‘Suitable Flesh’ VHS Release Will Make Your Skin Crawl

One of the unsung horror gems of last year was Joe Lynch’s Suitable Flesh. Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s controversial short story “The Thing on the Doorstep”, this body swap hellscape was as disturbing as it was gleefully mad. Now, even though it just came to Blu-ray and is streaming on Shudder, the horror film is getting a nostalgic VHS release.

The limited release, from Witter Entertainment and presented by Broke Horror Fan, comes in a slipcover VHS case which has Suitable Flesh’s original retro poster artwork featuring Heather Graham, Judah Lewis (The Babysitter), and genre icon Barbara Crampton (Jakob’s Wife). There are two versions available – the standard release and one signed by Lynch. The latter is extremely limited at only 50 copies and comes with an orange VHS tape. This blast from the past has been crapped to 4:3 from its original aspect ratio which has been approved both by RLJE and Lynch. The standard edition will be $25 while the signed edition will be $45 USD.

‘Suitable Flesh’ Gets Under the Skin With Its Masterful Storytelling

Suitable Flesh, from its insane direction to its memorable performances, is a horrific and erotic experience like no other. It’s so many things wrapped into one devilish package. It’s an absolute love letter to beloved filmmaker Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator). It’s also a heavy thematic bomb on sexuality that brilliantly reminds us that this shocking genre is supposed to push boundaries, and its practical body horror is a gory bloodbath of wild abandonment. How that all makes you feel while watching is so uniquely satisfying and uncomfortable to the point where you start to ask questions about your own identity.

Then there’s the masterful performances. While Graham’s not known for her horror roles, she absolutely traumatizes in this dreadfully complex dual role. If you want to talk about Oscar snubs, the actress honestly gave one of, if not, the best performances of 2023. That’s sadly not being talked about. When you add Crampton, Lewis, and Lynch’s fearless filmmaking spirit into the mix, Suitable Flesh’s brutally honest, heightened sense of reality is deeply refreshing. In the modern era where horror has often been criticized for playing it too safe, the certified fresh Suitable Flesh proudly takes massive risks to tell one of the most raw genre tragedies in recent memory.

Suitable Flesh’s VHS is currently up for pre-order on Witter Entertainment’s website and will be released in March 2024. However, if you can’t wait that long, the film can be purchased on Blu-ray and just debuted on the horror-centric streaming service Shudder. You can watch the trailer for Suitable Flesh below.

Watch on Shudder