Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Suitable Flesh Blu-ray Movie Review

H.G. does H.P.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 11, 2024

As much a loving tribute to late, great director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator, From Beyond) as the H.P. Lovecraft story it's based on, Joe Lynch's sexually-charged Suitable Flesh flashes a winking smile to the throat-grabbing supernatural horror films of yesteryear. What begins as a curious tale of one happily married psychiatrist's strange infatuation with a young patient soon spirals into shocking absurdity as a body-hopping demon basically runs roughshod on the doctor and her circle of friends, family, and co-workers. Laced with squishy practical effects and a true commitment to its schtick, Suitable Flesh isn't a flawless genre exercise (homage?) but it's still an awful lot of fun at times.

Suitable Flesh begins in media res, like most modern thrillers, where we're first introduced to now-disturbed clinical psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Derby (Heather Graham, in a fun showcase role); she's currently locked up in a padded cell under the watchful eye of former colleague Dr. Daniella Upton (Barbara Crampton) after a horrifically mutilated corpse is delivered. Rewinding a little, we now see things from the perspective of a saner version of Darby presumably days earlier: she's still happily married to husband Edward (Johnathon Schaech), but has interrupted her work-life balance by putting in extra hours. The key reason? New patient Asa Waite (Judah Lewis), shaken and emotionally fragile, begs for her help and speaks of frequent abuse at the hands of his father. Or at least that's what she gets out of it: Asa's convinced his dad can actually possess his body, which seems more likely after an unexpected phone call from him leaves Asa in a crumpled, convulsing heap on her office floor before he changes personalities.

Elizabeth dares to investigate Asa's house, spurned by both morbid curiosity and an attraction to the much younger patient. Don't worry, though: the massive age difference is totally cool because a guy's the younger one. (A quick look at IMDb even shows that Judah Lewis wasn't even born until three years after Boogie Nights came out.)

What follows is an increasingly grim and bonkers situation involving Asa's sickly dad, more claims of the supernatural, gratuitous body-switching, attempted murder, actual murder, fun roleplay, at least one police investigation, and a whole lotta confusion as Suitable Flesh's characters change into altered variants of each other. To explain where, why, or how everything turns out would be a disservice to its plot, which is half the fun of a first-time viewing experience. The other half is in the lead performances; particularly Graham and relative newcomer Judah Lewis, who each go all-in on their respective roles to deliver an entertaining if not occasionally confusing sequence of role reversals that you may just need a small notepad to keep track of. Add in a bit of visual flair and creative effects and you've got a refreshing little horror entry that, minor flaws aside, should appease anyone looking for something a little different.

Time will tell if Suitable Flesh holds up even half as long as several of the decades-old films it's clearly influenced by, but I've got a good feeling that this won't be just a "once and done" experience for those who enjoy this subgenre of horror. What's more is that RLJ Entertainment's new Blu-ray edition offers solid A/V specs, a well-rounded collection of extras and, as always, its reasonable price tag makes blind buys a bit more attainable for the adventurous.

Suitable Flesh Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Suitable Flesh may not emulate the time period of the Stuart Gordon-directed films it so clearly admires, but it at least resembles a modestly-budgeted film from that decade with an neutral if not slightly warm appearance that doesn't lend itself to consistently razor-sharp image detail. Truth be told it looks a bit soft more often than not, but this is likely by design rather than flaws in the cinematography or disc encoding. Colors are nicely saturated, sometimes nudged into unnatural territory (all depending on the subject matter), with the typically cold and sterile office interiors contrasting nicely with Asa's run-down and cluttered house. Darker scenes are occasionally overwhelmed by a further loss of fine detail, but black crush rarely enters the picture -- only trace amounts of posterization and macro blocking that affect some of the mid-range values. Overall, it's a solid and workmanlike 1080p transfer that will hold up perfectly well on medium-sized displays; anything larger than, say, 65" might reveal a few more seams in the fabric.

Suitable Flesh Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix plays it mostly straight, aiming for a front-forward presentation where dialogue is concerned while leaving occasional room in the rears for subtle atmospherics, the original score by composer Steve Moore, at least one or two kinda annoying jump scares, and a few freak out moments where several main characters undergo sharp personality changes. Within these boundaries it's no surprise that the Blu-ray's lossless audio performs as expected, getting the job done without incident while offering a few well-placed sonic flourishes.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

Suitable Flesh Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a a keepcase with attractive cover artwork; no slipcover or inserts are included, but we do get a pretty healthy little dose of bonus features that fans are sure to enjoy.

• Audio Commentary - Group commentaries are usually more fun than solo tracks, and this one's no different. Featured participants include director Joe Lynch and producer/actor Barbara Crampton, and producer Bob Portal, who share different perspectives of their contributions to the film. It's a well-rounded session that's entertaining and candid and, while a bit more cast participation would have added more seasoning to the stew, we still get a pretty complete look behind the curtain that details casting, shooting locations, editing, the score and sound design, lead and supporting performances, practical effects, and other parts of the process.

• Behind the Scenes of Suitable Flesh (25:15) - This fairly well-rounded account of the production repeats a few bits and pieces of info from the audio commentary, but also features comments from cast and crew members that didn't get time behind the mic including Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, and Johnathon Schaech. Topics include the finished script (and one major change made by the director), the casting process, cinematography, special effects (including good use of a store-bought watermelon), the source material, and much more.

• A Suitable Score (14:10) - A short but enjoyable virtual conversation between composer Steve Moore and director Joe Lynch, the former of whom details his thought process behind the film's musical themes and other atmospheric touches, his particular choice of instruments, and drawing inspiration from classic films.

• Storyboard to Screen (11:27) - This beefed-up slideshow (which features a short introduction by director Joe Lynch, who's again in film school mode) compares a few dozen storyboards to the finished product.

• Blooper Reel (4:49)

Suitable Flesh Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joe Lynch's Suitable Flesh is a clear nod to the work of late, great director Stuart Gordon, and not just because its supernatural plot is based on a story from H.P. Lovecraft. The film's interesting visual motifs, solid lead performances, and commitment to its schtick make for an entertaining first-time experience and, based on the strength of its overall construction, should held up to repeat viewings. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray serves up good A/V merits, a nice pile of extras, and its reasonably price tag makes this one a decent blind buy. Recommended to the right crowd.