Monday, October 19, 2009

Horror Film of the Week: Suspiria



Suspiria

Directed By: Dario Argento

Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini

Year of Release: 1977

Rated: Unrated

1 hrs. 38 min.


American ballet student Suzy Bannion travels to Europe to attend a prestigious dance academy. On the rainy night she arrives, Suzy witnesses a girl fleeing from the building. After a subsequent couple of deaths, and the disappearance of a friend, Suzy begins to realize that the noises she hears at night may not be the norm at this school.

Dario Argento masterfully mixes the supernatural with slasher and psychological horror. Not only does Suspiria make you think, but it also gives you chills. Argento knows how to brilliantly build tension in short amounts of time. Each death scene gives you want you want out of a good horror film: anticipation, chase, and gruesome murder.

The plot aside, the aesthetics alone are worth seeing. Argento uses rich colors masterfully in so many ways. There are deep reds, hard greens, bright blues, and so on. He uses the color scheme brilliantly to create suspense in certain sequences. During the first death scene, the contrast of the whites of the floor and the light all around against the vibrant red blood and the brightly colored glass of a broken window make each shot in the sequence simply exquisite.

There are many more brilliant spots in Suspiria, including use of shadow and the chillingly dramatic music. It is a truly classic film and certainly one I recommend to any person, horror fan or not. If this film is to your liking, you'll be happy to know there are two sequels, Inferno (1980), and La Terza Madre (The Mother of Tears)(2007). Together they make the "Three Mothers" trilogy.

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