Suitable Flesh (2023) #480

    Making appearances at film festivals around the county during the autumn of 2023, "Suitable Flesh" is a grand return of a H.P. Lovecraft story adapted for the big screen. If this feels like a movie Stuart Gordon might have made, it's because it is written by his long-time screenwriter Denis Paoli, the gentleman responsible for the screen plays of "Re-Animator", "From Beyond", "Castle Freak" and others. The amazing Barbara Crampton is back as well, both co-staring and co-producing the film. With familiar creatives like these two working on a new Lovecraft movie, "Suitable Flesh" is also a film by noted director Joe Lynch, a man with his own vision and sense of production. Most of all though, "Suitable Flesh" is all about Heather Graham in the lead role as Elizabeth Derby. Heather dominates the screen in every scene that she's in, seducing the characters in the story as well as the audience watching the narrative unfold. 

   

"Suitable Flesh" is an inspired take of Lovecraft's story "The Thing on the Doorstep". I truly appreciate the new title because this is both a homage and its own story, touching on some but not all of the original story's main plot points. In this version the gender roles have been flipped and the demeanor of the characters are more relatable than the original story. This Derby is not a timid, mother smothered occultist wannabe, but rather a successful therapist who feels her life has become stale. Work is dull, her sex life with her husband is boring, and life seems repetitive. 

Elizabeth's life takes a drastic turn when Asa White shows up at her office, asking for help. She is initially intrigued by his request when he tells her that he has read her book about out of body experiences and that he has been having such moments. Asa is a nervous and anxious young man, and he begs for Elizabeth to visit his house so he can further explain what he's concerned about. Then Asa's phone rings, and when he answers it, he appears to have a seizure of sorts, but in a few moments he's fine and displaying a nearly opposite set of behaviors; confident and egotistical. Unknown to her, Dr. Derby had just witnessed a mystical body swap between Asa and his sorcerous father Ephraim. She agrees to visit Asa at his house, which in turn begins a chaotic spiral of events of body swapping and mistaken identity that involves Elizabeth, Asa and his father, and even her best friend Dr. Daniella Upton.

While there are noticeable differences between "Suitable Flesh" and "The Thing on the Doorstep", the spirit of the story is here and presented in a fun and memorable fashion. The film also has some interesting editing choices that also help set it apart from other current horror movies. The pacing is great and the movie ends with a violent, chaotic crescendo. 

Watch the movie trailer here!

https://youtu.be/e52fRshVMRU?si=dKlsM6rqS75QZ2hz

 

Await the Dawn (2020) #449

One of the great joys of attending a film festival, especially one as themed as the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon, are the type of films that the curators/festival directors decide to screen. There is nothing more fun than to see independent shorts or feature length movies that shamelessly reference anything related to Lovecraft’s work; “Await the Dawn” does this twice! One of the main characters is named Howard Phillips and he works at the Miskatonic lab. The other great thing about this film is outrageous use of gore. This movie doesn’t care how campy it may come across as because it’s too busy have fun. It’s “From Beyond” meets “Evil Dead”. What more could you want?

“Await the Dawn” is a plot and action driven movie. That’s not to say that there isn’t some story and character development. The story follows Jane, a struggling drug addict, who is going on a road trip with her family before entering rehab. There are scenes where Jane blames her mother Annie, played by Dee Wallace, for making her go to rehab and there are scenes where Jane’s brother tries to romantically reconnect with Jane’s best friend after a brief fling. But these are just filler as we wait to see a demonic nine year old terrorize everyone and everything. 

As I mentioned, there are moments of ooey gooey gore. There are also dead bodies, possession, scientific gadgets, and a creepy demonic looking elder god. Hannah Stasser is great as Maggie, the demon girl. She plays the role with such zeal and she appears to having so much fun. Josh Server is equally entertaining as Howard, Maggie’s primary nemesis. His performance may be the most even throughout the film; not too campy but not too serious. If you have the opportunity, you should give this movie a try.

Dahmer (2002)

The film "Dahmer" is a well made crime biopic about Jeffrey Dahmer, showcasing scenes where he tries to rationalize his killing motives as well as his interactions with his victims before he kills them. This movie is not about the killings themselves although it does include three noteworthy moments; his first killing, his victim that he drilled a hole in his head and who later was found wandering the streets before Jeffrey found him and took him back home, and the man who was almost a victim but got away and later turned Jeffrey in to the authorities. The film has two distinct time lines, a current time line going forward and flashbacks that steadily go further in to his past and up to his first killing and the aftermath. Once you realize that the flashbacks are going further into Jeffrey's past, the more sense it makes. The names of the victims have been changed for the film but I did pick up on the details of the three victims after looking up the real victims.

Jeremy Renner gives an amazing performance and it's amazing to see his earlier work. He looks like Jeffrey Dahmer did and this just adds to the believability of the film. The movie does have a slower pace than a typical horror movie, but this film allows the slower pace for Renner really develop the character that he is playing.

The ending itself is different than what I, and probably most people were expecting. The ending is a flashback showing Jeffrey being dropped off by his father to see a therapist about his teenage drinking problem. Jeffrey goes up to the office, stares at the door for a few moments but returns outside. He has a smoke and notices a forest on the other side of a concrete barrier. He climbs over the barrier and walks through the trees. The end. Does the forest represent the wilderness of his true emotional state? That he would rather walk freely through the wilderness than settle for the "social programming" that he spoke of with his first victim? Could be...

An intense scene where Jeffrey is trying to keep his father from finding the human skull he has been keeping in the wooden box.

Lords of Salem (2012)

Like every other movie Rob Zombie has directed after “House of 1000 Corpses”, “Lords of Salem” is a clever idea that fails to deliver. This time around, Zombie has written a story that has less gore, less out right violence, and tries to make his characters more grounded and believable. His penchant for focusing on the film’s villains is still present, as the main character is slowly seduced as she becomes the newest member of a modern day witch coven. While his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, gives a better-than-expected performance in this film and the rest of the horror star-studded cast do a thorough job as well, the overall chemistry still falls flat somehow. This is Rob Zombie's first original film that is easily accessible to a mainstream audience.

Heidi is a DJ at a radio station in Salem, Massachusetts. She receives a mysterious record that she decides to play on the air, even though it clearly does not fit with the station’s normal style or rotation; the track is a recording of witches chanting. While Heidi is befriended and brain washed by three modern day witches, a local historian is following his gut feelings and trying to find out who the “Lords of Salem” really are.

Favorite moment - Realizing that one of the modern day witches is Patrica Quinn (Magenta from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show)!!! 

Modern Witches

A Salem Witch's Execution

Heidi and the Beast

A possessed Heidi

Apt Pupil (1998)

"Apt Pupil" is in the similar vein as "Misery", a horror movie that explores the horrors that can be found in human nature. There is a violent murder that occurs at the end of the second act but the film foes not revolve around this event; the horrors found within this film includes an unhealthy obsession with those who committed atrocities during World War 2.It also deals with multiple cases of blackmail and the very serious allegations that are held over the characters' heads. This was the third major film directed Bryan Singer and had an impressive cast lead by Ian McKellen who appeared with horror actors such as James Karen ("Poltergeist" and "Return of the Living Dead"), Elias Koteas ("The Prophecy"), Bruce Davidson ("Lords of Salem" and "Dahmer"), and Joshua Jackson ("Cursed" and "Urban Legends"). Bryan Singer would work with both Ian McKellan and Bruce Davidson in the "X-Men" films.

Todd Bowen is a disturbed young man who has an unhealthy obsession with the Holocaust and the atrocities that the Nazi regime committed. Todd discovers that an elderly neighbor is a former member of the SS and is a wanted war criminal. Todd complies enough evidence to prove to the police that this old man, Arthur Denker, is actually Kurt Dussander. Todd then blackmails Arthur into telling him stories in full detail about his time at the extermination camps and everything that happened there. Todd even buys an old SS uniform and makes Arthur model it and march in his kitchen. Arthur gets the upper hand when Todd asks him to pose as his grandfather and talk to a guidance councilor when his grades sharply fall. Arthur blackmails Todd to improve his grades or else he'll tell Todd's parents about their son's obsession. Arthur blackmails Todd again when he claims that he has a safe deposit box at a bank that contains a twelve page confession of Arthur and Todd's unique relationship. Things begin to fall apart when Arthur attempts to kill a homeless transient who saw him wearing his SS uniform. During the attempted murder, Arthur has a heart attack and calls Todd for help but locking Todd in the basement with the wounded man. Todd finishes what Arthur started and calls the medics. While in the hospital, Arthur's roommate recognizes Arthur from the War and contacts the police. Arthur's secret is revealed and Todd is able to convince everyone that he never knew who Arthur really was. The final act of blackmail takes place when Todd's guidance councilor threatens to tell the police that Todd does know who Arthur was; Todd is able to turn the tables and make his own threats to take the councilor down with him by telling everyone that the councilor is a pederast.