Directed by Joe Lynch, and based on H.P. Lovecraft’s ‘The Thing on the Doorstep’, Suitable Flesh is a new horror movie which is winging its way to the UK. The film stars Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, Johnathon Schaech, and Barbara Crampton, and tells the story of a psychiatrist called Elizabeth Derby, who gets caught up in something sinister after becoming obsessed with a patient suffering extreme personality disorder.
In the movie, Dr. Elizabeth Derby lives with her husband in Massachusetts. She has a beautiful home, has a seemingly perfect life, and for the most part she doesn’t have a care in the world.
One morning, there’s a knock on her office door from a stranger. The unexpected caller is a young student called Asa Waite, who is very agitated and who claims he has been suffering from outer-body experiences.
After witnessing Asa undergo a traumatic episode in her office, Elizabeth agrees to help him. She recognises he needs support, but also believes he could be the perfect subject for her next case study.
However, later that night, Elizabeth begins to fantasise about Asa and imagines herself having sex with him. Over the coming days, she then grows closer to him, which leads to an affair (of sorts).
But the more she gets to know Asa, the more she learns some disturbing truths about what is going on with his mind. And this revelation has an impact on her own mental health, and those around her.
So, here’s the thing about Suitable Flesh: First and foremost it’s a pretty decent horror movie. It’s somewhat of a slowburn, and it doesn’t really go anywhere unexpected, but the two leads are good, the atmosphere is just right, and there’s something about the movie which seems to click.
However, Suitable Flesh does feel quite dated in its overall presentation. If this film popped up on TV and I had no knowledge of it being a new release for 2023, I’d be convinced it was made during the 1990s.
Heck, at times Suitable Flesh could easily be an episode of classic horror anthology series, Tales from the Crypt. This isn’t a bad thing, as Tales from the Crypt was great, but it does feel odd this movie seems as if it belongs in a completely different decade – and I don’t believe it’s intentional.
But move beyond the strange ”90s feel’, and Suitable Flesh is likeable enough. It’s not going to be for everyone, and I expect die hard horror fans will get more out of it than casual audiences, but it does work.
With its mix of psychiatrists, sex, and occasional sax music(!!), it sort of has that ‘late-night, TV-in-bed’ kind of vibe to it. The sort of thing you pop on when you want something a little dark and occasionally saucy, which you can get lost in and it isn’t too taxing.
Heather Graham heads up Suitable Flesh as Elizabeth and she provides the film with a strong lead. In the role, Graham flips back and forth between professional psychiatrist and sultry sex kitten, and she does so with ease and occasional tongue in cheek.
Graham is then joined on screen by Judah Lewis, who is also on fine form. One minute he’s a vulnerable young man, struggling with some mysterious inner darkness, while the next moment he’s having it away with Graham and camping it up to the max.
As for the rest of the cast, most of them feel fairly disposable, but it is always nice to see Barbara Crampton. She has developed a cult following for her appearances in the horror genre, and she always gets into the spirit of every movie she’s cast in – with this being no exception.
Chuck in a bit of blood and gore during the final act and there’s enough going on in the movie to keep things ticking along. It’s not going to thrill everyone, but as I say, some will like it perfectly fine.
While Suitable Flesh isn’t amazing, it has many of the right ingredients to keep horror fans on board, including gore, sex, and psychos. The momentum does go in a few places, specifically around the mid-section, but it does pick back up towards the end.
If you wish to take a look at Suitable Flesh, the movie will be arriving in UK cinemas from Friday 27th October. It will then head onto digital download from Monday 27th November.
Should neither of these options work for you, then fear not, Suitable Flesh will be available on streaming in the not-too-distant future. The movie will land on Shudder in January 2024.
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