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Outside of devoted cult audiences, many Americans have yet to discover the extremely stylish, relentlessly terrifying Italian horror genre, or the films of its talented virtuoso, Dario Argento. Suspiria, part one of a still-uncompleted trilogy (the luminously empty Inferno was the second), is considered his masterpiece by Argento devotees but also doubles as a perfect starting point for those unfamiliar with the director or his genre. The convoluted plot follows an American dancer (Jessica Harper) from her arrival at a European ballet school to her discovery that it's actually a witches coven; but, really, don't worry about that too much. Argento makes narrative subservient to technique, preferring instead to assault the senses and nervous system with mood, atmosphere, illusory gore, garish set production, a menacing camera, and perhaps the creepiest score ever created for a movie. It's essentially a series of effectively unsettling set pieces--a raging storm that Harper should have taken for an omen, and a blind man attacked by his own dog are just two examples--strung together on a skeleton structure. But once you've seen it, you'll never forget it. --Dave McCoy
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33 of 38 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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60 of 76 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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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
Fearing Fear Itself, April 12, 2007
"Suspiria" is a well-guarded secret among the intelligentsia of horror fans. If you aren't part of the Algonquin Round Table of literate fright freaks or clued in to the subtle genius of its palette, then you will probably be one of those people who watch it, scratch your head, and then say, "I thought this was supposed to be one of the greatest horror films of all time."
It's not, let's be clear. It exists, now, as a relic of what may once have been frightening (I have the impulse to debate that, but we'll skip it), a fossilized remnant of a time when sheer style and technique were enough to sow, grow, and harvest goosebumps by the bushel. Fans of this film point at the subtle interplays of the editing, the almost painfully raw use of color, the "greatest horror movie score of all time," provided by "Goblin." Although there's a lot of room for interpretation in the term "horrific," it is clear to see the eye of a maestro at work in "Suspiria." The directing, cinematography, and editing are indeed eloquent. The primal color scheme -- while over-the-top -- denotes an eye for craftsmanship, its unrealistic and powerfully savage primacy as tangible in the movie as any character or prop. But there are problems here, too. Lots of them. Not the least of which being the story.
Suzy Bannion (played by Jessica Harper, a woman whose fine features and big, beautiful eyes make her look like a Japanime character) travels to Germany to start her schooling at one of the most celebrated ballet academies in Europe. Before she's even walked in the door, strange things occur, and it is up to Suzy to figure out what is going on ... before it's too late! The elements that are intended to multiply the movie's horror tend (at best) to confuse and (at worst) to bring the pace of the film to a withered crawl. Statues disappear, animals become strangely aggressive, footsteps clack off to rooms unknown, and eyes hover in the dark. Meanwhile, there's stilted dialogue to be endured, and long, trawling shots of people walking...very...slowly.
I consider myself a patient man, especially with things like movies. And the opening murder sequence leads one to expect from the rest of the film a slow, hissing reveal (it also sets the tone for a fever dreamish reality; the building in which it takes place looks like it was designed by a post-mortem Erno Rubik, and all of the blood involved appears to be sherbert-colored poster paint). But by the time maggots and strange bats begin to haunt the school, it was clear that not nearly as much effort had been put into the story as had gone into its well-lit props.
Still, I can appreciate serious stabs at serious art, and I was sorely tempted to give the film a four star pat on the back (a round up from the C+ I feel it deserves), if it weren't for one thing: the score. That's right. In every glowing recommendation I ever read, in every Top Ten Scariest Movies Of All Time list in which "Suspiria" is listed, I heard about this supposedly powerful and unparalleled musical soundtrack to horror. Call me uncultured. Call me short-sighted. But all I heard was an obtrusive, inconsistently employed, and unnecessarily shrill series of screeches and moans. Normally music to movies is like salt to soup. "Suspiria"s soundtrack is so grating and weirdly wielded that it seems like it's trying to be its own story altogether, forget highlighting or intensifying the movie to which its attached. There are moments when it works (the opening driving sequence and the final "battle"), but many more when it doesn't.
Fear is a sticky wicket; there's no accounting for tastes. One thing I do know: if you are a buff of the horror movie genre (or a film student) and you haven't seen "Suspiria," I recommend you watch it, if for no other reason than to see the trippy tricks that are possible when a director gives the screen his undivided attention. But don't expect to be scared or disturbed. And to the rest of you, I'd say steer clear. It's true that there's a lot of visual art to this movie, but much like the art you hang on your wall, this flick goes nowhere.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Classic Horror Flick, April 4, 2007
I hadn't seen this classic horror movie since it was in the theatres in the 70s. Still a classic! "So you think you can kill Elaina Marcos?"
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1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Interesting But Not Great, March 8, 2007
Yes, the lighting and photography are different from other films though I kept imagining the colored lights off camera. The acting and script are pretty good as is the general production design but as a classic horror film, Suspiria rates rather low in my opinion because the blood just doesn't look at all real and if the blood in a horror movie doesn't look real, the film has failed. That's a shame too since I loved the surround soundtrack.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1977 Drive-In movie horror flick,Suspiria, February 11, 2007
This movie was a regular feature on Saturday nights in the west Texas town I grew up in, part two of a double feature showed on summer nights in 1978(The Ramones Rock and Roll High School would proceed it). The place would be packed by skate punks,red-necks,college kids,Air-Force pilots, and old hippies.
It was great stuff, and people talked about this cult classic for years.
The sound-track by The Goblins was an eerie addition to a near perfect horror flick,and anyone considering buying this should buy the set that includes the audio by them.
I can't add anything that hasn't been said previously,regarding the actual movie plot or about this genious director,but I've added what I feel this movie deserves--a glimpse into it's status as an original in it's genre.
The lighting,colors and imagery,along with the music are timeless.
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Cast and Crew
- Cast continued....
- Jessica Harper as Suzy Bannion, Stefania Casini as Sara, Flavio Bucci as Daniel, Miguel Bosé as Mark, Susanna Javicoli as Sonia, Eva Axén as Pat Hingle, Rudolf Schündler as Prof. Milius, Alida Valli as Miss Tanner, Joan Bennett as Madame Blanc, Margherita Horowitz as Teacher, Jacopo Mariani as Albert, Flavio Bucci as Daniel, Miguel Bosé as Mark, Barbara Magnolfi as Olga, Susanna Javicoli as Sonia, Eva Axén as Pat Hingle, Rudolf Schündler as Prof. Milius, Udo Kier as Dr. Frank Mandel, Alida Valli as Miss Tanner...
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