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38 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
The last word in fear., October 1, 2001
For those of us who think that Wes Craven is the master of the horror genre, we can think again. I'm speaking these words after watching "Suspiria," one of the most frightening and terrifying horror movies ever made. Created by Italian director Dario Argento, the movie manages to be menacing and gory at the same time, and Argento fills his canvas with a vast array of vivid yet bizarre colors, eerie lighting and camera techniques, and a soundtrack to top all horror soundtracks. In short, this is one hell of a scary movie! The plot is a basic one, more of a vehicle for Argento's explorative imagination. It begins with a storm, as young Susy Banyon (Jessica Harper) arrives in Germany to attend ballet school. Argento wastes no time in creating a sense of unease, from her cab ride to the school, as she watches the colors of street lights in the pouring rain, to the gruesome and outright malicious murder of a runaway student. All of this happens within the first ten minutes, which should be a message of what lies ahead (in other words, be prepared). The movie then takes us to the school itself, a dazzling array of vivid colors and elaborate set pieces that put the house in Robert Wise's "The Haunting" to shame. Susy is shown the many rooms and introduced to the staff and students, though discovers that she will be rooming off campus. That is, until she begins to get suspicious about strange occurrences, and the staff relocates her to the premises. Her suspicions mount higher, and she begins to wonder if there isn't more to the ladies that run the academy. You may find yourself forgetting the plot behind all of this mayhem, but that's perfectly reasonable, given the fact that Argento seems to be more interested in attacking our minds than provoking them. And he succeeds in doing just that, taking us into the darkest depths of horror with his adept use of gore, bursting colors, camera movements and creepy sounds from all around. This is extremely unsettling stuff here, some of the most elaborate yet unbearable set pieces ever constructed for a film. The beginning murder sequence is a true shocker, one that we see coming, but never in such a gruesome manner. Other sequences involve a blind man being attacked by his own seeing-eye dog, multiple stabbings, a girl's corpse coming back to life... it never stops. But it all works due to Argento's ability to get under our skin before shocking us out of it. Before each scene of brutality, there is a wonderful buildup of suspense and terror, because even though we know what's going to happen, we're totally in the dark as to how it will occur. He keeps us waiting impatiently by employing a slowly building soundtrack, heightened by slow camera movements that center on the faces of the person involved. "Suspiria" will remain in the memory long after its first viewing; in fact, you may never forget it. It stands out as a visionary masterpiece, one for the senses and the mind, a horror film that transcends the boundaries of the genre. I was intrigued by every minute of this film, which keeps you in the moment long after it's already passed.
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62 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
Stylish, beautiful, and mesmerising, November 19, 2001
I first saw Suspiria a few years ago as a VHS rental but I couldn't remember too much about it. But suddenly, the world of Italian horror has been broken wide open so I picked up this three disk limited edition. Watching Suspiria is sort of like dreaming awake. Colored lighting is used to great effect and the sound track just sort of lulls one into submission. The plot makes about as much sense as a dream, that is to say, the movie all makes sense while watching but looses cohesion quickly once one returns to the "real" world. I think that is why I only remember watching the VHS rental but not too much of the movie.The three disc set includes a newly made documentary and a Goblin soundtrack from the movie. The documentary suffers from subtitles that are sometimes washed out against a light background. Otherwise, it is informative. The Goblin CD is a lot fun to listen to and I find myself humming the main theme all the time. Unfortunately, I do not find a listing for the names of the songs. The main disk also includes trailers and radio spots and a Goblin music video of Demonia, which appears to be the main theme song.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Strangely Beautiful, Strangely Frustrating, July 1, 2003
In 1977 SUSPIRIA was considered an extremely violent film; in the wake of the slasher genre, however, the violence involved seems less horrific than you might expect. What continues to work, however, is the look with which director Argento endows the film, particularly in regard to the set designs, camera set-ups, and use of color. Visually speaking, this is an amazingly beautiful film, with Art Nouveau designs, deceptively simple cinematography, and washes of intensely artificial color that dazzle with intensity. Even in the midst of its horrors it is almost impossible to take your eyes from the film, such is its strange beauty.The cast is equally strange. Leads Jessica Harper and Stefania Casini are very typical of 1970s ingenues, but they each have a quality that sets them slightly apart from the young actresses of the time. Barbara Magnolfi makes an impression as Olga, one of the school's students, as does Susanna Javicoli as a harsh instructor. Even Udo Kier, cult star of Andy Warhol's FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA puts in an appearance. But oddest of all is Hollywood's Joan Bennett, who gives a truly flawless turn as the seemingly lady-like and ultra-respectable Madame Blanc. Less successful is the story itself, which is so slight as to be almost incidental. Young dancer Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) has enrolled in a famous Italian ballet school--and upon her arrival finds another student fleeing the school in hysterics, a student who is not long after murdered in a horrifically brutal way. Odd incidents follow, and when Suzy's classmate and friend Sara (Stefania Casini) goes missing, Suzy begins to piece together the truth. Another flaw, at least to my mind, is the soundtrack. While it has been widely admired, I can think of few film soundtracks that are quite as heavy-handed in their dynamics as SUSPIRIA. That aside, and while the film has considerable creepiness, it isn't frightening per se. In the final analysis, this is a film which I think is best seen by cult connoisseurs--and even they are more likely to admire than to flatly like it. Recommended, but rent it first. --GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--
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