Tuesday 10 February 2015

The 6th Hall Of Fame Inductee Representing Horror Film - Suspiria (1977) - Dario Argento



Chances are that if you are like myself a horror movie freak you’ve never seen one like Suspiria. Hell, even as a fan of Dario Argento, I’d never seen anything like Suspiria. The first scene, a seemingly nondescript bit of exposition, shows main character Suzy, played by Jessica Harper, leaving an airport. However, musical interjections, composed by the Italian prog-rock band Goblin, indicate, right from the get-go, that all is not what it seems; the rules have been changed. Unlike most horror films, which obsess with drowning the audience in murk, it’s beautifully shot by cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, whose lighting and camera positioning highlights the extraordinary elegance of the sets. I defy you to find a better-looking horror film from the standpoint of artistic direction. As such, the general atmosphere created by Argento is that of a dream: we aren’t sure whether or not what we are seeing is real, but we know it’s damn sure terrifying!


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