Suspiria (1977)

Halloween Reviews 2020

Director: Dario Argento

Writers: Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi

Stars: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bose, Barbara Magnolfi, Susanna Javicoli, Eva Axen

A young ballet student (Jessica Harper) discovers that her prestigious dance academy is actually the base of a coven of witches. 

I keep trying to give giallo a chance and I am consistently underwhelmed even by the acknowledged masterpieces of the genre. 

In addition to Suspiria, I have watched Deep Red and Inferno. 

Judging from the favorable reviews I have read, appreciation of these films depends on the viewer’s susceptibility to their mood, cinematography, and “dream logic.” 

Perhaps I am too attached to more conventional elements such as narrative logic, pacing, and performance. 

Although I acknowledge the visual flair of films like Suspiria, I find them boring assemblages of bad writing, poor acting, a slow pace, and too many long pornographic sequences of terrified women. 

It did have an effective climax, but even that was dragged out too long.

                                                                     Warning! Ending scene!!!