‘Suspiria’, directed by the legendary Giallo filmmaker Dario Argento, is based on ‘Suspiria de Profundis’, an essay by Thomas De Quincey, and is considered a defining movie of the horror genre. On first glance, a casual viewer may dismiss the movie as a gaudy attempt at sensational horror, with almost no plot, but when one looks beneath the surface, the film’s beauty, from several of its facets, would soon come to light.
The title ‘Suspiria’, Italian for ‘sighs’, is short for ‘Mother Superior’. It is the first in Dario Argento’s ‘Three Mothers trilogy’ of movies. While the plot itself is fairly simple, the screenplay, the use of color, the intrigue, and the background score are sufficient to keep the viewer riveted.
The movie begins with Susan Bannion (Jessica Harper), an aspiring American dancer coming to Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, to attend an American ballet school. Crimson red lighting at the airport and heavy rain outside sets the intriguing atmosphere of the plot as Susan arrives and takes a cab to the school.
As Susan arrives at the school, which is in a gaudy bright red building, she sees a student who appears in mortal fear talk to someone at the doorway and flee the premises in a tearing hurry. Susan tries to enter the premises, but a voice at the door refuses to let her in.
As Susan leaves in the taxi, she sees the fearful student running in the woods in the darkness. (Don’t ask me how.) The girl, whose name is Pat Hingle (Eva Axén), goes to a friend’s house. After some eerie experiences, both Pat and her friend are killed gruesomely by seemingly supernatural forces. I will add that the gruesome killings are visibly fake and that they are almost comical by contemporary standards.
The following morning, Susan returns to the school, and this time, she is given a warm welcome by two sinister-looking staff members of the school: Madame Blanc (Joan Bennett), the assistant headmistress, and Miss Tanner (Alida Valli), the lead ballet instructor. They inform Susan that the headmistress is away. Susan is then introduced to the rest of the class. Among them are two girls, Sara (Stefania Casini) and Olga (Barbara Magnolfi), who seem to dislike one another. A polite young man brings Susan’s luggage to her room.
Susan encounters two more unearthly and strange-looking people, a young boy named Albert and his mother, Blanc, a matron at the school. A strange sickness takes over Susan, who later collapses while performing a dance routine. Another interesting character Susan encounters in the school is a blind pianist named Daniel (Flavio Bucci), who comes to school every day accompanied by his pet German Shepherd.
One night, a sleeping widespread maggot infestation takes over the ceiling of the students’ rooms, causing widespread panic among the students. The students are asked to spend the rest of the night in one of the school’s dance halls. Here, Susan and Sara notice a silhouette of a woman who is breathing heavily. Sara tells Susan that this is the school’s enigmatic headmistress.
There are more strange occurrences. Miss Tanner fires Daniel from the school, alleging that his dog bit Albert. In an extended gory scene, Daniel’s own dog attacks and kills him while he is taking a nocturnal walk. Sara tells Susan that Pat, the girl who left the first time Susan arrived at the school, appeared disturbed before she left. Sara claims to have some notes that Pat had written.
Later, a mysterious person attacks Sara. Sara tries to escape, but in the process, she is trapped in barbed wire and soon meets a gruesome death. It is now up to Susan to unlock the mystery that shrouds the ballet school. She meets Sara’s psychiatrist, Frank Mandel (Udo Kier). Susan soon learns about the diabolical origin of the school and the true nature of the sinister staff in it. Susan remembers a few words she heard Pat say at the door before running away from the school on the night she arrived. The context and meaning of these words would later be revealed to be another piece of the puzzling mystery of the diabolical school. Can Susan save herself from the evil that inhabits the school? The rest of the plot answers this question.
While the plot is not necessarily the movie’s strength, ‘Suspiria’ impresses in many other ways. The acting from the ensemble cast is decent. ‘Suspiria’ is more than a film. With its psychedelic colors and background score, it can be an immersive visual psychedelic experience without the drugs. I would recommend this movie to any adult lover of horror, mystery movies, or thrillers. Some critics have listed ‘Suspiria’ among the greatest films ever made. Cinematographer Luciano Tovoli deserves immense credit for ‘Suspiria’s compelling visuals. Goblin, the progressive Italian rock band, provides the haunting background score.
Argento has crafted ‘Suspiria’ masterfully with a color scheme. His use of Technicolor, which was almost obsolete then, is sheer genius. Bright red pervades most of the movie’s scenes and is used to indicate evil. Blue in ‘Suspiria’ symbolizes benevolence. Some sets like ballet rooms are blue. Susan is seen in a few
scenes in a blue dress. Green is seen in scenes where Susan begins to investigate the mystery in the schools and uncovers more facts. Green in ‘Suspiria’ signifies knowledge. These are some of the many themes in the movie.
I need to stress that while Argento is known as one of the greatest directors of Giallo, most experts are unanimous in that ‘Suspiria’ does not qualify to be a Giallo, though it does pack some ‘Giallo’ elements. ‘Suspiria’s disqualification is not because of its supernatural theme, as there are Giallo movies that incorporate supernatural elements. ‘Seven Notes in Black’, that I have previously reviewed, would be one such movie. The main disqualification factor is that there is no ‘whodunit’ as the crux in ‘Suspiria”s plot.
‘Suspiria’ is a must-watch, not just for fans of horror, but for all fans of great cinema. Many critics agree that it may be Argento’s best movie ever.
References
http://mahara.cs.lewisu.edu/artefact/artefact.php?artefact=4363&view=554&block=3292
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