Suitable Flesh (Sexy Kinky Lovecraftian Body Swap Horror)
With the passing of director Stuart Gordon and the unwarranted attention paid to the grossly overrated Color Out of Space, we as an audience are experiencing an outrageous resurgence in the proliferation of H.P. Lovecraft adaptations. Written by Re-Animator scribe Dennis Paoli, Suitable Flesh would be the last film Lovecraft would be caught dead watching in a theater. However, let his loss be your gain as hit-and-miss director Joe Lynch finally finds his stride with this funny, sexy, and disquieting little slice of body swap horror. Adapted loosely from Lovecraft’s The Thing in the Doorstep, Suitable Flesh concerns Dr. Elizabeth Derby (a take-no-prisoners showstopper of a performance by the underrated Heather Graham) and her growing obsession with a patient whose psychosis is frighteningly indicative of possession by spirits beyond our world. As Derby swirls deeper and deeper out of control, her libido swells as well as her thirst for bloodshed. Things do not get any more pleasant from here. It’s not gonna be for everyone, but for the chosen few who are willing to meet this wild thing on it’s own terms, the rewards come fast and furious.
What makes Suitable Flesh worth seeing besides the strength of the performances by Graham and Judah Lewis as her erstwhile patient is the pitch-perfect pacing and structure. This movie is an excellent example of cinema as rollercoaster ride, starting slowly and building to an absolute fever pitch. Joe Lynch is an obvious super fan whose work never sit right with me, but he’s finally come home to roost with this film. Alongside Paoli, Re-Animator veteran Barbara Crampton shows up to deliver steady support. Crampton wins just on the basis of sheer presence alone, but this movie is clearly the “Heather Graham Show” and her absolutely balls-out performance is the highlight of the film. Sneaking out to a few theaters across the country before the inevitable debut on various streaming services, Suitable Flesh is a movie very much worth seeing in theaters as it is by and large a fresh drink of water in today’s staid climate. Is it going to change the world? Not likely, but if you’re down, get ready to have Fun with a capital F. Highly recommended.
Written by David, Comptroller of Your Last Scrap of Existence
Suitable Flesh (2024 on Shudder, 2024 on Blu-ray)
Director: Joe Lynch
Distributor: RLJE Films
5 / 5
