How Joe Lynch Made ‘Suitable Flesh’ Feel Like a 1980s Horror Movie Through Comedy and Erotic Thrills — Horror Film School

variety.com:

William Earl Horror Film School is a feature in which talent in front of and behind the camera share the ins and outs of creating the biggest onscreen scares. “Suitable Flesh,” the newest film from “Mayhem” and “Point Blank” director Joe Lynch, is an unconventional tale.

The movie, a modern spin on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Thing On The Doorstep,” is headed to theaters and VOD Friday, and can best be described as a gory body swap dark comedy styled after ’80s erotic thrillers.

It’s a tricky blend of genres, but Lynch and writer Dennis Paoli, who also scripted key Lovecraft adaptations like 1985’s “Re-Animator” and 1986’s “From Beyond,” found it was the best way to modernize the work.

Add a game cast led by Heather Graham and “Suitable” successfully walks a tricky tightrope, partially due to Lynch’s interest in blending ideas like the movies of his youth. “I’ve had tone issues my entire career because I grew up in the ’80s, where tone in genre movies, especially horror, was having a bit of an identity crisis,” he says. ” I grew up with the splatter movement, where you had movies like ‘Re-Animator’ or ‘Return of the Living Dead’ or ‘Evil Dead 2,’ where the filmmakers were able to infuse humor into it.” A taste of the film’s wild spirit can be felt in the expertly produced red band trailer: Given that Lynch nails the tricky tones of horror and comedy, he spoke with Variety about how to make both work. DON’T be afraid to let the audience have fun Lynch tries to keep fan enjoyment front and center. “It’s tough when you’re a filmmaker and someone comes up to you after watching a movie and says, ‘It was really fun,'” he says. “Sometimes that comes across like you didn’t have anything nice to say.