Suspira
Cleanup on Aisle 3
When it comes to Dario Argento movies,
people usually fall into one of two categories: those who “get”
them and those who don't. I say usually because I am an outlier and
fall right in the middle. I understand what and why things are
happening and at the same time have no clue what is going on. They
are complicated pieces of cinema with a unique, unmistakable style.
The stories are not always clear and easy to understand, which
alienates a lot of people. Other relish in the sheer bizarre nature
of his movies, soaking up the the director's impressive ability to
create beautiful works of art from acts of violence and bloody
bodies. Some horror movies go straight for the jugular while others
go for a slow burn, letting the audience absorb the deep
atmospherics. Argento does both in such a way that can split an
entire audience and a single reviewer.
Suspiria is a 1997 Italian horror movie
written and directed by Dario Argento (Inferno, Masters Of Horror:Pelts). Suzy Banyon (Jessica Harper, My Favorite Year, Stardust
Memories) is an American Ballet student enrolling at a prestigious
dance academy in Germany. On the night of her arrival, a student
named Pat Hingle exits the academy and runs out into the storm. She
mutters something about “secret” and “iris”, but Suzy cannot
make out what she is talking about. Later that night, Pat, who along
with a friend, is brutally murdered by an unseen assailant. The next
day, Suzy meets Madame Blanc (Joan Bennett, Dark Shadows, Father Of
The Bride) and Miss Tanner (Alida Valli, The Third Man, Senso) along
with a few of the girls attending the school. During her first
lesson, Suzy becomes mysteriously ill and is moved into the dormitory
against her wishes. The doctor treating her insists that she drinks a
special glass of wine a day in order to stay medicated. During this
time, Suzy befriends Sarah (Stefania Casini, 1900, The Belly Of An
Architect) and the two room together. One night, maggots begin to
fall from the ceiling and all the girls room together while the house
is fumigated. That night, both girls hear a distinct whistling snore
from a sleeping woman that Sarah identifies as the school's director,
despite her supposedly being away from the school for several more
weeks. Sarah reveals that she and Pat were friends and that Pat had
been talking about strange things occurring at the school right
before her murder. They search for Pat's notes, which appear to have
been stolen, and Suzy is suddenly overcome with sleep. Sarah is
chased by an unseen figure and her murder is covered up. Suspicious
of Sarah's unexplained disappearance, Suzy reaches out to one of
Sarah's aquantances, Dr. Mandel (Udo Kier, Blade, End Of Days) who
informs her that the school was founded by a witch named Helena
Markos. His colleague Professor Millus tells her Markos was very
powerful and lead a full coven of witches. Before Suzy departs, he
tells her that a coven can only survive if they have their queen.
Will Suzy be able to find and stop the queen before it's too late?
Haw-haw!
Dario Argento's movies are known for
being surreal and Suspiria is no exception. The movie is a strange
fever dream of intense violence and strange events that are hard to
piece together. Things don't always make sense in Suspiria and it
does take some effort to stay interested. The story isn't very clear
on exactly what is happening, though it is easier to follow than the
follow-up movie Inferno. A decent mystery is coupled with a few
scenes of extreme violence, which is entertaining, at least for a
while. The bit about witches and Helena Markos doesn't occur until
the last 1/3 of the movie. Why not have that in the beginning, giving
the audience something to think and worry about. Instead, we're left
in the dark for most of the movie. I suppose it puts us in the same
position as Suzy, in terms of knowledge, but a little hint or
foreshadowing would have made the previous two-thirds of the movie
far more interesting. The final ten minutes actually saved the movie
for me as they manage to make sense of what is happening while being
incredibly thrilling and scary.
Someone teach this girl how to apply lipstick
While the story and pacing could have
been better, Suspiria's greatest strengths come from the audio/visual
department. Like most of Argento's other films, Suspiria is a feast
for the eyes. He employs beautiful radiant colors throughout the
film, using them to convey atmosphere and feeling. Deep blues and
rich reds splash across scenes, washing the actors in unnatural, but
understandable, colors. These visually interesting scenes could
easily be shown at any arthouse or museum. The amazing music in the
movie is provided by instrumental band Goblin (erroneously named “The
Goblins” in the credits). Their synthesizers and vocalizations
create music that is both eerily beautiful and utterly terrifying.
The music sets the atmosphere and emotion in every scene and the
constant repetition bores it's way into your brain. Without their
score, I truly believe the movie would not be as good as it is.
(Side-note, if you like the music of Goblin, I highly recommend
checking out the band Zombi. Give them a listen here, here, and here.) The acting is good throughout, though
as usual, I had a hard time with the voice dubbing. It always throws
me off, especially when someone is clearly speaking English, but the
voice doesn't match up. I'm pretty sure Udo Kier is dubbed, which is
just ridiculous, since he speaks English.
The Kool-Aid Man is a wonderful interior decorator
Suspiria is an intense and unique
horror movie unlike anything seen before. The story is a bit
difficult to follow and the pacing is a bit slow. There should have
been more foreshadowing and an earlier mention of witches just to
keep the audience on their toes. The talk of witches towards the end
comes out of nowhere and feels out of place. When everything comes
together, though, the movie becomes much more entertaining. There are
a few scenes of violence spread throughout which keeps things
interesting and scary. The acting is good, but the real pleasure of
Suspiria comes from Argento's directing and Goblin's music. Patience
is required for a movie like this, but it is well worth it. While I
did not particularly care for Inferno and struggled at times with
this movie, I felt that Suspiria was able to pull things together to
be an interesting and unique watch. There are plans to remake Suspiria, but watch the original first. If you can deal with a movie that
makes complete sense and no sense at all, I think you'll like it.
8/10
