Suspiria (1977)

Day 161 of Sobriety. 

What could I possibly say about Dario Argento’s Suspiria that hasn’t been said already? Not much I don’t think.

I’ve seen it several times before, but this re-viewing was prompted by wanting to watch it with my wife, because we recently watched (and enjoyed) Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho (2021) together, and I was keen to show her where a good deal of that film’s visual style originated. We also watched the 2018 remake of Suspiria a while back, and I think she liked it (I do).

While I now consider the 1977 Suspiria to be a classic, I remember being underwhelmed when I first saw it in my late teens or early twenties—thinking it was OK, but being bewildered as to why it was held in such high acclaim. I think my only exposure to Dario Argento prior to that was via his involvement in Lamberto Bava’s Demons (1985), which was much more up my teenage alley. Although I am certain that the impression Suspiria made on me back then was greatly impaired by watching it on pan-and-scan VHS on a 14-inch portable TV, and in a version that was almost certainly censored by the British Board of Film Classification.

Watching it on a decent-sized screen in a decent blu-ray transfer makes quite a difference. As my wife commented afterwards, nearly every shot is visually striking. It would be great to see this film in a movie theater, especially with the pounding Goblin score, and I hope I will have that opportunity at some point.

There is the odd moment where the film shows its age—like the rubber bat attack—but for the most part, it is easy to forget that the film is almost half a century old, as its visual aesthetic is still being imitated by filmmakers today.

From a sobriety point of view, I was slightly jealous when, after feeling unwell due to the ballet school coven’s malevolent influence, Suzy is prescribed a glass of red wine with dinner every night to “build up her blood,” and then seeing that said “glass” is what Johnny Depp would likely describe as a “mega pint.” But true to my own experience, the mega pint of wine was actually the poison, not the cure.