It’s taken quite a while, but the remake of Dario Argento’s giallo horror masterstroke Suspiria is finally here, courtesy of director Luca Guadagnino. Any hardcore fans of the original, or fans of the 70s aesthetic in general, should be pleased.
Check it out:
A young American ballet dancer travels to a prestigious dance academy in Europe, only to discover it is something far more sinister and supernatural. She becomes increasingly terrified after a series of gruesome murders ensue, and she slowly unravels the dark history of the academy.
This new Suspiria has the same grainy sheen and detached visuals that were prevalent in several 1977 horror films, in films like Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen, although the original Suspiria was soaked in technicolor nightmare visuals. My guess is, they’re holding back for the theater. Something always feels threatening in ’70s horror films, as if the camera is almost afraid to look. Guadagnino captures that vibe pretty well it seems.
Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton both starred in Guadagnino’s criminally underseen drama A Bigger Splash. Mia Goth and Chloë Grace Moretz join Johnson and Swinton here. Early previews were met with the right sort of disgust and fascination from critics and audience members – any surrealist horror film should have its handful of vehement detractors – and the release date has been pushed up from December to some time this fall.
