Quick Movie Review: Suitable Flesh

 

Plot: Dr Elizabeth Derby has the ideal life until one day a patient disrupts everything. 

It is always fun to see a classic story being adapted for screen. Not everyone may have access to the classics that have entertained young minds for years, or the books may be difficult to find. And so, adaptations are the best option to carry forward the stories for years to come. 

But not all adaptations are well made and most of them are so far from the book it begs the question: just why even call it an adaptation. 

SUITABLE FLESH is an adaptation of THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP written by H.P. LOVECRAFT. The horror short story, that was published in 1937, is supposed to be a part of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Suitable Flesh follows the storyline but reverses the genders of the characters which means that Edward Derby does exist in the movie but he is the husband to protagonist Elizabeth Derby. Daniel Upton is Daniella Upton. 

Asenath Waite is Asa Waite, a young man who believes his father, Ephraim Waite, is trying to take control of his body. 

The movie is entertaining and and the acting top-notch. However, it never fully explains what is going on with the creature and the ancient curse or ritual. Fans of H.P. Lovecraft may identify the storyline and the concept but those who are not familiar with his work may not get all the references or understand what is going on. 

Heather Graham plays the professional psychiatrist with ease and her switch to a darker and ruthless character is seamless. Judah Lewis, too, plays the role of enigmatic killer effectively. 

There are some loose threads especially when Dr Daniella Upton, played by Barbara Crampton, asks Elizabeth, aka Beth, to tell her the story of what happened from the very beginning. Considering that Daniella was Beth’s confidant, she already did know most of the story. 

The beginning could definitely use a bit of work as well as certain scenes that suddenly shift from being a thriller to weirdly campy. The scenes with the seizures to show transference, look oddly comedic and almost lewd. 

But as mentioned before, Suitable Flesh is an entertaining adaptation with a wild twist even if not all the elements sit well. 

Scare Scale: 3.5/5

Full Review and Spoilers coming soon.