Suspiria
Suspiria is a thriller set in a ballet school, a setup which guarantees cute chicks in tights and blood. While there isn’t much of a plot to speak of, the movie does wonderfully with Dario Argento’s lurid red-and-blue lighting and the creepy background score by the Goblins.
Random highlights which will include some spoilers:
1) Women powah:
The only men in the movie are props that are only there to provide some variety to what would otherwise have been little more than a segue of tensing, screaming, grim-looking, pensive women. The love interest of the female lead is a passive spectator whose one moment of fame is lying to her face, while otherwise spending his time doing odd jobs or grinning like a baboon. He does not save her from plunging knives. He does not hold her while she weeps timorously into his checkered shirt. He does not steel his jaw. The only other men who matter are a blind pianist and something that looked like it got electrocuted to life.
2) Americans are smarter than Europeans:
Yes, this is a tacit suggestion throughout the movie. Suzy Bannion (played by Jessica Harper) is an American girl. This is repeatedly brought to the fore by the accented English of the rest of the cast compared to the casual Americanese of Suzy (There is a very chuckle-worthyscene where someone is shaking a sleeping Suzy awake with urgent whispers of ,”Wake up Suzy, wake up Suzy…” Kinda brought to mind that Everly Brothers’ song, “Wake up, lil’ Susie”. I am easily amused.) Where the other Euro folk before her die in pain for our amusement, Suzy succeeds in staying alive long enough to solve the movie. And she does all of this on her own for the most part. No white-bearded Gandalf with promises of bringing the cavalry down to rescue her ass from the west here. She goes it solo and thwarts every stratagem played by the evil Euro folk against her. Nothing can kill Suzy Bannion except old age and brittle bones.
3) Witches. Undead witches.
The only creature I ever feared when I was playing Baldur’s Gate 2 was the Lich, for here was something that wasn’t just undead but also had an arsenal of some of the most powerful spells in the game. So, yes, I have an inordinate amount of respect and awe for any undead creature that is also a caster. This Suspiria delivers. Whatever flaw this movie may have otherwise, this seals the deal for me. We need more undead wizards/witches/magi in our literature, in our movies, baring rotten green teeth while muttering a hex at us from our TV sets.
Here is a YouTube link to a scene from the movie. It shows the stark red and blue lighting used throughout the movie, the bright interior decor, and gory death.
Yay! You watched it, and you liked it. : )
Nice point about the American. Nice casting too. He got the mousiest looking woman for the role.
I loved the background score. Seeing if I can get my hands on more stuff by the Goblins. The gore in the movie was a bit…jaded. The clip I linked to in the post was chuckle-worthy, what with the arm just popping into the frame with a half-hearted stab every once in a while, the light flaring red every time it happened, and the girl flailing like a puppet.
I read they’re remaking it Hollywood-style with Natalie Portman as Suzy which would suck big time ‘cos they’ll kill all the absurd-but-cool stuff out. Like the swooping gargoyle.