Streaming Service: Shudder
Movie Name/Year: Suitable Flesh (2024)
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 1h 40min
Rating: R
Director: Joe Lynch
Writers: Dennis Paoli, H.P.
Lovecraft
Actors:Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, Johnathon Schaech, Barbara Crampton, Graham Skipper, Brett Newton, Chris McKenna, JD Evermore, Giovannie Cruz, Ann Mahoney, Hunter Womack, Jonah Ray, Joe Lynch
Shudder Blurb: Psychiatrist Elizabeth
Derby becomes obsessed with helping a young patient who's suffering from
extreme personality disorder. However, it soon leads her into occult danger as
she tries to escape from a horrific fate. Starring Heather Graham (Boogie Nights),
Judah Lewis (The Babysitter), Bruce Davison (X-Men, Ozark) and Barbara Crampton
(Superhost).
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| Heather Graham as “Elizabeth Derby” in Joe Lynch’s SUITABLE FLESH. Photo courtesy of AMP and Eyevox. An RLJE Films and Shudder release. |
Selina’s Point of View:
I was a little iffy
about Suitable Flesh from the start of the film.
The hokey beginning made
it very clear that the film was going to be more on the corny/cheesy side than
anything more serious. I’m absolutely fine with that. Some of my favorite
movies take a cheesy path. It’s all about the execution.
I know most people are
loving Suitable Flesh, but it is not for me. Every other scene is
about five minutes of sex, a lot of the dialog is not quite right, and the
story has a few loopholes that are glaringly obvious by the end. It’s simply
not the kind of flick I’d ever choose to watch for myself.
Despite that, I do think
that if you believe it’s something you’d enjoy, then you should give it a
chance. It may just be that my particular opinion on Suitable Flesh is
negative because I dislike movies that utilize certain themes without
necessity. Which would mean I was always bound to dislike it.
Maybe it’s best to go
with Cat’s review for this one.
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| (L-R) Heather Graham as “Elizabeth Derby” and Johnathon Schaech as “Edward Derby” in Joe Lynch’s SUITABLE FLESH. Photo courtesy of AMP and Eyevox. An RLJE Films and Shudder release. |
Cat’s Point of View:
Why, Joe Lynch (Knights of Badassdom, Mayhem, Creepshow)?
Just… why?
I wanted to like Suitable Flesh. I had it listed as
spooky #13 on my Top 20 List for this month; and yet perhaps my choice intended for fun was,
instead, a bit of foreshadowing. I’ve enjoyed the works of both Lynch, who
directed, and screenwriter Dennis Paoli (Bleacher Bums, Masters of Horror,
The Evil Clergyman) who had brought us the classic mid-80s horror flick Re-Animator
(1985).
Speaking of that cult horror classic, Barbara Crampton (Channel
Zero, Stay Home, Superhost), who was in that film, had a prominent role in Suitable
Flesh. With Crampton on board as well as the likes of Heather Graham (The Hangover,
Horns, Oracle) and Bruce Davison (Pearl, The Manor, Ozark) I had
hope. I was awash in the nostalgic haze of the memberberries, apparently.
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| Judah Lewis as “Asa Waite” in Joe Lynch’s SUITABLE FLESH. Photo courtesy of AMP and Eyevox. An RLJE Films and Shudder release. |
As I’ve mentioned before, I love Lovecraftian horror. It’s
twisted, psychological, and sometimes cerebral. It makes you think and not only
shiver at the horrors that the Old Ones such as Cthulhu represent, but also the
evil of mankind as well. They’re deep and resonate. Suitable Flesh was
supposed to be an adaptation of Lovecraft’s short story “The Thing on the Doorstep.”
The core premise of Suitable Flesh followed the gist of the overall arc
of the original story…to an extent. Unfortunately, it seemed to only
take the original tale as a suggestion and spun it off in the direction of late-night
cable skin-flicks. For the content within the movie, however, there was less
flesh than I anticipated from the decision to take the whole thing to sexy-time
every few minutes.
I found it hard to suspend my disbelief. Perhaps, for
someone who has not yet read the source material that spawned this cinematic
treatment, it might be easier to like it.
Don’t get me wrong, there were moments here and there that
executed well what I imagine they were aiming to achieve. I appreciated the
consistency and continuity of character elements such as body positioning and
mannerisms. I also thought the practical effects for most of the gore seen was
generally on point.
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| (L-R) Heather Graham as “Elizabeth Derby” and Barbara Crampton as “Dr. Daniella Upton” in Joe Lynch’s SUITABLE FLESH. Photo courtesy of AMP and Eyevox. An RLJE Films and Shudder release. |
For those that get motion sick with things like shaky-cam, I
would caution that there are moments within Suitable Flesh that might
not sit right with equilibrium. It’s not the cams themselves that are shaky over-all
– it’s the dramatic effects that signify a particular plot element in the story.
It happens quite a few times, however. There is also some full-out spinning of
the scene going on. I was a little queasy by the end.
Here's the thing. I don’t regret the nearly 2 hours I spent
watching Suitable Flesh. I was curious and satisfied my curiosity. It
was not what I was wanting or expected. Some critics and audience reviews out
there are singing Suitable Flesh’s praises. Clearly there is an audience
out there for Suitable Flesh. This is something that will be judged
based on individual preference. This film simply wasn’t for me.
If this seems remotely interesting for you, however, I can only recommend you give it a try and see where your opinion falls on this particular spectrum.
Suitable Flesh will be available to stream on Shudder starting Friday, January 26th, 2024.
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| (L-R) Heather Graham as “Elizabeth Derby” and Barbara Crampton as “Dr. Daniella Upton” in Joe Lynch’s SUITABLE FLESH. Photo courtesy of AMP and Eyevox. An RLJE Films and Shudder release. |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic
Score – 84%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience
Score – 60%
Metascore – 64%
Metacritic User Score – 5.8/10
IMDB Score – 5.3/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s
Rating – 2/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s
Rating – 2/5
Movie Trailer:
