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
- Writers
- Dario Argento(screenplay)
- Daria Nicolodi(screenplay)
- Thomas De Quincey(book "Suspiria de Profundis")
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Dario Argento(screenplay)
- Daria Nicolodi(screenplay)
- Thomas De Quincey(book "Suspiria de Profundis")
- Stars
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations
Videos2
- Director
- Writers
- Dario Argento(screenplay)
- Daria Nicolodi(screenplay)
- Thomas De Quincey(book "Suspiria de Profundis") (uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
Suzy Bannion travels to Germany to perfect her ballet skills. She arrives at the Tanz dance academy in the pouring rain and is refused admission after another woman is seen fleeing the school. She returns the next morning and this time is let in. She learns that the young woman she saw fleeing the previous evening, Pat Hingle, has been found dead. Strange things soon begin to occur. Suzy becomes ill and is put on a special diet; the school becomes infested with maggots; odd sounds abound; and Daniel, the pianist, is killed by his own dog. A bit of research indicates that the ballet school was once a witches' coven - and as Suzy learns, still is. —garykmcd
- Taglines
- Do you know anything about witches?
- Genre
- Certificate
- X
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Dario Argento's original idea was that the ballet school would accommodate young girls no older than 12 years. However, the studio and producer Salvatore Argento (his father) denied his request because a film this violent involving children would almost certainly be banned. Dario raised the age limit of the girls to 20 years but did not rewrite the script, hence the naiveté of the characters and the occasionally childlike dialogue. He also put all the doorknobs at about the same height as the actress' heads so they would have to raise their arms in order to open the doors, just like children.
- GoofsDario 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 creditsYou have been watching "SUSPIRIA"
- Alternate versionsThe 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."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Ling ye (1981)
- SoundtracksMarkos
Adapted from "Music in Similar Motion" by Philip Glass
Arranged by Claudio Simonetti, Fabio Pignatelli, Agostino Marangolo and Massimo Morante
Performed by Goblin
Top review
The most horrifying use of color to date.
What sets Dario Argento apart from many of his contemporaries is his success with visual imagery. In a style where sudden visual shocks are used to thrill the audience, Argento creates elaborate deaths which cannot be quickly forgotten. The highly involved double-murder towards the beginning of the film still remains one of the most memorable scenes in horror history, standing next to the Psycho "shower scene" in pure sensory input. And in a technique so powefully employed here and here alone, Argento sets scene after scene aglow with color, using it to express the mood in ways only the subconscious can fully appreciate. All around, this is an excellent addition to the genre of horror cinema, one of the most expressive films to ever plunge a knife into the psyche of its viewers.
helpful•16972
- Emil_H
- Mar 8, 1999
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Dario Argento's Suspiria
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $21,760
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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