Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»646. Suspiria (1977)

    646. Suspiria (1977)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on August 5, 2014 1977, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Aug 14, Fantasy, Horror, Italy, Movies Of 2014, Review, Thriller
    7.3 WEIRD!
    • Acting 7.1
    • Directing 7.9
    • Story 7.0
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci

    Director: Dario Argento

    Running Time: 92 mins


    Suspiria is an Italian film about a young American woman who travels to Munich to join a prestigious ballet academy, only to realise that, after a series of horrific murders, the place is a front for something much more sinister.

    Basically, while this has all the hallmarks of a hallucinogenic and insane 70s horror B-movie, it’s actually quite clever and entertaining. While the real fear element has diminished over time, it’s still a hugely exciting and completely unpredictable story that, while being incredibly gory, is also simply enjoyable to watch.

    However, don’t let the word ‘enjoyable’ make you think that it’s a light watch. Instead, it’s an initially convoluted but ultimately clever watch, while the tension that comes along at some points throughout the story is almost unbearable, which adds to the unpredictability of it all, making you more scared the next time something may pop up.

    When I was watching this, I was afraid that this would do one of two things. It was either going to be mindless gore and become boring, or not have enough gore and be looking too deeply into its story for the kind of film that it is, but it ended up being pretty balanced between its gore and its (ridiculous) story.

    However, at the beginning, it was definitely a lot slower-paced, and there were some periods where you felt that this film was really going off on a tangent. For instance, if you were asked what this was like 20 minutes in, you would say it’s a mix of Lord Of The Flies and Black Swan, but by the end, you realise it’s a mad, but more serious, mix of Rocky Horror, Black Swan and every psychedelic horror in between. Despite that, those tangents are there to draw your attention away from the main story, which, while it bores you initially, makes the ending all the more exciting.

    The main thing about this story is that you enjoy it. It’s still thrilling, but not frighteningly thrilling, it’s just pure excitement, and while there are some themes that you could look into like the ballet school symbolising hell or something, this film is wacky enough to be seen and thought of as it is.

    Along with its story, this film does have some fantastic technical elements. Some great direction by Dario Argento, creating an atmosphere in the ballet school that’s a mix between a haunted hall of mirrors and the depths of hell, and a score, while a little repetitive and annoying, works its magic at the most important parts of the film.

    Overall, then, this gets a 7.3, because while there were some boring periods that I had to suffer, it all made up for it by its enjoyable and exciting feel.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.6
    Review
    April 26, 20200

    2937. A Patch Of Blue (1965)

    8.0
    Review
    March 1, 20180

    2072. The Death Of Stalin (2017)

    8.0
    Review
    December 12, 20140

    780. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

    8.5
    Review
    January 15, 20140

    419. Titanic (1997)

    8.0
    Review
    December 14, 20160

    1582. Room 237 (2012)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.