Horror Movie-A-Day-A-Thon-Apalooza-Fest: 9/24

Second Feature: Dario Argento's Suspiria (1977)

Director: Dario Argento

Rating: 7 out of 10

This is more like it. It's funny watching two very different films such as Rob Zombie's Halloween and Suspiria back-to-back, if for no other reason than to watch with great detail how much of a superior director Dario Argento is. There isn't much I can say about "Suspiria" that hasn't been said before, it's a horror classic that has earned it's stripes as such.

The most famous feature is the rich in-your-face color scheme present throughout the film. In fact, there's many scenes that only seem to include red, green, or blue, as the other colors never hold much weight on the screen. I found myself most intrigued with the extreme deepness of all the reds in the film, whether it's the hallway walls of the creeped out ballet school or just a haunting glow that splashes across the actor's faces from some unknown source. Couple the unsettling lighting and colors with a creepy electronic score from Goblin and, believe me, you've set the mood for a great horror film. Because, really, if you've got creepy lighting and music you've got the main ingredients to scare the audience. Name me one truly scary movie without great music. It's impossible and it's sad, I haven't heard a great horror movie score in ages.

I know that most of the knocks against the film are for hokey acting and a pretty silly plot, not to mention my own qualms with the ending, but whether it's a little convoluted or not it's still just a fascinating movie to look at and admire. Since I know most non-cinephiles haven't seen this movie, a quick plot synopsis: girl goes to away to ballet school, freaky things start happening, and soon she suspects witchcraft. That's really it. The opening sequence involves a pretty unnerving series of events culminating with a brutal murder that actually has the gall to show the killer's blade puncturing the victim's still-beating heart. It's unrelenting and the imagery is pretty intense, even by today's standards. Unfortunately, the film is marred by cheesy 70's special effects, which include unbelievably bright red blood with the viscosity of pancake mix.

The first thing I thought when the movie ended was "well, that ending kinda sucked". However, the second thing I thought was "my God, I want that on Blu-Ray!" This movie truly shines as a feast for the eyes. You could just look at the film without the dialogue and simply absorb the colors and get lost in the music and the movie would play beautifully.

So, that's my recommendation: watch the movie, just don't get too caught up in the campy dialogue and thin plot, just enjoy the visceral experience.

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