I have finally seen Suspiria! It’s funny that I was so excited to see it, considering I haven’t seen the original, but nonetheless I feel better with this movie in my head now. Upon its November 2018 release, it was only available in limited theaters (for what reason I do not know), making me unable to partake in all the fun… until now. If you’re interested and an Amazon Prime member, you can watch Suspiria for free!
A re-imagining of Dario Argento’s 1977 classic, Suspiria follows aspiring dancer Susie Bannion as she travels from her rural American home to post-war, pre-reunification Berlin. At the “Tanz Akademie,” she is guided by the mysterious Madame Blanc and a slew of other dancers, quickly becoming the lead in a famous dance number. But all is not well at the dance school, as dancers go missing and Madame Blanc, with the other matrons that run the school, seem to lead Susie to a mystical, evil new life.
As soon as it was announced, Suspiria was hit with controversy; many proponents of the classic didn’t want it to be remade, and the idea got worse with every production update, still, and clip sent out. Now I have yet to see Argento’s masterpiece, a few obvious differences were the lack of bright, primary colors and famous Goblin soundtrack. Instead, the 2018 re-imagining is much more muted in both color and music, matching the 70s fall/winter aesthetic of Berlin at that time. And even though I haven’t seen the original, I’d say this was a smart choice; the style and tone of movies today compared to those decades ago is drastically different, so an alarmingly colorful screen may not have worked with audiences today (especially considering these stylistic choices compared to other movies of the same caliber).
Storywise, I was immediately drawn to the thought of a coven running a dance troupe. Recently we’ve gotten a string of movies like The Witch (2015), November (2017), and Hagazussa (2017) that highlight women and their pagan dealings with the devil. This, paired with the real-world rise in spirituality (Wicca, tarot, use of gemstones, chakras, etc.) actually made Suspiria feel really relevant to millennials such as myself. Tying that all in with a dance troupe that hides their true nature, Suspiria left me feeling like something crazy could happen at any moment. And though we don’t get a big bloody finale until, well, the finale, I wasn’t bored at all. There was always something to look at or something to ponder on, especially if you knew the background of the story.
It’s divided into 6 parts (reminiscent of an actual ballet or other stage performance), concluded with an epilogue. You don’t see that often, but considering Suspiria is more than 2.5 hours long, it’s probably a blessing in disguise, at least for the home audience. Though I didn’t necessarily feel the need for the division, it did give the movie a more “artsy feel,” which I enjoyed. It also helped that the acting was some of the best I had ever seen. Seeing Dakota Johnson (as Susie) change from that virgin girl from 50 Shades of Grey to a try-hard dancer and then a dominant force for witchcraft was amazing. Tilda Swinton as Madame Blanc was just as ethereal (but sinister) as ever, gliding effortlessly across every surface of the Tanz Akademie. And Mia Goth (Sara) was the doe-eyed friend caught in the strings of something deadly. They all were stunning and completely believable. I believed they were real dancers. I believed they had bad intentions. I believed they were witches. It’s just all so… sexy!
It felt like what I think it must feel like to fuck.
Do you mean fuck a man?
No. I was thinking of an animal.
Madame Blanc and Susie Bannion, Suspiria (2018)
While Suspiria is not my favorite movie, it’s definitely up there. The aesthetic and witchy vibes made me feel curiously disgusted, but also strangely comforted. Suspiria may not be a movie for Argento purists, as many of the aspects were changed for a newer audience, but we have to remember that it should almost be considered a stand-alone movie — it’s not a remake after all, but a re-imagining. Beautiful filming style and compelling story should be reasons to watch it, and if you can stand the long runtime, it will probably be worth it.
