Suspiria

Director: Luca Guadagnino 

Screenplay: David Kajganich

Minutes: 152

Year: 2018

Score: 8.60

Release: Theatrical

As a film blogger I am in a terrible position because the best advice I could give, regarding Suspiria, is to not read another word. I have no intention of spoiling anything, I never do, but if you already know that you kind of want to see this movie, please don’t read anything else, aside from showtimes. You are warned. Anything I say below is not technically a spoiler, but I stand firm on the idea of going in as blind as possible.

Now, on to my review. Last chance, go here to find showings near you.

Suspiria tells the story of Susie Bannion, played by Dakota Johnson, the daughter of a religious zealot from Ohio. Bannion throws caution to the wind, after watching the Markos Dance Company performing in New York, and travels to Berlin to audition for the company. She impresses Madame Blanc, Tilda Swinton, and, even though she is a novice, gets a position with the company. Much of the overarching story follows the same trajectory as the original Argento film with several key differences that I will not comment on here. The only performance of Johnson’s I had seen was an appearance on Saturday Night Live, I knew she was in the 50 Shades movies, but she had not impressed me then, but now, I am a fan. She was mesmerizing from start to finish and is a talented dancer. Tilda Swinton is Tilda Swinton, she is remarkable and should be more than enough to sell tickets. Jessica Harper, the original Suzy Bannion, does have a part in the film and I was glad to see her again.

I badly want to see the look on anyone’s face who sees this movie based on Luca Guadagnino’s last Herculean effort, Call Me By Your Name. He follows a masterpiece of drama with, what will likely be considered, a masterpiece of horror. Two incredibly rare things happened when I watched Suspiria; my expectations were exceeded, and I had a guttural and visceral reaction many times throughout the picture.

First the expectations. I absolutely love and continue to be enamored by Dario Argento’s original Suspiria. It was a revelatory visual experience and the film score I return to most frequently. You can read more about this here. So, when you remake one of my most precious films you are already have the low ground. Based on what I watched in the trailer and the original Venice Film Festival snap judgments, alone, I was ready to give the film a chance. Based on the more recent responses, from voices I trust, I was ready to be excited. And when I found out that the, so-called, wide release may not bring the film to my county I decided to drive an hour to see the movie. All of this would have made it catastrophic if the movie didn’t live up to my expectations. Gladly, though, I tell you that is far surpassed them.

Have you ever had that feeling, when watching a particularly wrenching scene, where your body mimics the pain you are seeing? I have, and I did, many, many, times throughout the film. It is the same feeling when an athlete injures themselves and the broadcast feels an intense desire to over play the clip to the point at which you limp for a moment the next time you stand. Suspiria was that times 1000. This is enhanced with the nearly perfect sound design that amplified it so well that I am still have some nagging feelings of the imagery in some of the scenes.

Something else that effected this reaction was the running time. When it was first announced to be nearly two and a half hours I was concerned. Lately anything over 90 minutes has been feeling long, and when it is an action movie with a long running time I know they are overfilling it to maximize the audience reaction. What you get in Suspiria is an uncommon instance of slow cinema. When done right slow movies are masterpieces, when done wrong I start to wash some dishes. I didn’t want to close my eyes for longer than a blink while watching this movie, and sometimes I had to force myself to blink, and that, my friend, is masterful slow cinema. 

Now, whether this was intentional or not I can’t say but by the time the monochrome climax occurs you have been sitting, with mild fidgets, for two hours and, if you are like me, your joints have started to settle. As the scene starts the devilish effect, along with the feeling a knocking rust off of creaky joints, the experience ratchets the tension over the top creating one of the most unsettling and satisfying climaxes that I have ever watched.

This movie is absolutely not for everybody. It is a Jim Jarmusch film married to a Lucio Fulci gore-fest that will leave you squirming and uncomfortable. If you are familiar with either of those two filmmakers, then you will probably want to watch this movie. I certainly want the film to be a wild success, earning copious amounts of rewards and accolades, but I suspect that it may be too intense for many. Frankly, I don’t care because, even though it makes me sound like a serial killer, Suspiria feels like a movie that is true to its roots and to the horror community. But it may have sufficient staying power to join Hereditary, Get Out, and A Quiet Place in blurring the lines between the genre fans and the larger film-going audience. Either way Guadagnino can rest well knowing that he did not let any of the fans of the original down.

Director: 9 – Cinematography: 10 – Edit: 7 – Parity: 10 – Main performance: 10 – Else performance: 6 – Score: 6 – Sound: 10 – Story: 9 – Script: 8 – Effects: 10 – Design: 8 – Costumes: 6 – Keeps interest: 10 – Lasting: 10