Review of Suspiria (1977) by Brian B — 26 May 2009

For a movie often categorized as Italian Giallo, there are few scenes of gore. Argento art directs this movie within an inch of its life, to a point where it actually succeeds to separate itself from its horror roots and begins to reveal itself as a perverse fairy tale. The first fifteen minutes are among the most best at building tension and suspense in film history.

Instead of going for dark, moody colors or the more modern technique of filtering a sickly green or sepia or blue color to enhance elements of dread, Argento floods every scene with an orgy of color, rapid editing, and its unsettling, feverish Goblin score. This is stunning, beautiful horror, a fable gone to the extreme perverse, technique over substance taken to its maximum level.