Suitable Flesh (2023)

“TOO MUCH?!”

Suitable Flesh is a Lovecraftian tribute to the late great Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) written by his long-time collaborator Dennis Paoli and directed by Joe Lynch. Heather Graham leans into the camp in her lead role as a psychiatrist who catches the eye of a devious body-swapping demon. Its dark, its campy, its gorey, its horny — truly everything you could want in a horror movie! The film is packed with references to both Gordon and Lovecraft’s body of work, but it also stands on its own for anyone new to the universe.

I love how everyone involved in this film understood the assignment. The performances offer a perfect balance of comedy and sincerity, and all the actors worked together to build a common set of mannerisms. Judah Lewis (as Asa) is a joy to watch, and the legendary Barbara Crampton grounds the film, especially when she shares the screen with Graham. The Hallmark channel lavender hues that start the movie devolve into a sickly yellow green, and that is a combination of colours I never thought I’d see on screen! Plus the transitions between each scene are their own unique kind of brilliance.

Much like Re-Animator, the final act is truly something to behold. The gore and violence intensifies alongside the emotional stakes. I love that as goofy and horny as this movie gets, there’s a very real friendship at its heart. I was lucky to catch Suitable Flesh this summer at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival, and watching it with a rowdy live crowd was an experience that I will treasure forever.