Film Review - Suspiria (1977)

(Figure 1 - Susperia - [film])

Suspiria (1977) is a cinematic overload, Dario Argento created a film which utilized many different elements of film making to conjure an experience utterly terrifying, even more so with time, where goofy special effects and badly dubbed voice overs add to the cacophony of madness presented to us. The film itself is of a surreal nature, dreamlike, the only real place in the entire film is the Airport which Suzy (Jessica Harper) first acquaints the audience, you can see with editing the length of time drawn out, and the emphasis created on the sliding doors mechanism 'Open' and 'Closed' signifying the transition into the 'dreamscape' "This simple door is a portal. Once Suzy walks through it, she has entered a dreamscape." (Hall, 2016) 

(Figure 2 - Susperia - [film])

"He uses bright primary colors and stark lines to create a campy, surreal atmosphere, and his distorted camera angles and crazy lighting turn out to be much more memorable than the carnage." (Maslin, 1977) Without the strong use of primary colour in the film it would be come dull and nowhere near as interesting. The use of sound ties it all together by an experimental German metal band, The Goblins. It creates an environment for the Audience which is completely Isolating and smothering, the soundtrack for this film creates an audacious atmosphere which keeps you continuously on the edge of suspense and uneasiness. 

(Figure 3 - Susperia - [film])

It is clear early on in the film that Dario Argento uses themes of German Expressionism in his harsh contrasts of colour and Mise en Scene. He uses colour as a symbolism as much as a technical element. It is noted early on that red means danger, and the film is practically completely red. The building is bright red, the hallways are bright red, the lights are bright red, the blood is so red it looks like Tabasco Sauce. Lights are thrown around the environment without regard for structure creating a space (more often than not) bathed in shadows, corners and undefined edges further adding to the disorientation of the Audience and the Surreal nature of the Environment, complete and utter saturation of some scenes forces a mood on the characters which further heightens the Madness and Horror in the subtlest of ways. "Argento’s deliriously artificial horror film owes as much to Georges Méliès and German Expressionism (specifically The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) as it does to Jean Cocteau and Grimm fairy tales." (Gonzalez, 2001)

Bibliography:

Gonzalez, E. (2001). Suspiria | Film Review | Slant Magazine. [online] Slant Magazine. Available at: https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/suspiria [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017].

Hall, J. (2016). Suspiria Review: A Bad Dream Made Real. [online] Slashfilm. Available at: http://www.slashfilm.com/suspiria-review/ [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017].

Maslin, J. (1977). Movie Review - - 'Suspiria,' a Specialty Movie, Drips With Gore - NYTimes.com. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=990CEFDB1F3BE334BC4B52DFBE66838C669EDE? [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017].

Illustrations:

Figure 1 -  Suspiria. (1977). [film] Directed by D. Argento. Italy: Studio Mafera.

Figure 2 - Suspiria. (1977). [film] Directed by D. Argento. Italy: Studio Mafera.

Figure 3 - Suspiria. (1977). [film] Directed by D. Argento. Italy: Studio Mafera.