Review of Suspiria (1977) by Adam Z — 16 Oct 2009

One of the scariest horror films ever made. When I first saw this, it scared me so bad that I hated the fact of looking out a dark window for weeks. Gorgeous visuals depict a surreality that is the equivalent of waking up from a nightmare.

This is helped by the pounding rock track of Italian band, Goblins. In some weird fashion, this is not a horror movie but a macabre fairy tale set in contemporary times. It even opens up as one with a "Once upon a time" narration.

I was seriously expecting the ending be completed with "And she lived happily ever after". As one whose read unedited versions of European fairy tales collected by the Grimm Brothers, director Dario Argento wasn't too far off.

The lightening effects consist of beautiful shades of red, purple, mystical blue heightening the tension as if you are joining the main protagonist slowly walking down the dark hallways of the German ballet school.

If you're looking for something really frightening that isn't another derivative slasher flick or brainless torture porn, this is the one for you. Like other pieces of work by famous Italian masters, it's pure art.