After watching the scene in “The Substance” where Elisabeth Sparkle, played by Demi Moore, repeatedly applies and wipes off lipstick in front of a mirror — a chilling metaphor for identity, erasure and self-loathing — I couldn’t have imagined that critics and awards voters would embrace it. Yet here we are, with Moore emerging as a frontrunner in the Oscar race for her career-defining performance in Coralie Fargeat’s provocative body horror film. Her Golden Globes win Sunday not only cements Moore’s legacy but also shines a long-overdue spotlight on horror as a genre worthy of awards season acclaim.

At 62, Moore is on the verge of earning her first-ever Oscar nomination for best actress. Her haunting and multilayered portrayal of an aging star who takes a mysterious serum to regain her youth — only for the experiment to spiral into a surreal nightmare — has been hailed as a masterclass in physical and emotional transformation.