‘Grafted’ Review – A Film About Popularity That Will Make Your Skin Curl

If The Substance left any lasting impact on the horror genre, then it is body horror can be more than vomiting-inducing. The twisted body-horror Grafted is a less prestigious entry in the subgenre, but still captivating. Tapping into themes of beauty and standards for women in society, similar to The Substance, and tackling the subject of popularity. This theme is Grafted’s central tenet: the lengths people go to fit in with the crowd — regardless of self-esteem or purpose. The film does not always deftly tackle these themes but delivers a full-court gross-out affair.

We meet Wei (Joyena Sun), a shy and repressed introvert who struggles to fit in at the research university she attends on a scholarship. In addition, she hides a deformity, furthering her isolation and depression. Living abroad and staying with family, she finds herself in the shadow of her social butterfly cousin Angela (Jess Hong), leaving Wei determined to remedy her situation. She dives into her late father’s groundbreaking skin graft procedure to perfect her imperfections and become the life of the party. As expected, this quest to be popular has devastating and deadly effects.

Wei’s nervous around the edges persona is our first interaction with her. Starting with a flashback, we see a timid girl watching her father succumb to the effects of his skin graft research. Now college-aged, she is even more withdrawn and struggling to find her footing. The film addresses many themes, but at the core is loneliness. Throughout the beginning, Wei is constantly alone. Left by herself in the research lab, isolated by her advanced intelligence and shunned by her family and wannabe friends.

Her cousin and friends are the epitome of the “It Group.” It’s pretty, popular, and the center of attention. Wei is constantly left holding the bags, even when she attempts to fit in. The film hits over the head with the theme of isolation, but it goes a long way toward cementing Wei’s desire to perfect herself.

The film parallels Wei’s obsessive nature, which doomed her father. Her desire to perfect imperfection becomes her undoing. Fans of the genre will undoubtedly see the turns and twists coming. Given that this film places a high premium on body and image, there are few surprises. The expectation is understandable, but the film will surely please with a nauseatingly dark morality tale.   

The conflict between Wei and her cousin Angela is the crux of the film’s drama. Theirs is a story of jealousy and rage, resulting in a deadly outcome. It is a mirror image projected onto Wei, where she sees a life she could have had: family, friends, and assimilation. Part of what isolates Wei is her strict adherence to Chinese culture. This respect for tradition is something her cousin and family seem to ignore or move beyond. This clash of cultures drives another point in the film’s argument.

Films like this and The Substance illuminate the culture of perfection. Every flaw is put under a neutron microscope; age is always more than a number. People desire to be loved and to fit in, two ideas that are often in conflict with one another. In this particular setting, it creates a devastating consequence.

Wei is both our protagonist and antagonist. Her story is a tragic, as you might expect, given the grisly ramifications of body disfigurement and brutal transformation. Still, this film does not conceal its affection for the subgenre. Director Sasha Rainbow is homaging and embracing all the tropes. She crafts a dark story that is as much about hubris as it is a reminder of humility.

The movie is aware of the tradition of body horror and crafts a skin-curdling and stomach-inducing nightmare. Even though subdued at the start of the film, as we watch the skin-grafting process affect Wei’s father, we know we are in for a horrifying ride. The movie wastes little time injecting these dark elements into the story. While the story does not always rise to the level of sophistication seen in films like The Substance or The Fly, this Frankenstein-esque tale is filled with enough shrieks and gagging gasps to make the ride fulfilling.

We are dealing with the skin, and the scalpel is always cutting and striking. The movie relies on intense close-ups and vile progression; have the vomit bag ready. The film is not for the squeamish but is wildly entertaining. It is no Substance, but it does not pretend to be. This grizzly, face-cutting, and swapping, tale illustrates the envious desires for popularity and acceptance.  

Grafted is currently available to stream of Shudder.