"Witch!", exclaims the vocal of Claudio Simonetti, one of the keyboard players in Goblin, the legendary progressive rock band that scored many of Italian Giallo director Dario Argento's films. Massimo Morante's guitar licks drive the hell out what we're seeing on screen: flashing lights, bright stained glass windows, and flowing downpours of violence. Witches? Violence? That can only mean one thing: Dario Argento's 1977 masterpiece, "Suspiria", starring Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, and Joan Bennett in her final performance.
Suzy Bannion (Harper) arrives at a Dance Academy in Freidburg, Germany late at night in time to witness Pat Hingle (Eva Axén) running out in terror from the school. The next morning it is revealed that she had been expelled from the school for misconduct, yet nobody could figure out why she fled. The girl's friend Sarah, befriends Suzy, a new student coming from New York. Mysterious deaths surrounding the school begin to become more common. Bannion grows ill and the heads of the school Madame Blanc (Bennett) and Miss Tanner (Alida Valli) are of no help. When Suzy grows ill, she is put on a strict diet by the school's consulting physician. As things begin to grow more strange, Sarah realizes that Pat might have been on to something involving a coven of witches and black magic surrounding the school.
Pat Hingle (Eva Axén) barely manages to escape with her life from a mysterious force.Dario Argento brilliantly makes this film terrifying through the usage of color and camera angles. The scene in which Suzy meets with an expert on witches and black magic films Professor Milius (Rudolf Schündler) from down low, leaving him to the right of the screen. Another excellent use of the entire frame is the scene in which Sarah is being pursued and she has to jump a small distance. Here, Argento plays a trick on us, making the audience think that she only has to jump a short distance across what appears to be some material covering the floor. This is an extremely tense and well done scene and I don't want to spoil it for anybody, but it made my skin crawl. It's the usage of angles like this in "Suspiria" that freak the audience out in addition to the films other elements such as cinematography and score.
Harper gives Suzy a sympathetic edge that many horror pictures now-a-days seem to have forgotten about. From the minute we meet Suzy, she is burdened by misfortune, not being able to hail a cab at the airport and not being able to enter the school right away. There were some scenes in the film in which Harper doesn't have to say much at all, and for once, I thought this was a great thing. Her performance was largely through her facial expressions and sincerity in her eyes. Many times throughout the film, I wished that I could step into the film and give her a hug and tell her that everything would be okay. But that would be an abso-freaking-lutely terrible idea, being that anyone that meets an untimely end in the film dies a horribly violent death.
Jessica Harper as Suzy Bannion in Dario Argento's "Suspiria"
Another staple of Italian Horror pictures is the over-the-top gore and death scenes. After you watch this film, there's a hanging scene that I guarantee you won't be able to erase from your memory for a while. Bright red fake blood also adds on the intensely rich color palette that makes the whole picture seem like we're watching someone's nightmare as opposed to watching characters live out something they're actually experiencing.
The cinematography for the film was done by Luciano Tovoli. Prior to shooting, Dario Argento instructed Tovoli to watch and study the usage of color in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" as that was going to be the model for the film. This movie was one of the last pictures to be developed using the technicolor process, an element which gave such American classics like "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz" their signature bright classic looks. Like I mentioned above, there are many scenes in which regular yellow or white light that you'd get from studio or household lights are foregone for deep reds (no pun intended), fluorescent greens, and icy blues. Not only that, but notice how at times, the doors to the different rooms seem enormous. This adds a subtle detail that at first I did not pick up on, but did feel that something was not right when characters would move through doors. This happened because as originally intended, the film's main characters were all supposed to be young 12 or 13 year old girls, but the production company would never allow a film this violent to involve children as it would probably be banned from being released. Go figure. But my point is, that the film is as visually appealing as it is entertaining.
Argento's usage of light creates beautiful contrast throughout "Suspiria."
The biggest element that struck me about the film however, was the usage of music. The score for the film was composed by Goblin (Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante, Fabio Pignatelli, Agostino Marangolo, and an uncredited Maurizio Guarini) and Dario Argento himself. The main theme from the film will stay with you long after you've viewed the picture (much like the hanging sequence). It's chilling, memorable, and effective. The score was written prior to the film and then played on set so the actors would be creeped out by it. How's that for your character's motivations?
At times, the script by Argento and Daria Nicolodi is weak, not making any sense or being downright stupid, but it's forgivable. This film, fitting in with other modern art, is a piece of visual art. Dario Argento gives us plenty to look at, listen to, and feel. "Suspiria" is a testament that goes to show quality over quantity is best. The characters, for the most part, are rich. Movies like this make me a little sad because of the way that modern directors are sacrificing many cinematic elements to deliver unrelenting gore or body counts. None of that happens here, as "Suspiria" is definitely one of the best horror films of the 20th century because of it's usage of cinematography, score, acting, and suspense.
8/10
Rated X
Directed by Dario Argento
Written by Dario Argento & Daria Nicolodi
Runtime - 92 minutes
7.4 of 10 stars on IMDb
95% on Rotten Tomatoes
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