Suspiria (C- or 1.5/4 stars)
Italian director Luca Guadagnino could not have chosen a more bizarre film to follow up his 2017 Oscar-nominated Call Me By Your Name. To that, he's given us a remake of one of his favorite horror films, 1977's cult classic, 'Suspiria'. This film begins by showing us young, troubled Patricia (Chloe Grace Moretz) banging on the door of her therapist, Dr. Josef Klemperer, claiming that awful things are happening in Berlin's Helena Markos Dance Company. The film then shifts focus to Susie Bannon (Dakota Johnson, of Fifty Shades of Grey fame & Guadagnino's A Bigger Splash), a runaway Mennonite from Ohio, who has arrived in gray, rainy 1970's Berlin to audition for that world-renowned dance company. Her dream has always been to dance the lead in 'Volk', the company's signature piece; one Susie has watched & analyzed 100s of times, memorizing every single move.
Her initial audition catches the attention of stern-looking Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton), who immediately grants Susie a position in said company. With intense focus on her dancing & improving her craft, Susie ignores all the bizzarities going around her, specifically the disappearance of one dancer, Olga (Elena Fokina) & schemes which arouse suspicions for her best friend in the company, Sara (angelic Mia Goth). Also, while Susie prepares for the Lead in the final performance of 'Volk', all of the waif-like dancers suffer creepy nightmares. Sara begins poking around in secret rooms, corridors & stairways of the labyrinthine school & then finds her leg broken during a performance. Dr. Jozef Klemperer also starts investigating & ultimately discovers something horrifying about the odd, cackling, chain-smoking, elder madams who run the joint. Utter craziness ensues in the film's final 15 minutes.
Okay. So. The 1977 Suspiria was bonkers. B-O-N-K-E-R-S. But there was clarity to the plot. And it was scary, too. Dread-inducing, even. Not great, but a cult classic, nevertheless. THIS Suspiria is just bat sh*t crazy ... AND ... it's boring. Furthermore, this film isn't for the masses; with a plentitude of characters to juggle, proceedings that are probably 60% in the German language, ponderous pacing & a 145 min. running time. Most of the storyline is silly, stupid and, though UNSETTLING, it's also not particularly frightening. What it IS is uber-bloody & BRUTALLY violent. You know, the original '77 Suspiria didn't have much of a plot {relying on striking visuals, macabre mood & genuine horror}, but the plot for THIS version is both shallow & convoluted -- a disastrous combination. Honestly, the film seems to be connected only by sequences of shockingly grotesque images of the dancers' mangled bodies. Now, I enjoy a good terror-inducing film. But this film never conjures terror, just repugnance to the copious, morbid acts of brutality.
Not to spoil anything specifically, but Tilda Swinton winds up playing, shall we say, more than one character. Tilda is awesome; having said that, from a physical standpoint, due to various forms of make-up, it is quite difficult to decipher if she's any good in her role(s). I would say that the director's decision to give her multiple roles was a poor one. I mean, she gives it her all, but in one of her final scenes, her Madame Blanc is viciously attacked and it's so ridiculously gruesome that it becomes laughable. Dakota Johnson is fine as Susie; though, I didn't buy her being who she ultimately ends up being. Chloe Grace Moretz is okay as the disturbed Patricia with deep-seeded problems. And I kinda sorta enjoyed watching all the older European actresses who play the various madams in the dance school; some are iconic actresses of a bygone era, one was in the '77 film (Jessica Harper).
Some critics say that this film conveys sociopolitical topics & themes of demented motherhood in post-war Germany. Me? I think its all hogwash. What can I PRAISE about 'Suspiria'? Well, the cinematography & production design is executed in a way that it makes you feel like you're watching a 1970's cult horror flick -- I liked that. The use of off-kilter camera angles & arrhythmic editing/cuts is disorienting {in a good way}. The dance costumes which look like dripping blood were an enticing choice. And the make-up throughout the film really IS stunning. That said, it becomes quite the gimmick; especially in the gory climax which flies off the rails. 'Suspiria' just didn't work for me. The confusing outré plot just draggggs on. The Dr. Klemperer character is completely superfluous. And there's that shocking physical demise of Olga who gets trapped in a mirrored room & whose body gets violently contorted ... sickening. Most of the movie sickened & bored me; and no positive attributes - with which there are plenty - could save it for me.
Her initial audition catches the attention of stern-looking Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton), who immediately grants Susie a position in said company. With intense focus on her dancing & improving her craft, Susie ignores all the bizzarities going around her, specifically the disappearance of one dancer, Olga (Elena Fokina) & schemes which arouse suspicions for her best friend in the company, Sara (angelic Mia Goth). Also, while Susie prepares for the Lead in the final performance of 'Volk', all of the waif-like dancers suffer creepy nightmares. Sara begins poking around in secret rooms, corridors & stairways of the labyrinthine school & then finds her leg broken during a performance. Dr. Jozef Klemperer also starts investigating & ultimately discovers something horrifying about the odd, cackling, chain-smoking, elder madams who run the joint. Utter craziness ensues in the film's final 15 minutes.
Okay. So. The 1977 Suspiria was bonkers. B-O-N-K-E-R-S. But there was clarity to the plot. And it was scary, too. Dread-inducing, even. Not great, but a cult classic, nevertheless. THIS Suspiria is just bat sh*t crazy ... AND ... it's boring. Furthermore, this film isn't for the masses; with a plentitude of characters to juggle, proceedings that are probably 60% in the German language, ponderous pacing & a 145 min. running time. Most of the storyline is silly, stupid and, though UNSETTLING, it's also not particularly frightening. What it IS is uber-bloody & BRUTALLY violent. You know, the original '77 Suspiria didn't have much of a plot {relying on striking visuals, macabre mood & genuine horror}, but the plot for THIS version is both shallow & convoluted -- a disastrous combination. Honestly, the film seems to be connected only by sequences of shockingly grotesque images of the dancers' mangled bodies. Now, I enjoy a good terror-inducing film. But this film never conjures terror, just repugnance to the copious, morbid acts of brutality.
Not to spoil anything specifically, but Tilda Swinton winds up playing, shall we say, more than one character. Tilda is awesome; having said that, from a physical standpoint, due to various forms of make-up, it is quite difficult to decipher if she's any good in her role(s). I would say that the director's decision to give her multiple roles was a poor one. I mean, she gives it her all, but in one of her final scenes, her Madame Blanc is viciously attacked and it's so ridiculously gruesome that it becomes laughable. Dakota Johnson is fine as Susie; though, I didn't buy her being who she ultimately ends up being. Chloe Grace Moretz is okay as the disturbed Patricia with deep-seeded problems. And I kinda sorta enjoyed watching all the older European actresses who play the various madams in the dance school; some are iconic actresses of a bygone era, one was in the '77 film (Jessica Harper).
Some critics say that this film conveys sociopolitical topics & themes of demented motherhood in post-war Germany. Me? I think its all hogwash. What can I PRAISE about 'Suspiria'? Well, the cinematography & production design is executed in a way that it makes you feel like you're watching a 1970's cult horror flick -- I liked that. The use of off-kilter camera angles & arrhythmic editing/cuts is disorienting {in a good way}. The dance costumes which look like dripping blood were an enticing choice. And the make-up throughout the film really IS stunning. That said, it becomes quite the gimmick; especially in the gory climax which flies off the rails. 'Suspiria' just didn't work for me. The confusing outré plot just draggggs on. The Dr. Klemperer character is completely superfluous. And there's that shocking physical demise of Olga who gets trapped in a mirrored room & whose body gets violently contorted ... sickening. Most of the movie sickened & bored me; and no positive attributes - with which there are plenty - could save it for me.