SUITABLE FLESH (2023)

 "THE FUTURE IS FEMALE"

  Here we have last year's directorial turn by Joe Lynch, the great and powerful.  Director of WRONG TURN 2 and star of VICTOR CROWLEY, DIGGING UP THE MARROW and the wonderful HOLLISTON telly series.  Participator in many of Adam Green's annual Halloween short films and all around beacon of the universe.  Yes, THAT Joe Lynch.  Here Lynch adapts for the screen (with the help of frequent HPL screenwriter Dennis Paoli) H.P. Lovecraft's "THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP". 

Before we start, I'd like to say how nice and refreshing it is to have a film based on this story in favour of HPL's other well-known and frequently adapted stories.  I can't think of another film version of "THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP" off-hand.  But here we have it and SUITABLE FLESH has, dare I say it, a lot of the fun and irreverence of those Stuart Gordon HPL movies which . . . oh, fancy that . . . Dennis Paoli also wrote.  I can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy  (or is that clammy and slimy) inside when watching this film because, with Stuart Gordon gone, I didn't think we'd get another quite like those.  But here it is -- not a carbon copy of Gordon's HPL films by any means.  In fact, they are tonally quite different but the 'spirit' of those movies such as THE RE-ANIMATOR, DAGON, FROM BEYOND etc. can be found a little bit in SUITABLE FLESH.  And that's all BEFORE mentioning that Barbara Crampton is in it!!!!  I just have an enormous amount of goodwill towards this film!

Heather Graham plays psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Derby who is barged in upon by a frantic young man named Asa Waite (Judah Lewis) who says his father is trying to take over his body.  Then, after suffering an apparent seizure, Asa recovers and is seemingly rational and calm.  But Asa seems to be acting differently; dismissive and rude. 

Another seizure finds Asa once again the twitchy, hysterical young guy who first came into Dr. Derby's office.  Asa gives Beth his address and pleads with her to come home with him so he can stop/kill his father before the old man takes him over completely (on the third try).  Beth refuses.  Later, after a frantic phone call from Asa, Beth shows up at the Waite house and encounters an apparently dying old Ephraim Waite (Bruce Davison).  Beth gives him his heart medicine and Ephraim  reveals himself to be a nasty, rude man -- kinda how Asa was acting in between his seizures.  Ephraim also has a Necronomicon-y book on his desk.  With everything you've read up until now, I'm sure what's happening here will be no surprise to you.  There is an ancient evil entity who exists throughout time by possessing people's bodies (like a malevolent Boston Brand).  

Co-producer Barbara Crampton (who also stars as Beth's best friend psychiatrist Daniella Upton) asked screenwriter Dennis Paoli if he had anything 'sitting on his shelf' that he never got to make with Stuart Gordon and Paoli pulled out a script for "THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP" which Crampton read and promptly snapped up.  She then asked Joe Lynch if he'd care to direct the film.  After getting a 'cine-boner' (as Lynch so aptly describes his reaction), Lynch asked Paoli if they could change the all-male HPL story and make the lead characters female instead.  This, I think, was a stroke of genius which also gave Heather Graham and Barbara Crampton the chance to really own this picture.  Judah Lewis as Asa is also very good here and I can't believe I only previously know him from the Netflux CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES movies!  But this really is Graham and Crampton's show.  Of course, it's ALWAYS a treat to see Bruce Davison on hand; the veteran actor of WILLARD and THE LATHE OF HEAVEN.  He is nicely distasteful as the evil Ephraim.  Joe Lynch's directing is pretty much spot on; keeping the story going at a nice clip while also getting great performances from his entire cast (which also includes Johnathon Schaech of WELCOME TO WOOP WOOP as Beth's husband Ed).  Another REALLY nice directorial flourish is Lynch's use of such unused old standbys like irises or split-screens; however not in a gratuitous way but purposefully used to compliment the story and what's happening on screen.  SUITABLE FLESH was such a nice surprise and a pleasure to watch!  Great movie, Joe!  Make more!