Who hasn't seen this yet? While perhaps not as well-plotted as "Tenebre", or as viscerally entertaining as "Deep Red",
"Suspiria" remains Argento's absurdist visual masterpiece. It also marks the first time in Argento's canon of films when the
director veered away from the standard "giallo" formula, experimenting instead with combining elements of that genre with truly
supernatural underpinnings.
Allegedly (and loosely) based on accounts told to co-writer Daria Nicolodi as a child by her
grandmother, "Suspiria" recounts the tale of American ballet student Suzy Banyon (a glowing Jessica Harper), who decides to
attend the world's most prestigious Ballet School, the Tanz Akademie in Frieborg, Germany. Upon her arrival, Suzy quickly finds
herself mixed up in not only a murder mystery, but also begins to suspect that the school is the proverbial fortress for one of the
"Three Mothers"; black-hearted and ageless witches who are seemingly responsible for all of the world's misery, suffering, and pain.
Taking a cue from mentor Mario Bava's "Blood and Black Lace", Argento imbues every graphic killing...indeed, every
scene...with garish, beautiful, quasi-symbolic flashes of technicolor lighting. It's like "Beautiful Places in Europe Where
You'd Feel Honored Getting Brutally Murdered", or something! The color, in fact, can be viewed as being almost as or more
important than the screenplay. From the first time Suzy Banyon takes her proverbial "cab ride into madness", to the primary
color-saturated climax, the mood-altering and jarring effects of color are felt throughout the film, compounding the already
fever-pitch level of tension on display.
The much-lauded opening set piece...with the "most brutal double-murder ever filmed" (according to The New York
Times), remains a masterpiece of sound, energy, editing, music, vision, and pure filmic sadism. The reputation of
this film is, if only for this sequence, completely justified.
The rest of the film? Eh...it's gorgeous, and it follows Argento's strict rule of disregarding plot and sense in favor of shocks,
perfectly filmed set pieces, and genuine scares. The Kandy Kolored Kills are, obviously, the high points, and whenever
the film strays from those, it gets a little convoluted, but who the fuck cares when so much cool shit is on the screen? "Story",
or "narrative", in the classic sense at least, has never been Argento's strongest characteristic, but the natural progression of
events in "Suspiria" is easy enough to follow.
The Anchor Bay Entertainment Three-Disc Limited Edition is definitely the best thing to ever happen to this movie, and
the tender loving care that they used when putting the set together is obvious. Somebody over there loves horror films,
I tell ya'! The transfer is near-damned perfect, the sound effects and music (which are practically interchangeable, due
to Argento's use of the Goblin's thundering, pulsating score) are unrelenting and crystal clear, and tons of extras (including
commentaries, interviews, an Original Soundtrack CD (!), lobby cards, extensive liner notes (including a new interview with
Jessica Harper), still galleries, and much more are absolutely astounding.
This highly recommended movie in this even more highly recommended, Region 1 NTSC presentation is pretty widely
available, and can be found at nearly every major DVD retailer in the US...UK residents might have a harder time, but
I'm sure you can find it if you look hard enough (though you'll need a PAL/NTSC converter). All told, this is likely the very last
version of "Suspiria" you'll ever need. This one gets the Atrocities Cinema "Essential" award. Find it and buy it, now!!!
If you liked "Suspiria", Atrocities Cinema Also Recommends these other film directed by Dario Argento: "Inferno", & "Deep Red " (aka "Profondo Rosso")
Who hasn't seen this yet? While perhaps not as well-plotted as "Tenebre", or as viscerally entertaining as "Deep Red",
"Suspiria" remains Argento's absurdist visual masterpiece. It also marks the first time in Argento's canon of films when the
director veered away from the standard "giallo" formula, experimenting instead with combining elements of that genre with truly
supernatural underpinnings.
