Review of Suspiria (1977) by Andrew L — 04 Mar 2017

Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper), an American, has traveled to Europe to attend a ballet school. Upon arrival, a student exits the edifice screaming--she is murdered shortly afterwards. Idle gossip and speculation, comments fabricated or otherwise travel from mouth to mouth as days go by. Suzy comes to learn, though, that all these unusual stories may be real, that this beautiful façade has something dark, something dreadful, something altogether different underneath.

Written and directed in the vein of a child?s nightmare, collaborators and partners Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi instill feminine elegance into innocent souls and the structure of the school and the structure of the story, a story where witches instruct unsuspecting students and black magic and mysterious events pervade the building. With visuals in relation to Suzy Bannion?s feelings and archetypal characters abounding in the school, this atmospheric little tale with traditional, yet distinct, plotline and voice is one for fans of horror and for fans of art.