Suitable Flesh

As far as Lovecraftian adaptations go...this one is pretty good (most are quite bad, mind you).

Honestly, what would a Lovecraft adaptation be without a little cheese?

Of course this is cheesy.

It's too weird a tale to take itself too seriously.

As it's about a bizarre, slightly incestual, love triangle.

Between a boy, his ailing father, and cougar psychiatrist.

Although, it quickly mutates into more of a love polyhedron, of sorts.

As characters keep switching from body to body...with most ending up banging each other.

In what is eventually revealed to be the works of an ancient curse.

All-in-all, it's cheesy, twisted, entertaining fun.

As all Lovecraft films should be.

6 out of 10.

I was looking forward to watching Suitable Flesh, it seemed like something I would love, however, I was left rather disappointed. I couldn't get into it at all, it just seemed to aggravate me to the point that I was struggling not to turn it off.

I know it's meant to be campy 80s-like horror. I get it. I just couldn't get past the acting which is flat and robotic to me.

I think the best thing about this film is Barbara, My god she looks amazing. (big Reanimator fan here) So perhaps it was worth watching it for that reason alone. I may go back and give this film another go, as I really want to like it.

Suitable Flesh (2023), directed by Joe Lynch, ventured into the realms of horror and mystery thriller but ended up delivering a confusing and uninspiring narrative. The movie, drawn from H. P. Lovecraft's short story "The Thing on the Doorstep," fails to capture the eerie essence of Lovecraftian horror.

The plot unfolds around a psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with one of her young patients, later discovering that he's linked to an ancient curse. Despite the intriguing premise, the storyline descends into a muddled mess as it progresses.

A major downside was the acting, which was woefully inadequate from the entire cast, including Heather Graham and Judah Lewis. The performances lacked depth and authenticity, rendering the characters unrelatable and the plot more confusing.

The inclusion of four unnecessary sex scenes added nothing to the plot and felt like a desperate attempt to add some flair to an otherwise dull narrative. These scenes were distasteful and detracted from the already scant storyline.

The gore, which could have been a redeeming factor, was neither shocking nor well-executed. The scenes intended to be horrifying were rather bland, failing to evoke the desired reactions from the audience.

The runtime of 1h 40m felt much longer due to the lack of engaging content and coherent storytelling. The film's attempt to be "campy and creepy" was poorly executed, as noted by Rotten Tomatoes.

Overall, "Suitable Flesh" is a disappointing venture into horror that fails to entertain or scare, garnering a generous 4 stars for the occasional decent cinematography and a few well-done special effects. The movie is a forgettable addition to the 2023 horror genre, lacking the spine-chilling essence that horror enthusiasts crave.

I really enjoyed this. It felt consciously crafted to honour the style and work of both H. P. Lovecraft and Stuart Gordon. It conveys a purposeful lack of factual reality in service of creating a special story-world tone that was commonly found in the 80s/90s Lovecraftian horror. At times it becomes a campy melodrama which adds to its fun, while at other times walking a fine line between emotional truth and absurdity. I get the feeling that modern audiences may not like this due to the association with H. P. Lovecraft and/or the lack of medical or emotional realism, but for me, that is exactly the point. I grew up on horror movies just like this - fun, campy, fleshy, sexy, they didn't take themselves or life too seriously while still conveying a message worth exploring. They weren't afraid to take some risks, and they didn't expect to win any oscars. These types of films have so much value. They offer us a glimpse into the depravity of our deepest desires and a shedding of the internalised scripts of social civility and explore the craziness that lives in all of us, challenging us beyond the comforts of our social conditioning and into our primal nature. Plus I'm a big fan of Barbara Crampton so this film very easily won me over.

SUITABLE FLESH is loosely based on "The Thing On The Doorstep", by H. P. Lovecraft.

Psychiatrist, Dr. Elizabeth Derby (Heather Graham) has a loving husband (Johnathan Schaech) and a thriving practice. One day, a young man (Judah Lewis) shows up at her office, unannounced. Once Elizabeth agrees to see him, her life begins to change in bizarre, uncontrollable ways. Soon, she is caught up in a whirlwind of sex, murder, and the supernatural.

This is an occult tale of demonic soul / spirit transference, where an ancient entity jumps from body to body, causing mayhem. Both Ms. Graham and Mr. Lewis do an admirable job during their personality shifts / exchanges. Barbara Crampton has a vital supporting role as Elizabeth's best friend, Dr. Daniella Upton. Don't miss her during the jaw-dropping, gore-drenched final act!

A well-realized horror film, it's the sort of movie the late Stuart Gordon might have made...