Suspiria (1977)

            Before I delve into the crux of this review, I need to give a little exposition. Suspiria is not an American horror film. It comes from the golden age of Italian horror and directed by the countries greatest genre director, Dario Argento. Italian horror films are nothing like what comes out of Hollywood. Don’t go into this film expecting a logical narrarative arc and plot. The Italians don’t have much use for these type of things, instead they choose to focus on sights, sounds, imagery, and color to tell their stories. The first time I watched this film, I was thrown off because of this, but my mind was being opened to an entire new realm of cinema.
            The film begins with Suzy Banyon, an American ballet student, landing in Germany to attend a prestigeous dance academy in Freiburg. After a confusing series of events upon her arrival, including a girl fleeing the building in a state of panic, Suzy settles into her new school. She is treated nicely by Madame Blanc and Miss Tanner, the school officials, and finds a new friend in a girl named Sarah. However, she begins to suspect things are amiss when students begin dropping dead and odd occurences start taking place, such as maggots falling from the ceiling. It isn’t long before Suzy uncovers a deadly secret in which the dance academy is really a front for a coven of witches.
            The first twenty minutes of Suspiria is an all out assault on the senses. Before the opening credits hit the screen, the film’s fantastic score fills the room. The Italian rock band, Goblin, handled the scoring duties and created one of the most intense and memorable scores ever recorded. Pounding drums and screeching a-tonal string arrangments give way to the soft twinkling of bells that are reminiscent of the Exorcist theme. It’s one of my absolute favorite pieces of music in any film I’ve seen. Being that the film came out in 1977, the score is incredibly ahead of it’s time. If it showed up in a film today, it would not sound dated one bit.
            After the credits roll, we see Suzy land at the airport and seek a taxi cab. Outside it is pouring down rain and the score is blistering the viewers ear drums. As she rides in the cab through the Italian city and countryside, we are first exposed to the colorful realm of Argento’s films. Overall, this scene is dark but everything becomes saturated in beautiful reds, blues, and greens. The whole film is shot this way with the cinematographer using subvertive tricks to let tons of color into each scene. Because of the wild color scheme, it really gives the film a dream like quality. And as Suzy rides the taxi to her new school, with the music in full force, and tons of color filling the screen, it really does feel like a dream. This film looks like nothing you’ve seen before.
            If the opening scene is key to establishing the mood and atmosphere of the film, then the first murder sequence is where it shows it’s teeth. Dario Argento has long been known for filming incredibly long and elaborate murder scenes and Suspiria shows him in his prime. The set-up to the initial murder is long and brooding making the tension thick. Once the murder actually begins happening, it feels as if it will never end. I don’t want to give anything away, but it is one my favorite death scenes in a movie. The violence is oddly beautiful in the way it is concieved and shot.
            That being said, Suspiria has falsely received the reputation as being a very violent and gory film. Don’t get me wrong, it is incredibly violent, but the body count is low and the gore on display is tame compared to the other films we’ll be talking about this Halloween season. It is the build up and length of the murder scenes that make us feel like we’ve seen more than we actually have. That is smart film-making and credit of this soley goes to Argento. The man truly knows how to craft a scary scene. 
            Argento never lets off of this mood and tension throughout the film. Every frame fills as if there is something amiss and creepy in the air. This isn’t a Neve Cambell or Nicole Kidman type of movie about witches. What is going on at the dance academy is much more compelling than anything in those films. And as Suzy continues to unravel the school’s secrets, she comes closer and closer to a truth that endangers more than just her life.
            Basically every aspect of this film screams, “It’s Halloween!” I watched it for maybe the sixth time the other night and when it was over, I wouldn’t have been surprised if there were little kids trick or treating outside. This movie is a little more obscure than most of the film’s we’ll be talking about on here. You can’t just go to Blockbuster and rent it tonight. However, it is widely available on Amazon and Netflix. So don’t miss out on Suspiria this Halloween!

-Dave

Poster by Micah Moseby.