Shell dances around the subject, using it as a vehicle for a muddled corporate satire. It’s tonally confused, and perhaps the reason is quite simple. It’s a distinctly female-centric story being told by a male director and writer. Consequently, it struggles to find its voice.

A movie that feels rushed and shallow

This movie suffered from a very expedited filming schedule due to it’s lead star’s pregnancy. It shows! Shell feels very rushed and the attempts to hide Moss’s pregnancy only add to that. It’s all big hoodies and tightly focused upper body shots.

As a satirical take on the woes of celebrity, the story feels surface deep, despite offering a few chuckles. As a science fiction b-movie complete with its alternate near future setting, vibrant colour palette, and absolutely ridiculous ending, it works a bit better. When you throw in the numerous other themes however, it’s hard not to feel a sense of whiplash.

It’s easy to appreciate the prevailing message. It doesn’t really feel as though that is the actual core theme here, though. It’s presented with a complete lack of wit and nuance which leaves it seeming underdeveloped and paper thin.

Much like the characters that inhabit Shell’s world. Nobody is all that well fleshed out and the world feels shallow. We are just dropped into it and expected to accept that they are big celebrities or people we should care about.

The humour frequently misses, never offering the outrageous laughs an idea this wild needs. Jack Stanley’s script simply isn’t as clever as it thinks it is, leaving the satire feeling toothless, unfocused, and extremely lacking.

On the horror front, it’s unfair to keep comparing this movie to The Substance but it’s an apt measuring stick. There’s none of the hideous mutations and disgusting visuals that made that film such a gross-out joy to behold. Shell’s body horror elements are tame and consist of stick on wounds and the occasional bit of projectile vomit. It’s going to severely disappoint genre fans.

Shell has an A-List cast with B-Movie production

When I spoke about tonal whiplash earlier, I didn’t even attempt to emphasise just how bad it is. If I were to say, at the halfway point, that Shell is about to turn into a 1950’s style science fiction monster movie I doubt many viewers would believe me. It does, though, and that’s kind of what this movie is going for all along. It just never manages to find its identity so it really isn’t obvious.

If you think of 1958’s The Fly you will be somewhere near the correct ball park. I find it extremely difficult to imagine that anyone who enjoys the first half will equally enjoy the finale. It’s just such a huge departure from what comes before it.

“If I were to say, at the halfway point, that Shell is about to turn into a 1950’s style science fiction monster movie I doubt many viewers would believe me.”

On the plus side, Moss is pretty decent, here. I am not sure that she fits the role all that well and there are moments where she feels hugely miscast. Still, she is a decent actor and works well with what she is given. The one undeniable highlight is Kate Hudson, whose sinister Zoe Shannon is a perfect, scene-stealing Scooby Doo villain by way of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop spokesperson.

She’s the only one who really understands the assignment. Her camp b-movie energy, however, is constantly at odds with the film’s visuals, which feel so low-budget I thought I was watching a garbage-tier Tubi movie before the stars showed up. This is only compounded by the naff synth score that rarely feels fitting and often seems painfully at odds with what is taking place on screen.

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Horror is a genre that thrives thanks to indie film makers and low budget creators. At Knockout Horror, we firmly believe that every movie that we review deserves a fair fight. That's why we grade on a curve. Our star ratings are all about context, judging a film on what it achieves with the resources it has.

A 4-star rating for a scrappy indie horror made for $10,000 is a testament to its ingenuity and raw power. A 4-star rating for a $100 million blockbuster means it delivered on its epic promises. We don't compare them side-by-side; we celebrate success in every weight class, from the back-alley brawler to the heavyweight champion. Please keep this in mind when considering star ratings.

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