Another Sixteen Screams For Halloween: Day 2 (Suspiria)

Oh thank God. That's more fucking like it. I knew practically nothing about Suspiria or Dario Argento's filmography going into this. I expected something fucked up and sufficiently spooky, but what form would it take? Would it be a straight slasher-esque thing or something far more psychological and dreamlike? The film certainly has elements of both, but it's not exactly either of them. It's far more evocative and stranger than that, in ways that I can only try to talk about. This is a film that's better experienced than discussed, if that makes any sense. That may sound like me trying to cop out of talking about it, but I do have things I can praise. They're just things that will have a far stronger experience on you if you turn off the lights and let the film wash over you instead of hearing my descriptors. So, if you can handle the movie, please do that... but I will try to explain.

The visuals and sound of this movie are some out of this world shit. It's not quite as madcap and gonzo as something like Hausu (huh, those movies are from the same year, even, what the hell was in the water in 1977?) but it's something which leaves an undeniable effect. The movie is awash in a sea of colors, unnatural reds and blues drenching every frame and shifting with every cut. The included screenshot with this post can only do it so much justice, as it has to be seen to be believed. That's how the sound goes as well, with a progressive rock band called Goblin doing the music for the film. I love a good bit of prog rock, and prog rock's penchant for noodling about and going absolutely ham with guitars and organs and shit pairs incredibly well with the unnatural colors the film is drowning in. The sensory experience is quite unlike any I've found myself immersed in, and it really makes the movie stand out.

In the end, it's not about a slasher or about psychological terror with dreamlike ambiguity. It's about witchcraft and black magic, on the surface. Being that the film takes place in Germany and involves an old witch, there's something of the fairy tale to the proceedings. When the ultraviolence happens, it pairs with the already lush colors of the movie to make something that's the textbook definition of lurid, in both senses of the word. It's absolutely brutal and not for the faint of heart (if you can watch a slasher without flinching, you'll probably be fine) but there's still some artistic craft and style to the act of people being fucking murdered in this movie that your average slasher lacks. It's a damn sight better than V/H/S, and one hell of a spooky movie for the spooky season. If you can, don't miss it. Let yourself soak in those powerful hues, and lose yourself in the dark magic of this one.