As a big fan of Dario Argento's 1977 classic, I approached this new look at this story of witches and murder with a mix of apprehension and excitement (but mostly excitement). The reviews got me even more intrigued since the reaction was so polarized. Fortunately, I was not disappointed at all with Luca Guadagnino's re-imagining of Suspiria.
Like the original, this movie follows Susie Bannion (played here by Dakota Johnson) as she leaves her home to go to a prestigious dance academy in Germany ran by the mysterious Helena Markos and her vice directress Madam Blanc (both played here by Tilda Swinton). Little does she know that this school is being ran by a coven of witches who will do anything to keep their dark workings secret. This film adds more complexity to the simple premise of the original film by adding the character Dr. Jozef Klemperer (also portrayed by Tilda Swinton), who is searching for a missing patient of his who was a student of the Markos Dance Academy.
First off, the story of the movie is a great update of the original. The general structure of the story is mostly the same but the details and execution are almost completely original. Argento's Suspiria takes a more simplistic approach to storytelling, mimicking the style of fairy tales. This one is more complex, with multiple interconnected storylines which converge in the climax. The movie moves the action from Frieburg to Berlin in 1977, which is shown as a politically turbulent time. I know very little about the Baader-Meinhoff incident in the film, so I can't comment on how it relates to the story aside from adding more flavor to the setting.
As a 2.5 hour movie, it would be easy to assume that this film would be boring to watch at times. While this is a slow burn and could probably turn off other viewers, I was completely enthralled by the events unfolding onscreen. The characters are interesting and Dr. Klemperer is especially easy to empathize with, so they keep you engaged through the strange events in the film. While violence is used sparingly in the narrative up until the shocking climax, what little violence you see throughout is quite disturbing.
The acting is another very strong point in this movie. Dakota Johnson might get a few boos from the gallery due to her role in the 50 Shades trilogy but here she portrays Susie Bannion with subtlety and innocence that makes her character very endearing. Tilda Swinton especially amazes in this due to her seemingly effortless portrayal of three very different characters in Madam Blanc, Jozef Klemperer, and Helena Markos.
Madam Blanc was a falsely affable villain with no dimension in the original, but the writing and Tilda Swinton's performance here add depth and conflict that make her possibly the most interesting character in the film. Her performance as Dr. Klemperer is very believable as an old man who has spent years being weathered by grief and guilt, especially with the absolutely astounding makeup effects. While she appears only briefly as Helena Markos, Swinton also makes a delightfully disturbing impression as this disgusting and frightening witch.
While Guadagnino's Suspiria lacks the distinctive color palette of the original, the remake uses wintry colors and more subdued cinematography. This all gives is a very different tone from the original and makes everything just feel more cold and ominous. It's really interesting that the climax makes use of more Argento-like to further convey the supernatural ramifications of what is happening onscreen.
I'd be remiss not to make note of Thom York's (of Radiohead fame) beautiful score. Suspirium and Unmade particularly stick out as favorites of mine from this movie. I couldn't stop listening to Suspirium for a few days after watching this and I still listen to it regularly. The style of his score is again very different from the original Goblin Score, which helps this movie stand on its own even further.
Overall, this 2018 re-imagining of Suspiria is a simply astounding film and I believe over time it will be viewed as a classic alongside the original. After I watched it, I was absolutely blown away and spent several minutes pacing around my room just saying "Wow!" over and over again. That isn't something I've experienced with a movie in a very, very long time. I wholeheartedly recommend you check out this masterpiece if you can handle some slow-burn horror cinema.
Like the original, this movie follows Susie Bannion (played here by Dakota Johnson) as she leaves her home to go to a prestigious dance academy in Germany ran by the mysterious Helena Markos and her vice directress Madam Blanc (both played here by Tilda Swinton). Little does she know that this school is being ran by a coven of witches who will do anything to keep their dark workings secret. This film adds more complexity to the simple premise of the original film by adding the character Dr. Jozef Klemperer (also portrayed by Tilda Swinton), who is searching for a missing patient of his who was a student of the Markos Dance Academy.
First off, the story of the movie is a great update of the original. The general structure of the story is mostly the same but the details and execution are almost completely original. Argento's Suspiria takes a more simplistic approach to storytelling, mimicking the style of fairy tales. This one is more complex, with multiple interconnected storylines which converge in the climax. The movie moves the action from Frieburg to Berlin in 1977, which is shown as a politically turbulent time. I know very little about the Baader-Meinhoff incident in the film, so I can't comment on how it relates to the story aside from adding more flavor to the setting.
As a 2.5 hour movie, it would be easy to assume that this film would be boring to watch at times. While this is a slow burn and could probably turn off other viewers, I was completely enthralled by the events unfolding onscreen. The characters are interesting and Dr. Klemperer is especially easy to empathize with, so they keep you engaged through the strange events in the film. While violence is used sparingly in the narrative up until the shocking climax, what little violence you see throughout is quite disturbing.
The acting is another very strong point in this movie. Dakota Johnson might get a few boos from the gallery due to her role in the 50 Shades trilogy but here she portrays Susie Bannion with subtlety and innocence that makes her character very endearing. Tilda Swinton especially amazes in this due to her seemingly effortless portrayal of three very different characters in Madam Blanc, Jozef Klemperer, and Helena Markos.
Madam Blanc was a falsely affable villain with no dimension in the original, but the writing and Tilda Swinton's performance here add depth and conflict that make her possibly the most interesting character in the film. Her performance as Dr. Klemperer is very believable as an old man who has spent years being weathered by grief and guilt, especially with the absolutely astounding makeup effects. While she appears only briefly as Helena Markos, Swinton also makes a delightfully disturbing impression as this disgusting and frightening witch.
While Guadagnino's Suspiria lacks the distinctive color palette of the original, the remake uses wintry colors and more subdued cinematography. This all gives is a very different tone from the original and makes everything just feel more cold and ominous. It's really interesting that the climax makes use of more Argento-like to further convey the supernatural ramifications of what is happening onscreen.
I'd be remiss not to make note of Thom York's (of Radiohead fame) beautiful score. Suspirium and Unmade particularly stick out as favorites of mine from this movie. I couldn't stop listening to Suspirium for a few days after watching this and I still listen to it regularly. The style of his score is again very different from the original Goblin Score, which helps this movie stand on its own even further.
Overall, this 2018 re-imagining of Suspiria is a simply astounding film and I believe over time it will be viewed as a classic alongside the original. After I watched it, I was absolutely blown away and spent several minutes pacing around my room just saying "Wow!" over and over again. That isn't something I've experienced with a movie in a very, very long time. I wholeheartedly recommend you check out this masterpiece if you can handle some slow-burn horror cinema.