An LA salon-owner gets involved in an escalating feud with a rival facialist in this blackly comic thriller with a pleasing female focus

Following hot on the stiletto heels of female-led body-horror hit The Substance, comedy thriller Skincare also centres on a female protagonist – in this case facialist Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) – who is dedicated to the pursuit of youthful appearance. This effort is far more grounded in realism than The Substance (it even sports a “based on a true story” tag at the beginning), but there is a similar blackly comic vibe at play, which makes it both fun and full of cringe moments that echo the Demi Moore-Margaret Qualley gorefest. At the very least, Banks proves herself equal to The Substance’s leads when it comes to projecting barely concealed anxiety and desperation under a thickly madeup facade. Her Hope is in some ways a far...