Film Review – Suspiria

Hannah Milliner

Suspiria was released in 1977 directed by Dario Argento. In Suspiria the use of loud de-sensitising music made

the audience on edge expecting something visual to come along with the music. Cherry explains in the following

quote the music is used to slowly build up tension. “The slowly building sense of terror/unknown, the

overwhelming effect of the crashing goblin music, the knife repeatedly stabbing the beating heart…. The violent

colours reflecting the violent actions being depicted” (Cherry. 2012:30) As Cherry explains the use of loud sounds

and overwhelming music creates the sense of unknown, making the audience unsettled and anxious. Using close

up shots on the scenes that involve gruesome details of someone being murdered is unsettling for the audience.

When Suspiria was released there was plenty of violence on the television, socialism and communism as well as

acts of terrorism. Bond in the following quote is suggesting that these could be the influence for Argento to

make this film. “How do we know that what Argento was doing here wasn’t simply clever art direction, but in

fact a lashing-out against the communism and terror that were plaguing his country?”(Bond, 2012:48) What

Bond is suggesting is that Suspirias style and content could either be a choice of art direction or could be a

reaction towards the current events. It could quite possibly a mix of both. The use of the camera close ups (fig.1)

that exaggerate the violence could be his way of ‘lashing-out’.

The films strong use of colour and light adds to the suspense and also a good device to give a sense of good and

evil. Smith talks about the use of lighting in the following quote. “Argento’s masterful use of deep primary colours

— the sets are bathed in garish red and green light (he acquired 1950s Technicolor stock to get the effect) giving

the whole film a hallucinatory intensity.”(Smith, s.d) What Smith is saying is that the lights have a strong presence

in the sets and gives the scenes a surreal feeling. The lights also have a clear distinction between the good and

the evil within the film. There are areas in the film where there is little danger, scenes like these are typically

flooded with blue light which could mean safety or a sign of good rather than evil but the hallway where the

teachers have more influence is flooded with red light which is a sign of evil or danger. (fig.2)

Figure 1. Use of close up (1977)

Figure 2 Red lighting (1977)

Bibliography

Bond, Thomas. (2012) Cranking the horror up to an 11: Dario Argento and Suspiria.

http://www2.okcu.edu/english/stellar2012.pdf#page=49

(Accessed on 03/12/2013)

Cherry, Brigid. (2012) Beyond Suspiria? The place of European horror cinema in the fan canon.

European Nightmares. New York: Columbia university press.

Smith, Adam (S.d) Suspiria

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=132659

(Accessed on 03/12/2013)

Illustrations

Fig.1 Use of close ups (1977) from Suspiria. Directed by Dario Argento

http://film-grab.com/2013/03/12/suspiria/#jp-carousel-20148

(Accessed on 03/12/2013)

Fig.2 Red lighting (1977) from Suspiria. Directed by Dario Argento

http://film-grab.com/2013/03/12/suspiria/#jp-carousel-20173

(Accessed on 03/12/2013)