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Suspiria (1977)
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Movie Review by Jenny
October 26th, 2007
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An American girl, Suzy Banyon, is accepted to a prestigious dance academy in Germany. When she arrives late at night, it is raining heavily, and she is turned away at the door of the school. The woman at the door doesn't seem to know who she is. A girl, a student at the school, runs out of the front door of the school, past Suzy, and doesn't seem to notice the heavy rain. Suzy tries again in the morning to get into the school, and does so with no problems. In fact, nobody recalls her coming the previous night, nor do they remember the girl running from the school. Suzy begins experiencing dizzy spells and blackouts, as various creepy things begin to happen around the school.
"Suspiria" by Dario Argento has become a horror classic. The beautiful cinematography and use of color, especially the color red, have become synonymous with Argento's work. When we first see the school, it is shrouded in greys and blacks while in the midst of a rainstorm, but when the rain settles, we see that the building is a majestic red. Majestic and also creepy and foreboding, similar to the vibe that the Bates Motel inherently gives off. Something just looks wrong about the place, and it really helps to create the mood.
The infamous "opening murder scene" is also beautifully and horrifyingly done. A woman is brutally murdered, but the color and the scenery are simply gorgeous. It's like watching a dream. These horrifying things are taking place, and yet they don't seem so horrifying because it's so beautiful. But yet, they almost seem MORE horrifying at the same time, because it IS so beautiful. If that sounds contradictory, it's because it is. But that's almost what the entire movie is trying to accomplish: scaring you without really scaring you, but then when you think about it, everything is that much MORE scary because it DIDN'T scare you.
The mood of the film is where most of the horror comes from. The story is told at a snail's pace, but instead of being boring, it captivates. The school is a new place for Suzy, and as she explores the school and the strange goings-on, the things that may be out of the ordinary are never really explained. We never know whether or not something is ordinary behavior at the school or if it's supernatural. The strange blind pianist at the school, and the maid with the blonde child who stares a lot are examples of this. We don't know if they are good guys or bad guys. They just...are. Of course, closer to the end of the film, we do find out who they are, but during the film this is never explained. They just add to the creepy tone of the story.
Oh and how could I forget the music! The soundtrack of this film adds so much to the tone. Not since "Jaws" have I really been scared by the music of a film. The theme starts off slow and quiet, but gradually builds and adds more instruments, even adding a creepy muffled, growl-like chant as the tension on screen builds. It's incredible! Italian band "Goblin" provided the score for this film.
When analyzed, the story is really simple. What makes it scary is that nobody seems to know what's going on, or why all these strange things are happening. What happened to the girl in the beginning? Who is the person sneaking around only to find empty beds and snore loudly? Why did everyone else in the school get tickets for the play, and not Suzy? What is going ON? Argento really knows how to confuse his audience; dangle the truth just far enough ahead to keep them interested. And when the audience finds out the truth, it is much scarier than we imagined. Which is quite a feat, given the far limits that the rest of the film dared our imaginations to reach.
Then when the film is over, and real life resumes, the audience is left to think about the ending and how it applies to the rest of the film. The ending makes the rest of the film even scarier. When compared to other horror films, where the ending just makes the rest of the film that much more ridiculous, this is where Argento is a true genius. Make the audience think instead of entertain them? Not easy to do. Argento has succeeded. Bravo, Argento. Bravo.
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 | Ben
Jan 6, 2008 7:18 PM
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| Love love love this movie! It's now one of my all time favorite horror movies. Nobody does death better than Agrento. Great review! |
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