Suspiria has become Italian horror maestro Dario Argento’s best known work and it’s not hard to see why as, despite featuring some of the most brutal death scenes you are likely to see, it is also a visual treat for the eyes.
The plot itself is relatively simple and perhaps rather sub-standard; Girl moves to ballet school, realises the teachers are witches, people die in incredibly horrible ways, end.
Thank God then that Argento is something of a visual magician and shoots the film like a very twisted fairy-tale. Colours are masterfully used infusing every scene with an unnerving dread whilst the expressionistic set designs also add to the darkly magical world of the film.
Complementing the visuals is rock band Goblin’s eerily hypnotic score which combines ghoulish wailing, guitar riffs and trendy synthesisers to make for a highly disturbing experience.
All in all, a bit of an oddball creation then, albeit one that proves to be one of the most horrifyingly beautiful films you’ll get the chance to see.
Suspiria (1977), directed by Dario Argento, is released on Blu-ray disc and DVD in the UK by Nouveaux Pictures, Certificate 18.
