Released: 16th November 2018

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth and Chloë Grace Moretz

Reviewed By: Dion Wyn

The most anticipated film on the Lido this year has to be Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Suspiria. Within the horror community many have been sceptical of the remake of Dario Argento’s classic. The mystery surrounding the remake has elevated the aura of the film and people are slowly joining the bandwagon. Most cinephiles had peace of mind once the teaser came out, so what is Suspiria about you ask? A darkness swirls at the centre of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the troupe’s artistic director, an ambitious young dancer and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare — others will finally wake up.

The bare bones of Argento’s original holds the structure for Guadagnino’s visionary re-telling. It will disturb, shock and break you. Suspiria 2018 is it’s own entity and should be accepted as an equal to the classic. Luca Guadanino has created a well crafter art-house horror. He lets the tale unfold at it’s own pace, but you have no time to blink as you will miss clues on the screen. He uses Persona-esk imagery to distort the audience during the dream sequences. They will flash and sting you like a viper until you aren’t sure what you have actually just seen. Giallo is given homage to within Suspiria too, you will notice a lot of fast zooms to the casts reactions. This may not be exactly Giallo but you can sense it’s presence within the film.

The neutral grey pastel colouring gives you shivers, you look at divided Berlin and you can feel the horror that will unravel. The main horror sequences are stitched together masterfully. Guadagnino uses very intense dance sequences to bewitch us, but what’s going to in the other parts of the school will break you. These sequences are fired with raw kinetic energy, you can feel that death and pain is approaching. It is not for the faint hearted, I am not a squeamish but Suspiria trapped me. Our eyes into Suspiria is Dr. Jozef Klemperer, he is the detective that will show us the truth behind it. Thom Yorke’s score will be remind you of Radiohead’s last album A Moon Shaped Pool. The simple tune of the piano will be etched in your mind, but his singing becomes unnecessary.

Suspiria would be nothing without it’s stellar cast. Dakota Johnson blossoms form a wallflower into a goddess during the latter half. Her raw intensity and naïve expressions brings Susie Bannion to life again! Tilda Swinton was expected to give a powerful performance and she delivered. She expresses her self without emotion, and towers over the cast with her presence alone. Mia Goth is the surprise package, her search for the truth is intoxicating. Her obsession for truth is what drives her. Suspiria will be in your mind for a long time after. It’s haunting music and imagery has carved itself into cinematic history.