Suspiria (2018)- A remake that stays true to its horrific roots
When you first hear the unearthly chimes and eerie calls of Goblins haunting soundtrack, you remember the technicolour nightmare that is Dario Argento's Suspiria (1977). While his filmmaking has had its ups and downs from the skin crawling Deep Red (1975) and Phenomena (1986) to the laughable Dracula 3D (2012), there is no doubt that his legacy and honing of the Gialli subgenre has made him one of the greats of horror cinema. So when we heard that a remake of his beloved Suspiria was in the works, you can imagine the scepticism of critics reaching its boiling point before the film had even been released. However this reimagining of the mesmerising tale would prove to be a mixture of new ideas and themes while blending in with the supernatural scenes of gore and beauty.
Luca Guadagnino, straight after is heart warming summer romance Call me by your name (2017), made it clear straight away to the press that he would treat the original 'Suspiria' with care. Showing that he wanted to present the story with a modern twist while keeping the style to his own. The story once again follows the young American dancer Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson), arriving in West Germany against the Berlin Wall to the all female Helena Markos Dance company. But as disappearances and accusations of witchcraft are thrown around, a psychotherapist (Tilda Swinton) with a troubled past investigates the sinister secrets hidden within the company. The first major improvement from the original comes from the dancing itself. Argento, while having his setting in a dance company, didn't want the dancing to trump the set design and horror of the film, However in the remake chooses to combine choreography with bodily gore that has never been done in such a gruesome way. The scene in particular that got most of the audience squirming in their seats with the character Olga being horrifically contorted and crunched by the magic of the witches and Susie's abstract dance moves, which left me in awe at the movements and shocked at the result. Dance is used very constructively to convey a lot of the sorcery used by the witches, scenes with ritual esque movements akin to abstract physical theatre, as well as Susie making sexual motions against the floor separating her from the grim hand of Mother Markos (also Tilda Swinton). Speaking of which, if there is an actress that puts in the most effort in terms of performing its Tilda Swinton. Portraying not one, not two, but three different characters in Josef, Madame Blanc and Markos. She manages to put so much expression and care into each separate performance, especially with Josef since she was completely unrecognisable to the point where her role is credited as male alias Lutz Ebersdorf. It definitely speaks to Swinton's ability to blur the lines of gender with her characters which is a rare thing to see in films these days. She was so devoted to the role that she even wore a prosthetic penis as part of her costume, so if that's not commitment I don't know what is. Other performers like Johnson and Mia Goth who plays Susie's suspicious friend Sara, give equally impressive performances and the ensemble cast in general seemed to have a lot of fun with the filming.
The plot, while following the same base narrative, is once again one of the films biggest crutches. While many consider Argento's Suspiria to be loose and empty with narrative, Guadagnino puts almost too much extra information of the narrative and sub context of the film. Some of this is welcoming such as explaining Susie's origins as an Amish child (which gets a huge pay off), and the emotional backstory of Josef with the leaving of his wife during Nazi occupied Germany. Some consider this as an overload of information that diverts from the visuals and spectacle of the film. While I do admit that with the extra backstory and subtext, the film is considerably longer than I could be, I think each addition to the characters is new and refreshing to the story. As for the visuals of the film, it is hard to compare to the incredible lighting and backdrop of the legendary set design and cinematography of Luciano Tovoli from the original. Nevertheless we are presented to a more realistic, bleaker West Germany with dingy greys and pale browns with the occasional vibrant blood reds to emphasis the Gialli style still present in the remake. However there are moments during Susie's dream sequences with various jarring imagery that reminds us of the odious shots from Argento's previous works to shock the senses. Of course I would be remised if I didn't dive into the soundtrack which had a tough competition against the originals powerfully atmospheric soundscape. The music for the remake was composed by Thom Yorke who most indie rock fans will recognise from the band 'Radiohead'. Rather than trying to mimic Goblins work, York went with a mixture of 80's synth horror and dream like piano pieces to give the film touching yet uncomfortable edge. Considering this is his first time at composing film, he certainly understands how to raise the emotions of a scene for a wonderful blending of beauty and fear.
If there is a true reason as to how this film surpasses its original, then it is all in the themes and character arcs. To me the most powerful of these themes is the emphasis on female empowerment of the film. Not only do we have an all female cast (and two male detectives), but we also have a story that pushes on the ideas of female empowerment and learning to accept yourself. Susie joins the dance academy looking for a place of belonging, coming from a family and background that never accepted her. The academy then becomes a place of nurturing for her, with Madame Blanc becoming a mother figure who ends up protecting her from harm. A story that was once focused the witches negatives and sinister plots now reminds us that they have made a community, we even see this community in the telepathic conversations of the teachers as they show democracy in their votes for their leader and it gives us much more of an insight into their lives. Its these themes mixed with the stylised movement and dream like sequences that give this film true character and depth in the performances and narrative, in the same way the original did with is filmmaking and set design.
In the end, I've seen very decisive opinions on the remake. Young audiences consider it to be a new stride in self reflective modern horror genre, others see it as a pointless reinterpretation to what is considered a technicolour masterpiece of European horror. For me this film comes from a place of great respect and admiration for the films of Argento, while telling it from a new perspective that we often don't see from the genre. And rather than ending on an anti climactic bang from the original, we fade on the remnants of the mark the film has left on us in its bewitching fashion.
Film Grade: A-
Luca Guadagnino, straight after is heart warming summer romance Call me by your name (2017), made it clear straight away to the press that he would treat the original 'Suspiria' with care. Showing that he wanted to present the story with a modern twist while keeping the style to his own. The story once again follows the young American dancer Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson), arriving in West Germany against the Berlin Wall to the all female Helena Markos Dance company. But as disappearances and accusations of witchcraft are thrown around, a psychotherapist (Tilda Swinton) with a troubled past investigates the sinister secrets hidden within the company. The first major improvement from the original comes from the dancing itself. Argento, while having his setting in a dance company, didn't want the dancing to trump the set design and horror of the film, However in the remake chooses to combine choreography with bodily gore that has never been done in such a gruesome way. The scene in particular that got most of the audience squirming in their seats with the character Olga being horrifically contorted and crunched by the magic of the witches and Susie's abstract dance moves, which left me in awe at the movements and shocked at the result. Dance is used very constructively to convey a lot of the sorcery used by the witches, scenes with ritual esque movements akin to abstract physical theatre, as well as Susie making sexual motions against the floor separating her from the grim hand of Mother Markos (also Tilda Swinton). Speaking of which, if there is an actress that puts in the most effort in terms of performing its Tilda Swinton. Portraying not one, not two, but three different characters in Josef, Madame Blanc and Markos. She manages to put so much expression and care into each separate performance, especially with Josef since she was completely unrecognisable to the point where her role is credited as male alias Lutz Ebersdorf. It definitely speaks to Swinton's ability to blur the lines of gender with her characters which is a rare thing to see in films these days. She was so devoted to the role that she even wore a prosthetic penis as part of her costume, so if that's not commitment I don't know what is. Other performers like Johnson and Mia Goth who plays Susie's suspicious friend Sara, give equally impressive performances and the ensemble cast in general seemed to have a lot of fun with the filming.If there is a true reason as to how this film surpasses its original, then it is all in the themes and character arcs. To me the most powerful of these themes is the emphasis on female empowerment of the film. Not only do we have an all female cast (and two male detectives), but we also have a story that pushes on the ideas of female empowerment and learning to accept yourself. Susie joins the dance academy looking for a place of belonging, coming from a family and background that never accepted her. The academy then becomes a place of nurturing for her, with Madame Blanc becoming a mother figure who ends up protecting her from harm. A story that was once focused the witches negatives and sinister plots now reminds us that they have made a community, we even see this community in the telepathic conversations of the teachers as they show democracy in their votes for their leader and it gives us much more of an insight into their lives. Its these themes mixed with the stylised movement and dream like sequences that give this film true character and depth in the performances and narrative, in the same way the original did with is filmmaking and set design.
In the end, I've seen very decisive opinions on the remake. Young audiences consider it to be a new stride in self reflective modern horror genre, others see it as a pointless reinterpretation to what is considered a technicolour masterpiece of European horror. For me this film comes from a place of great respect and admiration for the films of Argento, while telling it from a new perspective that we often don't see from the genre. And rather than ending on an anti climactic bang from the original, we fade on the remnants of the mark the film has left on us in its bewitching fashion.
Film Grade: A-
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