It’s not every two days that we get to watch more witch movies, but yet, it’s time for more Suspiria!
Suspiria!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2018
- “Run”time: 2 hours and 32 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
- Written by: David Kajganich
- Starring:
- Tilda Swinton
- Dakota Johnson
- Chloe Grace Moretz
Synopsis: Life’s a witch when you come to this dance studio!
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 8
Review: Here we go! It’s our second primary remake on our list this month. I think Kevin and I both left The Crazies with a common agreement that the remake was better. For Suspiria, I’m not sure how he’ll feel.
With any remake, there are going to be licenses taken to change things up to the core story and characters. This holds true with Suspiria. Though it still takes place in a dance studio run by witches, the story similarities, for the most part end there. We still have a woman named Susie who joins the studio (Dakota Johnson). There are still witchy things that happen. But the story is much more complex than all that.
Where Dario Argento is great with colors and the inclusion of Goblin, Luca Guadagnino focuses more on composition of shots. Every scene with dancing is heavily choreographed and the camera sways, twists, and turns to match the movements of the dancers on screen. One dance scene, early on, is gruesome, cruel, and enthralling. It was mesmerizing in a way that I didn’t have in Argento’s version.
Meanwhile, I really enjoyed the editing of nightmare/dream segments. Their juxtaposition of reality and hyper-reality are very Lynchian. The Kuleshov effect is used in full force here and, in my opinion, to great effect.
Thematically, I loved Susie’s character backdrop of a highly religious family, having to repress her sexuality and giving her arc an interesting and logical (for witches) conclusion. Susie explores freedom of expression vs. tradition through dance; it directly mirrors her journey to become who she was meant to be.
The cast is primarily composed of women, and though there are a few male actors, I greatly admire the choice to utilize a cast of talented individuals. This includes Tilda Swinton, who plays multiple characters, including an old man and an old woman. I will note that the old man makeup is sometimes distracting, but I still respect the artistic choice.
Finally, Thom Yorke composed the score for the film. Between him and Jonny Greenwood, they’ve got some impressive scores under their belts (I love There Will Be Blood). Yorke’s disembodied electronic composition sets the right tone, I think, for the vision Luca pushed for here.
Last thing I’ll say: Art is subjective. Whether it’s dance, music, or paint on a canvas; our preferences do not preclude our ability to respect the contributions of any particular piece of art. So to answer the question of which of these films do I like more?
The original Suspiria was massively influential, but although this version may not define a genre, as a piece of art, I truly believe it stands on its own. As art, my preference gravitates toward the remake.
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!