Bounding Into Halloween, Night 17: A Tale Of Two ‘Suspiria’s, The 1977 Original & The 2018 Remake
Tonight’s mashup is not just a battle between generations, but it will once and for all determine which dance school deserves the title of “Best in Germany.” Maybe we’ll even find out which witch is watching which watch.
These two movies are also all about the rhythm, and they show just one of the many disastrous paths that overbearing dance moms pave for their children. Now, get out on that floor, and shake your “Spooky Leg” for the whole world to see.
Suspiria (1977)
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Here’s the film that launched director Dario Argento (Deep Red, Tenebrae, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage) into legend status for all time, and it’s his second collaboration with psychedelic Prog-rockers, Goblin.
This poorly-dubbed celebration of excess and color schemes hold a special place in the lacerated hears of many cult film fanatics, along with anyone who is obsessed with the colors red, blue, and white. Loosely based on Thomas De Quincey’s 1845 essay, Suspiria de Profundis, this is Suspiria.
It was a dark and stormy night when American ballet dancer Suzy (Jessica Harper) arrives at the esteemed Tanz Dance Academy in Germany. The place is run by headmistress, Madame Blanc (Joan Bennett), and her strict head instructor, Miss Tanner (Alida Valli).
If there’s one thing they don’t like more than someone who only uses half their ass while dancing, it’s when they use the whole thing to snoop around, and ask too many questions.
The red flags immediately start popping up for Suzy as she notices a young woman fleeing through the dark woods while on her way to the school, and the faculty really put the “SUS” in “Suspicious” when she brought it up to them.
Then she starts hearing weird noises in the middle of the night, and witnesses bizarre activity around her. The more she uncovers, the stranger it becomes, and when a string of murders occur, Suzy realizes she has opened an entire cauldron full of drama.
Many consider this to be Argento’s masterpiece, and it’s not an unfair assessment. Every shot is amazing and the kaleidoscopic color coordination is the like the Italian master of suspense was tripping on acid throughout the entire production, but without losing control of his vision.
Suspiria is available on TUBI and the trailer is below:
Suspiria (2018)
This is supposed to be a reimagining of the last movie, but a majority of the plot elements remain the same. Another young, doe-eyed American dancer comes to a prestigious dance school in Germany, but only this one spells her name “Susie” (Dakota Johnson).
Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer, Doctor Strange, Chronicles of Narnia series) pulls triple duties as Madame Blanc, Dr. Josef Klemperer (under prosthetics and credited as Lutz Ebersdorf), and Mother Markos (under hella prosthetics). The newcomer, Susie, impresses her new instructor, and Madame Blanc decides to take her as a protégé.
Where the original film is famous for vibrant colors, this one is muted with a bleak cold-color palette.
It takes a surreal, almost dreamlike story, and makes it into a somber psychological horror that takes places during the “Great Autumn” of 1977, but for no reason whatsoever.
Then there is music which is completely soulless, and it does nothing to complement the movie, especially not in the way it does when woven into the blood of an Argento film.
Tilda Swinton gives a great performance, the solo Twister dance-off is worth watching, and Dakota Johnson doesn’t look too bad as a redhead, but she was still a miscast if there ever was one.
It is fair to point out that this version of Suspiria surpasses the original in one way, and that’s the runtime. Some fans of the original enjoy this “re-imagining,” and kudos to them, but if you’d like to know if you’re one of them, head on over to Prime.
Here’s the trailer:
NEXT: Bounding Into Halloween Night 17: It’s Hell On Earth In ‘Night Of The Demons’ & ‘Demons’
