Hold onto your butts Lovecraft fans, Joe Lynch and Barbara Crampton are taking you back to Miskatonic in the upcoming body-swap horror Suitable Flesh. Adapted from H.P. Lovecraft’s story ‘The Thing On The Doorstep’ by Dennis Paoli (Castle Freak, Re-Animator), this gooey, gory tale will celebrate it’s World Premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival…but the lucky fans at Panic Fest 2023 have already had a sneak peek of what’s in store 😈

Suitable Flesh, directed by Joe Lynch (Mayhem), stars Heather Graham (Boogie Nights) in a surprisingly sinister turn as a psychiatrist in the Mistakonic Medical Community. Her practice is going well but her life gets flip-turned upside down when a mysterious patient, played by The Babysitter‘s Judah Lewis, comes knocking on her office door.

In the opening moments we also see glimpses of Barbara Crampton (From Beyond) as a respected and worrisome psychiatrist, as well as a quick, appearance from character actor Graham Skipper (Bliss) as a kooky pathologist. Crampton, no stranger to Lovecraft, returns to Mistakonic for what was originally a project developed by Paoli and Stuart Gordon before his passing in 2020. Also a producer of the film for Amp Intenational, Crampton was eventually sweet-talked by Lynch to step out from behind the camera after making the decision to change the genders of the lead roles.

“I miss films that tried to provoke and be a little on the edgy side,” Lynch shared with Nightmare on Film Street in a recent interview. “This was an opportunity, with this particular script, to really play with the themes in that original Lovecraft story but do it in a way that is incredibly modern for today’s purview on everything from sex to gender politics. But more importantly, I miss being able to watch a movie and be pushed a little bit.”

In that same interview, Lynch shared with us his love for Stuart Gordon’s Lovecraft films and the aesthetic of erotic thrillers that we just don’t see anymore. Both of which were on full display in the quick teaser they shared with the Panic Fest audience after a packed screening of From Beyond. As a big fan of Brian DePalma racy thrillers myself, I got a real kick out of seeing the dreamy haunting quality of Suitable Flesh‘s opening moments, not to mention a couple retrotastic di-optic shots Lynch snuck in there as well. But maybe the aesthetic isn’t the only way Suitable Flesh is reaching into the past, Lynch teased us.

“There are some things in this movie that I think are very respectful, not just to Lovecraft but, especially to Stuart Gordon, Dennis Paoli, Brian Yuzna, and Barbara Crampton’s [version of Lovecraft] from Re-Animator and From Beyond. And maaybbeee it might be part of a MiskatonicVerse, if you will. We’ll see… but also there are things in it that I wouldn’t be surprised if Lovecraft was spinning in his grave over how we played with those themes as well [laughs]”.

“Maaybbeee [Suitable Flesh] might be part of a MiskatonicVerse, if you will. We’ll see…”

Joe Lynch’s Suitable Flesh is set to celebrate it’s World Premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, following its surprise sneak peek at the Panic Fest 2023. Click HERE to follow our continued coverage of the fest and HERE to check out our full, unedited interview with Joe Lynch. Let us know how you think this erotic body horror will tie in with the Lovecraft Universe over on Twitter or in the Nightmare on Film Street Discord!

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