Suspiria

All Hallow’s Eve is a day of mischief and trickery. Based in pagan ritual, where donning costumes of monsters, characters, and personalities was said to ward off ghosts. Of course in modern times another important tradition has been watching horror movies. Whether of the gory, scary, or creep inducing variety we all love curling up on the couch in the dark and scaring ourselves. The horror genre is massive and there are a lot of flavors to choose from. Today’s subject is a personal favorite of mine and is among the more artful horror films from an Italian Horror Master. A film that is a treat for the senses and one that has inspired many directors to create intriguing horror movies ever since.

So if you’re like me and you enjoy film and impact and emotions they convey then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me that’s a can of Natty Boh from our friends in the great city of Baltimore. So sit back, relax, and let’s talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.

Italian horror is known for its artistry and creativity and today’s subject is no different. A slasher film about a dance school in Germany and directed by Dario Argento Suspiria is treat for horror fans. A particularly good watch this Halloween season, it’s a film with lots of great colors, textures, and expression all centered around the macabre.

Just as important as the visuals, the sounds of Suspiria are equally impressive. The sounds in Suspiria lend themselves perfectly to the subject matter. The music seemingly bewitches our ears to provide a complete sensory delight. Written and recorded by the Italian band Goblin the music uses an array of instruments to build the creepy score.

Suspiria is about a young American woman named Suzy Bannion who arrives in Germany to study dance at a famous dance academy. Far from home she exits the airport into the arrival lane to get a taxi. It is pouring rain outside as she runs with her bags to try and hail an oncoming cab. A car finally does arrive and Suzy loads her bags into the car and enters the vehicle. Rain soaked she tries to pronounce the name of the academy for the driver, but after getting two ”What?” responses she eventually holds up a piece of paper for him to see. looking backward to read the text he turns forward and exclaims…”Eshistrasse, ya ya.” They pull away as Suzy gazes out the window composing herself. On the journey we see exterior shots and shots of Suzy in the car as bright colorful lights intrude the cab from outside. Eventually we a forest of very tall tree trunks, virtually leafless. Suddenly the cab’s headlights are seen as the light is interrupted as they get closer, passing the thick trunks.

Once through the numerous trunks we see the façade of the academy. It’s a tall red building with a lot of little windows and a very ornate wooden front middle window frame and door. We have arrived at the academy that Suzy will attend. A dance academy for women filled with knowledge, mystery, and danger.

Suspiria is a horror film from Italian director Dario Argento. The aesthetic, look, and pace of the film is uniquely his as the film is equal parts slasher and mystery. It is also a true treat for the eyes with many vivid colors and interesting textures all of which are complimented by the cinematography. Within the walls of the dance academy there are luscious walls of blue and red velvet which delight the eyes. The color red in particular plays a big role in the film as it is sprinkled throughout the film and recurs when danger is near.

There are a lot of things I love about Dario’s works, but I love the mystery element of each film. The way he teases and reveals his clues to not only the identity of each murderer, but also unlocking the secrets within the hero’s memory is fantastic. Most of his films feature a killing maniac of some kind who is a little too in tune with their unstable mind. Another thing I enjoy is that a lot if the main or prominent women in his films are all strong and independent woman and Suzy Bannion fits that mold perfectly.

The story of the film is fairly straight forward, but is filled with wonderful nuances and twists. The plot boiled down is that Suzy arrives at her dance academy in Germany after a student is brutally murdered on the grounds. While getting to know her classmates and attending classes she becomes ill while other murders occur. Suzy soon becomes a target and she must find out who is responsible for the crimes committed before it is too late.

One of the hallmarks of the film is its surrealism. The while movie has the feel of being in a sort of other world or a sort of twisted fairy tale. Part of that comes from the writing as Dario was inspired by fairy tales including Snow White. In fact part of that inspiration led to the original writing of the dance academy as a school for girls aged eight to ten years old. The studio got nervous about this because of Argento’s strive for perfection and instead opted for more of an all women collegiate dance academy. The only time we see some of that original planning come to light in the film is when Suzy meets the other students in the locker room for the first time. One of the girls, Olga is teasing Sara about being a snake and the two trade childish comebacks involving stuck out tongues and and faces.

The cast in the film includes Jessica Harper as the lead role of Suzy Bannion. It also includes seasoned performers like Joan Bennett who had been playing in films since the twenties as Madame Blanc. Playing Miss Tanner is Alida Valli who had been acting since the thirties. The two really held to ground the film.

Another reason why Suspiria has such a great aesthetic and visual look is because of its post production. Despite being released in the late seventies it was made using three strip technicolor. Technicolor became big in the thirties and made famous by The Wizard of Oz in 1939. It’s a very intriguing subject within the realm of film. Technicolor films look beautiful and the quality stands the test of time, but only a handful were released per studio each year. The lack of films per year utilizing the technique makes one wonder why more films weren’t made using the technique. The answer is a multilayered one, but like a lot of things it came down to money and effort. Each fiIm required specialized cameras, lots of lighting, and a camera operator who was familiar with technicolor. Eventually more technology was invented and film studios could not justify the expense any longer and in the fifties, just twenty years after its arrival Technicolor was on the decline. One of the last American films made using it was released in 1975. A little film directed by Francis Ford Coppola called Godfather Part II.

So in 1976 when filming was about to get underway Argento had his eye on using the dwindling method, but had to fight to secure the opportunity. Why you ask? Well, In Rome the Technicolor processing company was closing its doors due to having no business. They even began scrapping all of the equipment they had on hand. Argento, recognizing the repercussions this would have on his filming had to act. Wanting the look and vibrancy that Technicolor provided Argento pleaded with the company to keep one functional machine around until production ceased. The company agreed and kept one working machine around to process and develop the film. After the reels were processed, Dario’s dream of having his film in Technicolor was realized and by the time Suspiria was released in 1977 the machine that made its visuals possible was scrapped. Without the use of that last machine the film would not have the look that has garnered so much praise all these years. It just goes to show the true quality of the medium.

Suspiria holds a very special place in my heart. It was the first horror film that I had seen at the time that had layers to it. It wasn’t all about scares and gore…there was great camera work, suspense, mystery, and the colors…oh the colors. I was mesmerized by what I was seeing and hearing. It was because of this film that I started searching out more of Dario Argento’s films. Soon I was watching Deep Red, Tenebre, and The Bird with Crystal Plumage. I bought his films on DVD and built up a nice collection of his films for myself. This led to me seeking out other directors and points of view and I can say with the utmost certainty that without Suspiria I would not be as interested in film today. I’m sure there’s a film like that for you as well. The one that opened the door to the beautiful art form of cinema.

There are a lot of scenes that stick out to me in this film. Obviously the beautiful multi colored stained glass ceiling and the role it plays is iconic, but one of my favorite scenes deals with a gymnasium. At one point in the fil all the girls who are staying at the academy are moved into one large gymnasium where each girl is assigned a cot. There is also a large partition in the form of white bedsheets hung up on clotheslines that separates the staff from the students. When the lights go out the darkness is replaces by a blood red light as if they are sleeping in a dark room. We see shadows of people getting ready for bed on the other side of the translucent sheets while Suzy and Sara lie down and begin to talk. They are sleeping directly in front of one of the partitions. Next we see a close up of the sheets as the sound of wheezing and whispers can be heard. The camera rises to show the students sleeping as it hovers over the cots. Soon we see a shadow move from behind the sheets and lay down. Within the music of Goblin we can hear wheezing and grunting from the figure behind them. Sara wakes up and nudges Suzy awake while moving to kneel by the foot of her bed. Sara begins talking as the camera zooms in slowly. “They lied to us. The directress is here. That’s her…the one who’s snoring. She’s the directress.” Suzy asks, “How do you know?“ At this point the camera is close up on both women and they are inches apart from each other. ”I’m sure it’s her. Last year for a while I lived in one of the guest rooms. The ones at the top of the stairs. One night…I heard someone come very late and get into bed in the room next to mine...and then…then I heard this weird kind of snoring. I tell you it was so weird that I never forgot it...Listen. Hear that whistle? It’s exactly the same. Then the next morning Madame Blanc told me that the directress had spent a few hours at the school and had slept in the room next to mine. You see? So I know she’s the directress. She’s here. She’s there, right behind that sheet.”

I love that scene. The lighting is fantastic as it‘s awash in a brilliant red hue and the faces of both Sara and Suzy read like the retelling of a ghost story. It’s creepy and effective without knowing who or what the directress is. It’s a great scene and my words do not do it justice. It’s definitely something you’ll have to experience for yourself to appreciate.

Another scene that I absolutely love is when Daniel, the piano player at the academy is at a German bar at night. We see a group of men dancing on a table with lederhosen on as yodeling music plays in the background. Daniel soon gets up and exits with his seeing eye dog, exiting into the night air. The yodeling slowly starts to fade as chimes start to play into the main theme. We pass by some people also walking and then into a massive stone courtyard between two very large government type buildings. Soon the dog begins to bark as if to ward off danger. Daniel, who is blind begins to look around frantically, trying to direct his ear to the danger his seeing eye dog perceives. He becomes more and more fearful as less and less becomes clear. The sequence is sprinkled with shots of him, the dog, their surroundings, and closeups of the buildings.

This scene is so well done. Between the sound editing, the creation of fear and suspense, and the room it creates to let our imagination conspire against us. I love pretty much everything about it and will leave most of it besides what I’ve described for you to discover.

Suspiria opened my eyes to how artful film can be and influenced me to watch different films and genres. It introduced me to a great director whose films I thoroughly enjoy. I also developed an affinity for the iris flower as well. If you’re wondering what role that plays, well you’ll have to tune in to find out. I can’t say enough good things about this film. There’s been a lot of talk recently about the quote “remake”, but I feel that it lacks a lot compared to the seventies classic. Argento’s fantastical and terrifying vision dream is a true must see for both horror fans and film fans who love artful concepts.

Also just a shout out…another of my favorites of Argento’s films is Four Flies on Grey Velvet, which I feel is lesser known, but is also well deserving of a watch.

I am truly shocked and a little disappointed in this, but at the time of this recording Suspiria is hard to find on streaming services.

The great news is that our friends at Tubi have the seventies classic from the Italian master for your viewing pleasure. Tubi is a free service that has a lot of quality films in its offerings and the app is widely available as well.

If you’d like to learn more about the podcast please feel free to visit our website at glazedcinema.com. There you’ll find some background on the show and also a place to submit ideas for future episodes. For film fans who are hearing impaired the blog page on our website features each episode in written form as well. If you like this podcast tell your friends or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Each week there will be new content including hints about episodes before they air. As always, thanks for listening and I hope to see you next time, with a beverage and another fine film.