Absolutely wild stuff. I’m no major mark for horror movies, and I’m not sure I fully “got” each plot development as it naturally unfolded, but Luca Guadagnino’s ultra-stylish re-imagining of Dario Argento’s iconic horror film Suspiria is a bloody blast of surreal and creepy imagery.
It also serves as a fully-loaded thematic exploration of motherhood, the creation of art, the process of guilt, and what “family” means to a coven of witches who really enjoy seeing people dance some berserk routines.
Written by David Kajganich, who also scripted Guadagnino’s 2015 film A Bigger Splash, the story is based on Argento’s original film, but set this time in 1970’s Berlin, with the Baader-Meinhoff terrorist organization running amok in the background.
A group of very flexible female dancers are studying at the world’s sketchiest school, with the world’s most ominous-looking instructor (Tilda Swinton, absolutely incredible as always, and taking on more than one role) calling the shots.
When a new student, played with complete abandon by Dakota Johnson, enters the scene, nothing will be the same again. For anyone.
Every single actress in this project came to play and was fully dedicated to the perverse material, and one sequence in particular contains some of the most grotesque body-harm that I can remember seeing in a feature film. Just gnarly stuff. And this is to say nothing of the bonkers finale that truly went for it in a way that became almost comical to observe.
Suspiria is available on iTunes and other streaming providers, and will hit Blu-ray/DVD on January 29th.
Review by Nick Clement
Summary
Oh, and how this movie wasn’t Oscar nominated for Costumes and Make-Up is a total head-scratcher.
