Back in 2002, the Tribeca Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Since then, it has been the home of the world premiers of many popular films, both independent and big studio productions, outstanding Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), Insomnia (2002), Big Bad Wolves (2013), Dark Touch (2013), and False Positive (2021).
This year, the festival will see the first screenings of the horror-thriller Suitable Flesh (2023), a Lovecraftian story about a psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with one of her young clients with multiple personalities.
In the movie, just days ago, Elizabeth Derby was a successful psychiatrist with a loving husband and the world at her fingertips. Now, she finds herself locked up inside a psych ward after the murder of a young male patient to whom she had an inexplicable, almost otherworldly attraction. Hoping to clear her name, Elizabeth confides in her doctor and recounts what happened, giving way to a bizarre and disturbing tale of sexual madness, supernatural horror, and homicidal rage. The deeper the story goes, the more unhinged and carnage-laden life becomes, not just for Elizabeth but for everyone in her path.
The movie is based on H.P. Lovecraft’s story The Thing On The Doorstep. The screenplay has been written by Dennis Paoli, responsible for the scripts for a bunch of favorite titles like Re-Animator (1985), From Beyond (1986), Ghoulies II (1987), Spellcaster (1988), Pulse Pounders (1988), The Pit and the Pendulum (1991), Body Snatchers (1993), Castle Freak (1995), The Dentist (1996), and Dagon (2001). Joe Lynch, who has built a name in the horror scene after being behind the titles Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007), Knights of Badassdom (2013), Everly (2014), Mayhem (2017), and episodes in Creepshow (2019–), is directing Suitable Flesh (2023).
Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, Barbara Crampton, Johnathon Schaech, Giovannie Cruz, Chris McKenna, Jonah Ray, and JD Evermore star in the film.
Barbara Crampton is producing together with Bob Portal, Inderpal Singh, and Joe Wicker, and Brian Yuzna is the executive producer.
The world premiere of Suitable Flesh (2023) is set for Sunday, June 11, 2023, at the SVA Theatre.
Other outstanding titles that are part of the line-up of the Tribeca Film Festival are the horror-thriller The Seeding (2023) by Barney Clay about a man and a woman captive to a pack of sadistic boys, Final Cut (2022), the remake by Michel Hazanavicius of the astonishing Japanese film One Cut of the Dead (aka Kamera o tomeru na!) (2017) [read our review here], and the personal take of a monster flick Perpetrator (2023) [read our review here], by Jennifer Reeder and starring Alicia Silverstone that had its world premiere this past February at the Berlinale.
Tribeca will also see this year the new works of a series of actors-turned-to-directors. Jennifer Esposito, known for her roles in movies like Dracula 2000 (2000), Summer of Sam (1999), and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), debuts as a writer and director with the crime story Fresh Kills (2023) which she also stars alongside Annabella Sciorra and Odessa A’zion. Michael Shannon, the star of Nocturnal Animals (2016), Midnight Special (2016), and Take Shelter (2011), also debuts behind the cameras with the drama Eric Larue (2023) centering on the mother of a teenager who shot and killed three of his classmates starring Alexander Skarsgård, Judy Greer, and Alison Pill. David Duchovny, who already has some experience as a director after being responsible for the comedy-drama House of D (2004) and some episodes in the TV series The X-Files (1993–2018), Californication (2007–2014), and Aquarius (2015–2016) which he stars, returns behind the cameras with the comedy-drama Bucky F*cking Dent (2023), a title he has written, produced, directed, and plays a supporting role about a man moving in with his terminally ill father. All three titles are having their world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival next week.
