When you think of horror
movies, what do you think?
Dark and stormy nights
where long, creeping shadows threaten to overwhelm the screen? Characters
wandering into impenetrable, inky blackness, doomed to never return?
These conventional images
apply to so many horror films – new films and bona fide classics alike. They do
not, however, apply to Dario Argento’s 1977 masterpiece, Suspiria.
Indeed, Suspiria may very well be one of the
most beautiful films I have ever seen.
To simply try to describe
its vibrant, bold use of color would be doing the film a disservice. Like an
uncompromising artist, Argento uses the screen as his canvas and paints his
film in striking reds, greens, yellows, and blues. Few movies – let alone
horror movies – are so liberal in their use of color, but it is a daring
directorial decision which once seen is not likely to be forgotten.
There was, however, some
precedent to the way Suspiria looked.
Director Argento began
his filmmaking career redefining a subgenre called giallo. Italian for yellow, giallo
at first referred to a series of pulp crime novels published in Italy which
were noted for their striking yellow covers. Film adaptations of these stories
followed; all filled to the brim with murder, mystery and intrigue played out
against vibrantly-colored settings.
Dario Argento’s giallo thrillers – most notably The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
and Deep Red (1975) – cemented him as
a distinguished filmmaker dabbling in the macabre. Indeed, Argento soon was
praised as “The Italian Hitchcock” as his films were comparable to the Master
of Suspense working many miles away in Hollywood.
And like Hitchcock who
continually pushed the boundaries of his thrillers to their extremes, Argento
did much the same with Suspiria.
Suspiria
tells the story of American dancer, Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) who arrives
in Germany to begin studying at a prestigious dance academy. Suzy’s arrival
coincides with the violent death of a fellow student which plunges Suzy into a
real-life nightmare as she realizes not all is as it may seem at the academy.
Though the giallo films which proceeded Suspiria were all grounded in reality,
the supernatural hangs oppressively over Suspiria and definitely marks the
film as a horror movie and less of a murder mystery.
The freedom that came
with this, I think, allowed Argento to create some of his most visceral
set-pieces which still resonate over 40 years since the film’s release.
I have been fortunate to
see Suspiria screened twice at
independent movie theatres, and both times, the film still manages to surprise
and unsettle viewers.
Perhaps the reason for
this is the film’s incredible simplicity. Clocking in at just over 90-minutes, Suspiria is not bloated with in-depth
characterizations, subplots, or extraneous dialogue or detail. Suspiria is a lean, mean machine whose
only goal is to get under your skin and frighten.
As an exercise in
frightening sound and visuals, I think it is unparalleled.
Beyond this, there is a
timelessness to the film which adds to its continued relevance. The
predominately female cast are all presented as autonomous human beings, and the
film never lingers and leers in the exploitative way which was so common in the
late ‘70s.
Additionally, the film
leans upon the standards of Gothic horror which give the movie a unique fairy
tale quality which is absent in so many horror movies.
I would also be remiss if
I did not mention the music by the band, Goblin, which underscores so much of
the movie. Memorable in its own right, the score would go on to influence several
other filmmakers; most notably, John Carpenter who cited the group as a major
influence to his revolutionary score to his film Halloween a year later.
Suspiria
was recently remade by filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) and starring Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton
and Chloë Grace Moretz. The film opened to divisive critical reviews, but I am
unable to pass judgment on it as it is a film which has still eluded me. It’s recent
arrival on DVD and Blu-ray, however, mean that that will change very soon.
Suspiria
may have fallen into relative obscurity outside the horror movie community, but
its recent revivals suggest that the film is poised for a resurgence and the
time has finally come for it to take its rightful place alongside the hallowed
classics like Halloween, The Exorcist and other pillars of the
horror genre.
Until then, Suspiria remains a beautiful nightmare.
And probably the greatest horror movie you have never seen.
