Review of Suspiria (1977) by James O — 02 Jul 2011

I don't know what drove me to watch this. I had heard it was about witches, and if there was one horror sub-genre that I despised the most. But there was something that made me watch it. Something I can't put my finger on. It was dark in the house, I was alone in the living room, it was an hour or two after midnight, and I decided to watch Suspiria. From start to finish, it shocked and surprised me and I was thrust into the masterful world of Dario Argento and Italian horror cinema. It's visually striking, with beautiful mixes of colors. In Suspiria, the minute you turn the lights off, they're replaced by a different colored light, like red or green. The score by Goblin is THE scariest score I have ever heard in my life, and I doubt if there's one that is scarier. Jessica Harper does a nice job with the role of Suzy Banyon, and the rest of the players do decent jobs as well. The whole thing is intended to be a nightmare caught on celluloid, and it succeeds. Everything is very surreal, with the doorknobs being higher, the great cinematography, the astonishing visuals, the creepy music, and the tension ridden ending. Entertainment Weekly has called the opening one of the scariest opening murders ever filmed, and they're not exaggerating. If you have yet to see Argento'.

S masterpiece, or have neglected Italian horror cinema in general, this is a good starter. Also, check out Lucio Fulci's The Beyond and City of the Living Dead, and Mario Bava's Twitch of the Death Nerve (A.K.A. A Bay of Blood). All these are Italian greats deserve to be bought on the highest version available (2-Disc, Blu-Ray, etc.). If you haven't got it yet, this film comes as essential.