Directed by Joe Lynch, “Suitable Flesh” is a horror film that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Its screenplay, written by Dennis Paoli, is based on the 1937 H. P. Lovecraft short story ‘The Thing on the Doorstep.’ The film stars Heather Graham in the lead, who is known for her work in films like “Boogie Nights” & “Killing Me Softly.” Here, she plays a psychiatrist who gets caught up in a nightmarish reality while treating a young patient. Besides her, “Suitable Flesh” stars Judah Lewis, Barbara Crampton, and Johnathon Schaech in central roles. This horror-thriller flick is now streaming on Shudder. Spoilers ahead.
Suitable Flesh (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
What is ‘Suitable Flesh’ about?
“Suitable Flesh” on Shudder follows psychiatrist Elizabeth Derby as she gets obsessed with a young patient who suffers from an extreme personality disorder. As she tries to help this patient, she falls into mysterious danger that leads her to a horrible fate. The film is filled with body-switching / soul-switching events that constantly keep you wondering about who’s in whose body. So, keep your mind open to possibilities that defy the logic of dissociative personality disorder in this creepy horror movie.
What happens in ‘Suitable Flesh’?
“Suitable Flesh” begins at a psychiatric hospital. Dr Daniella Upton (Barbara Crampton) joins a mortician as he dissects the heavily wounded body of someone who was brutally murdered. After making a few observations, Daniella goes to meet the murderer – Dr Elizabeth Derby (Heather Graham), who happens to be her friend. She begs Daniella to destroy the brain of the corpse for a reason. Then, she starts to recount how she got into this situation and why she killed this person.
Before being accused of murder, Daniella lived a respectful and idyllic life as a psychiatrist. She was married to Edward Derby (Johnathon Schaech) and had an ordinary life. One day, after one of her patient’s appointments, a man in his twenties started knocking on the door. It worried her. She opened the door to find Asa Waite (Judah Lewis) requesting her for a session. He says he has read her book on psychology and believes she can help him. She tells him to book an appointment first. But eventually, she feels pity for the young man and invites him into the room.
What had happened to Asa?
Asa reveals that he is suffering because a certain ‘he’ takes over his body. The young man speaks in a meek, timid manner. But the moment this person takes over his body, Asa gets much more confident but also a lot creepier. The moment he receives a call from his father, he has a seizure of sorts and turns into an entirely different person. Elizabeth thinks he has Dissociative Identity Disorder (once known as Multiple Personality Disorder) and decides to treat him accordingly. But this version of Asa flirts with her and tries to seduce her to the point it disturbs her to the core. Before leaving, he tells her that he will leave the door open in case she wants to meet him later.
Back home, Elizabeth tells Edward about this surprise patient. She connects the dots and comes up with theoretical explanations based on her years of education. Now, she thinks Asa can be her subject for a major case study. Edward does not share her level of excitement with this patient and rather wants peace and quiet during the dinner. Later at night, they get in bed together and start having sex. However, instead of Edward, Elizabeth imagines she is having sex with Asa the whole time. This out-of-body experience compels her to visit Asa in person.
What happens when Elizabeth goes to Asa’s house?
Elizabeth drives to Asa’s house and finds the door open, as he said before. She stumbles upon her own book next to a photo of Asa with his father, Ephraim (Bruce Davison). Soon after, she notices Ephraim and goes up to speak with him. She asks where Asa is out of genuine concern. Then, she notices a book with strange drawings & phrases on the nearby table. However, Ephraim refuses to answer her queries or to let her see what’s in the book. When she tries to check if the old man is fine, he cuts through her palm with a knife.
Does Elizabeth revisit Asa’s house?
After a client‘s appointment, Asa again shows up at Elizabeth’s office. Out of sheer interest in his case, Elizabeth hands over her personal contact details to him. Once back home, she receives a call from Asa, worried that his father will do something terrible to him. So, she decides to revisit Asa’s house to check on this patient. Over there, she notices Ephraim lying on the floor, struggling to breathe. When she tries to call 911, Asa grabs the phone & throws it away. He stops her from calling for help. Right after, Elizabeth confirms that Ephraim is dead. Asa reveals that the man is not his father but someone who stole his father’s life & wants his. He says that this person’s mind has the power to body-swap.
While Asa points a knife at Elizabeth’s face, Ephraim (his body) suddenly regains consciousness & recites an incantation. After another seizure, Asa wakes up as a confident creepy person. This version of him seduces Elizabeth & proceeds to have sex with her. After that experience, Elizabeth & the person in Asa’s body (Ephraim) switch bodies. As a result, Ephraim enters Elizabeth’s body & vice versa. After yet another incantation followed by a seizure, they switch bodies. Elizabeth, now in her own body, sees Asa’s body (Ephraim) stab Ephraim’s body (Asa). After this, a fire breaks out in the house. So, Elizabeth immediately runs out to save herself.
What happens after Elizabeth has sex with Asa?
Elizabeth meets her friend Daniella to confide about the horrifying incident she witnessed. Daniella tries to put all they know in logical terms to make sense of it. Although Elizabeth stresses that everything she experienced was real, Daniella thinks she feels that because of her deeper desires, guilt, or shame. Alas, Elizabeth returns home to find two police officers waiting to meet her. They consider Asa to be a missing person. While handing over her cell phone, they ask her whether she visited Asa’s house the night before. She reveals the details and lies about the attempted 911 call – saying she misdiagnosed panic attack as cardiac arrest.
After the police leave, Elizabeth tells Eddie that she had sex with Asa. It upsets him and causes a rift in their marriage. Later on, Elizabeth dreams of Asa (Ephraim in his body) revisiting her office for sex. He throws her out of the window, which intensifies her nightmare. After one of her client’s appointments, Elizabeth returns home to receive a call from Asa (Ephraim in his body). He handcuffs the body and recites the incantation to perform a body switch. So, through the phone, he enters her body & vice versa. So, while Elizabeth stays locked up in Asa’s body & his house, Ephraim enters Elizabeth’s body and has sex with Eddie. Unlike other times, Elizabeth seems much more adventurous and/or cruel to Eddie while they have sex.
How does Elizabeth escape Asa’s body?
Elizabeth (in Asa’s body) calls Daniella & requests her to visit Asa’s house. Before leaving, Daniela calls 911 to report domestic abuse at Elizabeth’s house. Then, at Asa’s house, Elizabeth tells Daniella about the ritual that lets someone take over another person’s body. Daniella refuses to believe it and considers it unscientific nonsense. Back at Elizabeth’s house, police officers show up concerned about domestic abuse. Ephraim (in Elizabeth’s body) continues to be creepy, while Elizabeth (in Asa’s body) seeks Daniella’s help for a body switch. Moments after, they switch bodies. While Ephraim (in Asa’s body) uncuffs himself, Elizabeth worries that he might take over Eddie’s body. She decides to go to any lengths to save her husband. So, she starts looking for ways to get rid of her nightmarish reality.
Suitable Flesh (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Elizabeth murder Ephraim?
Earlier, Asa told Elizabeth that they must destroy Ephraim’s brain to protect themselves from him. She understands that another incantation recital can result in a permanent body swap. So, she tries to throw him out of the window after stabbing him in his brain. However, despite this, he stays alive in Asa’s body. Since her solution does not work as she expected, she runs over his body repeatedly with her car. Then, she walks out and starts stabbing him repeatedly. The police soon arrive at the crime scene & arrest her. However, even after this attempt, she does not murder Ephraim.
Getting back to the present, the film shows Asa’s heavily injured corpse (Ephraim) at the hospital corpse waking up and reciting the incantation. It allows him to switch bodies with Elizabeth. While Elizabeth uses Asa’s mutilated body to leave the room, Ephraim switches bodies with Daniella. In the utterly confusing follow-up, Daniela & Elizabeth’s bodies start to fight. Ephraim (in Daniella’s body) tells the security guard to shoot Daniella (in Elizabeth’s body). Daniella shoots Elizabeth (in Asa’s body) and then proceeds to shoot Ephraim (in Daniella’s body). A final round of seizure lets them switch bodies. Ephraim (in Elizabeth’s body) shoots the security guard and starts fighting with Daniella.
What happens to Elizabeth & Daniella in the end?
In the end, we see Daniella console Eddie in her office. Once he leaves, we learn that Ephraim is now in control of her body while Daniella herself is trapped inside Elizabeth’s body, screaming to get out.
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