Skip to main content

Suspiria (1977) - Dario Argento

Dario Argento is a master of Italian cinema; his work with unique lens types and his beautiful use of color make this one of the most artistic horror movies ever produced. The way he utilizes color to set up a creepy dream like feel throughout the film is amazing, and his soundtrack is insanely scary. The sharp tones and agonizing moaning stick with me even now while I write this review.

The movie's story is a bit hard to follow at first. This is one of those flicks that selectively chooses when the dialog is going to be quiet, almost inaudible, and then out of nowhere this insane screeching sound like nails on a chalkboard accompanied by screaming and moaning shoots out of the quiet and makes you very uneasy. The whole movie is like watching a nightmare play out on a T.V. screen.

The movie is about a young girl from America who comes to Germany to attend a ballet school. She and other students begin to notice that something is defiantly amiss here and that the staff is actually a coven of witches! The deaths are incredibly violent. The first one is long and brutal, however the barbed wire death is the best. If you haven't seen the movie than you might not understand what I'm talking about. Just take my word for it, this is a work of art and a good horror film. The entire piece is summed up in a heart-pounding ending. This is quite possibly one of the weirdest endings to a film I have ever seen. The ending credits are even weird with the first thing being:

You have been watching "Suspiria"

Almost like you would have forgotten that this was just a movie. It is just a movie though and it has its downfalls just like any other film. One, the editing is horrible. It looks as if Argento ran out of funding and couldn't hire an editor. Two, the special effects and make-up budget must of been way low; the blood looked like dark pink paint and the stabbings looked weird and unnatural. And three, the story is just a bit too hard to follow; I was a little lost for about 10 minuets there altogether with the really low whispering.

Even with those three things dragging it down the movie will pull in a 9 of 10 and secure a spot on the 1001 horror movies list. If you watch this make sure you do it in the dark. It is a perfect film for you insomniacs that like to scare yourselves.

Which witches?

S!D
  • A remake is supposedly in production with Natalie Portman as the lead; however it might be in "Production Hell".
  • This is part of a trilogy, the other two films being Inferno and The Mother of Tears.
  • According to the Village Voice this is the 100th greatest film of the 20th Century.



Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
* Suspiria, not Susperia.
June 15, 2013 at 3:45 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Tim Burton

Tim Burton's take on the old Sleepy Hollow tale is really interesting. He adds his own flair of course. He delves very deeply into the original story by Washington Irving. The casting is usual for Burton. Johnny Depp of course in your lead. Helena Bonham Carter, thrown in for some flavor. The score is done by Danny Elfman. It's literally just the Ichabod Crane story run through the Tim Burton machine. But in a good way. Sleepy Hollow has a problem with a guy, running around, taking people's heads. Like, a lot of people. The town sends word for assistance and the nervous  Constable Ichabod Crane reports. He starts to unravel clues that take him down an incredibly strange path. With the Horseman still murdering patrons, Crane tries finding who's next before they lose their head.  I've always been a big fan of the Disney cartoon,  The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . This movie is a far cry from Bing Crosby and quaint animations....
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Escape From Tomorrow (2013) - Randy Moore

This review may contain spoilers. An American independent horror movie from filmmaker Randy Moore. It stars Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez, Jack Dalton, Annet Mahendru, and Alison Lees-Taylor. It premiered at the official selection of Roger Ebert, at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18th, 2013. Synopsis Jim is a depressed middle-aged man that despises his family life but wants to try to hold it together for a vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort. Jim receives a call before they leave and, unfortunately, Jim has lost his job as well. It proves too much to handle as this trip to the Magic Kingdom becomes a hellish nightmare. Jim’s mind cracks as we watch him deal with Disney’s seedy underbelly. Complete with elaborate corporate conspiracy, undercover sex workers, and demons. Oh and two very young French girls that Jim lusts over. It’s gross. Analysis The acting is amateurish. It’s nothing that’s going to win any awards or anything. The wri...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »