Shell

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https://rialtodistribution.com/film/shell/

Date Reviewed: 24/10/2025

I am a horror film fanatic, always have been, and so was fascinated to watch Max Mingella’s latest film Shell, a body-horror film with more than a nod to David Cronenburg’s work, particularly Dead Ringers (1988)

This is a timely film with the ever-increasing emphasis on looks over ability or talent, particularly in the fashion world or the omnipresent world of influencers who try to convince us that their products will change our lives for the better.

Starring Elisabeth Moss from The Handmaid’s Tale and the talented singer/actor Kate Hudson, the film centres on Samantha (Moss) a once promising actress but whose career and looks are fading as she ages.

Desperate for a comeback, she is introduced to a company called Shell, by her friend Zoe (Hudson) that promises eternal youth through advanced treatments.

Although initially suspicious, Samantha quickly becomes ‘addicted’, her psoriasis is ‘cured’, and she is initially rejuvenated. Her career is also reborn and her friendship with her treatment-mate Zoe deepens.

All is going well until she notices a mole on her neck which her doctor plucks off. Unfortunately, these ‘growths’ appear on different parts of her body, and she becomes alarmed after throwing up black bile over her co-star while filming.

To complicate matters, she discovers some of Shell’s clients have mysteriously vanished. More growths appear on her body until she is treated by Dr Hubert (Arian Moayed).

It is then she then learns the terrible ‘truth’ about her treatment and goes in search of revenge with horrific consequences that blend body horror with sci fi elements.

Max Mingella’s direction, while edgy, treads the fine line between horror and camp, particularly the ‘guard’ at Shell that reminds one of Riff-Raff from The Rocky Horror Show but with red surgical gloves, and the climax of the film which I will not reveal here. Overall, Mingella builds the tension well and is creative with his use of unusual camera angles.

Elisabeth Moss’s performance is riveting from start to finish. She takes us to the depth of her character and does not shy away from embarrassing moments on film to drive the message home. It is an exhausting role, and she handles it with ease.

Kate Huson steals every scene as the so called ‘friend’ with ulterior motives. She slinks across the screen with long flowing hair and figure-hugging metallic gowns, looking a million dollars but concealing a secret. An excellent match for Moss.

My only reservation with Shell is the climax. I have always agreed with Alfred Hitchock that horror is what you don’t see. Perhaps the climax could have been handled a little more discreetly, but for lovers of blood and gore, it is a treat!

Shell gives us a dark glimpse of the beauty industry's obsession with youth using the horror genre to great advantage. It is compulsive viewing and a warning to us all that beauty is only skin deep!

Reviewed by Barry Hill OAM