Suspiria (2018)- BFI London Film Festival 2018

Review

152min

Genre:     Drama, Horror, Mystery

Director:  Luca Guadagnino

Cast:       Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth…and more

Writers:   David Kajganich, Dario Argento and Daria Nicolodi

-Synopsis-

An ambitious young American dance student joins a prestigious academy in a divided 70s Berlin, only to discover that the school and its staff hide a sinister secret, placing her centre-stage in conspiracy which draws in a local psychotherapist and her fellow students, threatening their sanity . . . and their very lives—in this remake of the classic Dario Argento supernatural horror classic, from the director of ‘A Bigger Splash’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’.

There can be few strangers to a movie remake these day, and most would’ve seen a Hollywood remake of a European film over the last few decades, whether they realised it or not, but it’s still relatively rare for a European filmmaker to take on a beloved classic of the continent . . . much less for someone of Luca Guadagnino’s reputation. Now buoyed by the success of his Oscar-winning Italian-set coming-of-age romance ‘Call Me By Your Name’, the Sicilian director takes a crack at horror master and ‘Giallo’ pioneer Argento’s magnum opus—retaining the creepiness and dark artistry while adding his own style, and a new narrative intricacy.

Dakota Johnson stars as aspiring American dancer ‘Susie Bannion’, an Ohioan in divided 1977 Berlin looking to shine at the prestigious dance academy of the illusive ‘Helena Markos’, under the tutelage of the demanding academy director ‘Madame Blanc’ (Tilda Swinton) and instructor Miss Tanner (Angela Winkler), and beside her fellow dancers which include dorm neighbour ‘Sara’ (Mia Goth). When a couple of her fellow students uncover a sinister side to the school and vanish, and grieving local psychotherapist ‘Dr. Josef Klemperer’—played by the mysterious Lutz Ebersdorf—begins to investigate the academy, Susie uncovers her role in a ominous conspiracy, and begins to commune with a dark power which threatens everyone around her.

It would be foolhardy to suggest, as some have, that ‘Suspiria’ is somehow not a remake because of everything Luca Guadagnino brings to the table, which smells like trying to avoid tarnishing his work with the negative connotations of remakes, reboots and prequels. Make no mistake though, ‘Suspiria’ is very much a remake of Argento’s 1977 original, in loving homage terms—but also a lesson on how to re-imagine and update a beloved cult classic, maintaining the style and spirit while adding nuance, cultural and historical narrative layers.

Despite sticking to the basic premise though, and the crux of the plot and characters . . . for the most part, Guadagnino’s take on Argento’s ‘coven of witches’ makes some major narrative departures from the original. Particularly in the grand conclusion and some big character reveals, but also in the direction of the story and its many socio-political, historical threads—from the lingering legacy of the Third Reich to the Marxist terrorism of Baader-Meinhof—not to mention being a more overt feminist Giallo than the original already was.

But there’s no camp nose-twitching broom-riding hocus-pocus in this witch’s tale, only beautifully staged, subtly sinister and rather gruesome sorcery, as  Guadagnino ditches ballet for carefully choreographed modern dance, using it as a telekinetic weapon— with torso-twisting, bone-breaking results. When you add some macabre ritualism to the cauldron, there’s just about enough horrific content here to make a mainstream audience squirm . . . if not for the film’s entire two and a half hour runtime.

Yet this remake will undoubtedly split opinion, and will likely draw the ire of horror traditionalists looking for a certain amount of gore or a minimum body count, and there’s no denying that Guadagnino’s version is a subtler, slow-build affair which doesn’t quite replicate the terror or murderous intent of the original. But it makes up for much of it by setting a heavy brooding tone, and by moulding everything with impeccable cinematic craftsmanship.

Much like its predecessor, this ‘Suspiria’ is a beautifully crafted piece of cinematic artistry, featuring top-notch costume and production designs with combine a functional aesthetic from behind the iron curtain with more classical aspects of historic Berlin, all beautifully shot by Thai cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, who wisely stays away from the brightness of the colour palette established in Argento’s groundbreaking original—yet still produces vivid and striking visuals.

The film also creates an unsettling, wonderfully foreboding atmosphere which hangs heavy in the air, thanks largely to a debut feature score from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke—following in the footsteps of bandmate Jonny Greenwood (The Master, Phantom Thread)—who combines hypnotic synth sounds with melodic vocal compositions featuring his own dulcet tones—resulting in a soundtrack which doesn’t have the iconic thematic quality of Goblin’s score for the original, but still proves powerful and eclectic in its own right.

As far as the performances go, Dakota Johnson holds up the film admirably, showcasing her impressive and well-choreographed (albeit abstract) dance chops. But it’s her two more senior co-stars and fierce dance instructors/witches—the mighty Tilda Swinton on triple duty, and German star Angela Winkler setting the standard—who really steal the show, injecting unexpected deadpan humour into the film . . . and plenty of gravitas.

Ultimately though, what lets ‘Suspiria’ down and prevents it from ascending to the heights of a remake masterpiece is the all-important final act and conclusion. A big and bloody ritualistic affair which tries to make up for the film’s low body count with one last hurrah, featuring too many cheap b-movie tendencies when it comes to visuals and narrative, while even flirting with being unintentionally comical, and straying too far from the original’s plot—leaving us with an anticlimactic epilogue, and more sequel potential than is welcome.

Yet despite a big final stumbling block, there’s more than enough exemplary work done here to make for a majorly engrossing cinematic experience, and one of the most successful remakes in recent memory. Guadagnino adds fuel to a resurgence of horror in mainstream cinema, and a transformative renaissance for the genre which often injects narrative layers and nuance, while reducing the scares-per-minute and gore quantity—thereby irking traditional horror purists and devotees to no end, but capturing the imagination of many others.

The Bottom Line…

Despite stumbling at the final hurdle and making a few questionable departures from the original, Luca Guadagnino’s bold and darkly beautiful remake does justice to Dario Argento’s 1977 classic by staying true to its spirit, while taking narrative left turns and employing a style all of its own—making for a lovingly crafted remake which avoids most of the pitfalls, and proves a disturbing and engrossing homage to remember.

‘Suspiria’ is out on the 2nd of November in the US, and on the 16th of November in UK cinemas.

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