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Suspiria

  • 1977
  • R
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
112K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,666
70
Suspiria (1977)
Psychological HorrorSlasher HorrorTeen HorrorWitch HorrorHorror

An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.

  • Director
    • Dario Argento
  • Writers
    • Dario Argento
    • Daria Nicolodi
    • Thomas De Quincey
  • Stars
    • Jessica Harper
    • Stefania Casini
    • Flavio Bucci
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    112K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,666
    70
    • Director
      • Dario Argento
    • Writers
      • Dario Argento
      • Daria Nicolodi
      • Thomas De Quincey
    • Stars
      • Jessica Harper
      • Stefania Casini
      • Flavio Bucci
    • 732User reviews
    • 306Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 4 nominations total

    Videos2

    Suspiria Trailer
    Trailer 0:53
    Suspiria Trailer
    'Suspiria': A Bloody Horror Epic 25 Years in the Remaking
    Interview 2:17
    'Suspiria': A Bloody Horror Epic 25 Years in the Remaking
    'Suspiria': A Bloody Horror Epic 25 Years in the Remaking
    Interview 2:17
    'Suspiria': A Bloody Horror Epic 25 Years in the Remaking

    Photos226

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    Top cast29

    Edit
    Jessica Harper
    Jessica Harper
    • Suzy Bannion
    Stefania Casini
    Stefania Casini
    • Sara
    Flavio Bucci
    Flavio Bucci
    • Daniel
    Miguel Bosé
    Miguel Bosé
    • Mark
    • (as Miguel Bosè)
    Barbara Magnolfi
    Barbara Magnolfi
    • Olga
    Susanna Javicoli
    • Sonia
    Eva Axén
    Eva Axén
    • Pat Hingle
    • (as Eva Axen)
    Alida Valli
    Alida Valli
    • Miss Tanner
    Joan Bennett
    Joan Bennett
    • Madame Blanc
    Margherita Horowitz
    • Teacher
    Jacopo Mariani
    Jacopo Mariani
    • Albert
    Fulvio Mingozzi
    • Taxi Driver
    Franca Scagnetti
    • Cook
    Renato Scarpa
    Renato Scarpa
    • Prof. Verdegast
    Serafina Scorceletti
    • 2nd Cook
    Giuseppe Transocchi
    • Pavlo
    Renata Zamengo
    • Caroline
    Alessandra Capozzi
    • Dancer
    • Director
      • Dario Argento
    • Writers
      • Dario Argento
      • Daria Nicolodi
      • Thomas De Quincey
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews732

    7.3111.8K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    darimoviesthoughtsoffilms

    The strangest horror movie I have ever seen, and in the best way!

    Tonight I watched Suspiria for the very first time and during the first 20 minutes or so I literally had no idea what I was watching. The movie has a strange way of using its music and how it decides to show what's happening on-screen. The movie at first felt like a cheap attempt to scare the audience, but oh man, Suspiria is anything but that!

    The design of the school and all of the lightning choices are all great. During the entire movie something just feels off, and that leads me into one of my huge positives: The atmosphere. This is by far one of the most unsettling and creepy movies ever made, and why is that? I'll try to break it down.

    As previously mentioned the design and lighting plays a big part in creating the atmosphere and so does the music/sounds played during the movie. A lot of scenes are strangely put together like this one scene where two characters are swimming in a pool and discussing something that happened earlier on. In the middle of this scene the camera switches to a new angle from above, almost like somebody or something is watching them.

    There's also a lot of violence and disturbing imagery throughout the film, and it still holds up for the most part. I won't go into details, but there is one scene near the very end that actually really disturbed me, which nearly no movie has succeeded with.

    My only real problem with the movie was some not so great acting from a couple of side characters, because it was pretty distracting. Everything else was great, though. A solid 8/10!
    7Akash_Menon

    A Horror *Art*

    Rating: 7

    The movie employs flamboyant use of color. I would call it an Italian Shining had it released after The Shining (1980).

    The Good - Use of color! The movie has excessive use of dramatics. The soundtrack, colored lighting and the use of gore is prominent throughout. The cinematography, use of imbibition colors makes this movie *eye-catching*

    The Bad - Color is the only praise worthy aspect of this movie. Although the movie lays emphasis on gore and is intriguing till the end, the plot is fairly laid out and the acting falls weak. I would simply call this film an art movie which experiments with Horror.

    Still, Suspiria has a legacy which topples the movies of the current era. It is definitely in my list of must-watch movies!
    6joyomi

    All style with no substance.

    An American girl goes to Germany to a prestigious ballet boarding house, only to find out its controlled by a coven of witches. The movie has good style and atmosphere, but that's about it. There is no memorable story, and it feels disjointed and random. I don't care about any of these characters, since there is no development. The best thing about this film is the bright colors and the last 20 minutes were pretty tense and actually quite creepy. The kills are also pretty gory for the time. So yeah, Suspiria has good style and atmosphere, but lacks a story and characters. The only character I will remember from this is the blind piano player and the nasty dance instructor, everyone else is forgettable. It is worth a watch just to see the creepy dance academy and all the strange colors, but that's about it.
    6movie_nazi

    Don't believe the hype.

    All I ever heard was how brilliant this movie was. I was so excited when I finally got my copy in the mail and all I can say is, "What a disappointment". First the positives. Argento's use of bright colors and dark settings is a sort of eye candy that keeps you attentive. The murder scenes are rather gory though not too realistic looking by today's standards. The one excellent aspect of this film is the score. Absolutely creepy. Which Argento over uses to the point of ridicule. What the film lacked the most was substance. I know its an over used term but "All style and no substance", describes this film to a tee. The acting was less than mediocre to say the least. Like most cult films, a minority will rave on about how great the film is but an unbiased opinion will only tell the truth. The truth is, its really nothing special.
    7wes-connors

    Dancing with the Stars

    American ballet student Jessica Harper (as Suzy Banyon) goes to study at a European dance academy, where grizzly murders and hungry maggots reign supreme. "The Tanz Academy" is fronted by elegant Joan Bennett (as Madame Blanc), with stern Alida Valli (Miss Tanner) well-suited, as head teacher. Chief among the young leotard set is Ms. Harper's relatively long-lived pal, lovely Stefania Casini (as Sara). As hair-raising events continue, Harper begins to suspect a coven of witches may have infested the dance Academy.

    The storytelling part of "Suspiria" is relatively weak, with events unintentionally serving to lesson the dramatic impact of the horror. The superb opening scenes, for example, are never really improved upon. Interesting characters are underdeveloped, and should have been more cleverly woven into the plot. Despite its haphazard script, and some obvious budget restraints, director Dario Argento's "Suspiria" remains an excellent film.

    Mr. Argento's innovative, imaginative direction is the film's greatest strength. His cutting edge camera sense is often striking; and, the color photography, with Luciano Tovoli, is illuminating. The sharp soundtrack music, by the appropriately named "Goblin" band, is reminiscent of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells". Ms. Bennett and Ms. Valli are a treat. The usually underutilized Bennett is especially noteworthy, in her only post-"Dark Shadows" feature film appearance.

    Bennett accepted the project on the strength of the director's reputation, and a chance to visit Rome. When "Suspiria" appeared in the USA, she received some unwarranted poor notices, and professed dissatisfaction with the film's violent content. Still, Bennett was "Saturn Award"-nominated as 1978's "Best Supporting Actress" for her work. Bennett duplicitously gives the "Madame Blanc" character just the right amount of respectability, or "class"; she keeps her Academy dancers enrolled, and helps hold the slim story together.

    ******* Suspiria (1977) Dario Argento ~ Jessica Harper, Joan Bennett, Alida Valli

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The woman playing Helena Markos was not credited. According to Jessica Harper, she was a 90-year-old former prostitute who director Dario Argento found on the streets of Rome, Italy.
    • Goofs
      Dario Argento's face can be seen reflected on the taxi's glass partition in the opening sequence. Assumed by many people to have been a mistake coming from a rushed shoot, Argento has gone on record to say it was intentional.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Frank Mandel: Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds.

    • Crazy credits
      You have been watching "SUSPIRIA"
    • Alternate versions
      The remixed soundtrack on the Anchor Bay release omits a line of dialogue near the conclusion when Susy is creeping down the secret hallway. It cuts out Tanner's faintly-heard declaration "All right, we must come to a decision. The situation can no longer be tolerated."
    • Connections
      Featured in Angels with Golden Guns (1981)
    • Soundtracks
      Markos
      Adapted from "Music in Similar Motion" by Philip Glass

      Arranged by Claudio Simonetti, Fabio Pignatelli, Agostino Marangolo and Massimo Morante

      Performed by Goblin

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    FAQ23

    • How long is Suspiria?Powered by Alexa
    • Who provided the haunting "eyes" near the beginning of the film, where the girl gets attacked, stabbed, and hung? What was that thing supposed to be anyway?
    • What happened at the beginning? Was that Jessica Harper's character who was stabbed to death and hanged?
    • What are the differences between the old British VHS and the Uncensored Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 12, 1977 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Official site
      • Tubi
    • Languages
      • Italian
      • Russian
      • English
      • German
      • Latin
    • Also known as
      • Alarido
    • Filming locations
      • BMW Building, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
    • Production company
      • Seda Spettacoli
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $47,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
      • 70 mm 6-Track
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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