Suspiria (1977)
Directed by Dario Argento
Sometimes you watch part of a movie, and you’re just not in the right mindframe to take it in and pay attention, so you give up on it. Then years later you go back and check it out, then hate yourself because the movie was incredible and you slept on it for so long. Suspiria is that movie for me. I saw this in the theater last year, for the first time all the way through and oh my god, it blew me away!
Suspiria is about an american girl named Suzy, attending a German dance school for some of the top dancers in the world. Soon people start dying off in grisly ways and the women running the school have a dark secret. And SPOILER ALERT, they’re witches!
This movie, is a classic. It is a masterpiece, if you will (Dusty Rhodes voice) and each frame is a work of art. The use of color in this movie transcends anything you think you ever known with film. Typically horror lives in the shadows and darkness but Argento went full on neon, bright colors and it still brings a lot of atmosphere. The cinematography of this movie makes the most mundane of scenes, incredibly interesting. There is a scene where the main character is talking to a psychologist or scientist whatever, and the camera angle is at least 60 feet in the air. This is 1977, pre drone so I’m not quite sure how that was done, but I’m sure it was dangerous haha.
The acting is also top notch. Jessica Harper is awesome as Suzy, she has such a uniquely beautiful look that she’s instantly intriguing. They take time building characters, and you become attached to them. Sara is a character that I really liked, so when she meets her demise, it hits home even more. The special effects are also great. The first kill of Pat Hingle, is so beyond brutal and disturbing and just sets the tone for the movie.
Completing the masterpiece of film is the soundtrack. My god the score by Goblin is awesome. The main theme I would put in the top 3 of horror themes, right up there with Halloween and the Exorcist. The music is so unnverving that it adds even more to the surreal atmosphere with the vibrant unnatural colors.
The ending is some of the most anxiety enducing scenes I’ve seen in a long time. Suzy navigates the labyrinth of the school, attempting to see what the teachers do after lights out. She weaves all around, finding a secret room off from the head mistress’s office, and discovers the coven of witches, planning her demise. She is attacked by her friend Sara whom is now the living dead, and faces off with the invisible ancient witch. Once she kills the witch the building collapses and catches fire.
If you haven’t seen this, I highly highly suggest it. It is NOT a giallo film, but it is an amazing entry in Italian horror and deserves more recognition for being an all time great. I give Suspiria an A+.
