Provokr Pick: Suspiria
A Surreal Horror Remake
Some movies are just ahead of their time. Dario Argento‘s Suspiria is nowadays regarded as a timeless masterpiece of surreal horror and provocative imagery, but the critics of 1977 mostly dismissed the film for its excessive violence and nonsensical story. In the decades since, Argento followed-up with two pseudo-sequels, Inferno and The Mother of Tears, but they failed to reach the cult status of his original classic, Suspiria.
Now, over forty years later, the film is being remade by A Bigger Splash director Luca Guadagnino, who brings along his thespian muse, Dakota Johnson, to play the lead role of an American who uncovers more than she bargained for at an elite Berlin dance academy. Instead of learning ballet or a jolly waltz, she discovers a dark world of witches who practice the dark arts.
In addition to Johnson, who is becoming quite the A-lister thanks to her roles in 50 Shades of Grey and Bad Times at the El Royale, the film boasts an all-star roster of supporting cast members including Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia Goth, and Tilda Swinton. Originally, Swinton’s role was described as being played by Lutz Ebersdorf, but eagle-eyed fans suspected something was amiss and correctly guessed that Ebersdorf was a fictional creation. It’s true: Swinton is playing the mysterious role, under layers of old-man makeup and prosthesis. While this type of stunt casting may appear gimmicky, it certainly plays into the film’s themes of deception, femininity, and the different layers of individuals which can be hidden from the public.
While it’s hard to imagine anybody topping the original film’s score by Goblin, which is revered as one of the greatest film scores of all time,horror or otherwise, this new take on Suspiria is certainly swinging for the fences with its choice of composer. Thom Yorke is best known as the frontman for the popular rock band, Radiohead – but you already knew that. This is his first job composing music for a movie, but he is a surprisingly natural fit, and his tunes are evocative of its 1977 Berlin setting and of the surreal shenanigans afoot at the Markos Dance Academy.
Perhaps, like any remake, Suspiria is doomed to be compared to its predecessor, but it’s also hell-bent on putting its own mark on the story, telling a contemporary allegory within the confines of the confounding tale of wicked witches and their sweet dance moves. It’s up to viewers to see it for themselves and realize that this is not a shallow imitation of Argento’s signature brand of insanity; Guadagnino’s Suspiria is its own beast.
Suspiria is in theaters now, and a high-definition, 40th Anniversary remaster of the original film is available on Blu-ray.
