User reviews

The original 'Suspiria' by Dario Argento was a treat for the senses. It was a visual masterpiece. This version of 'Suspiria' has no similarities with the original. It is more arthouse with a completely different tone. The atmosphere is sinister and eerie. The elaborately choreographed dance sequences are macabre and invoke a sense of dread. The movie is not outright scary like conventional horror but more along the lines of psychological horror. Also, Dakota Johnson's performance as Susie was quite good. At 2 hours 30 minutes, It is a lengthy movie but it is worth it.

Disclaimer: Similar to another user review, I have to confess that I am EXACTLY the audience for this movie. I love Tilda Swinton, genre films, dance, anti-fascism, and Gothic horror. So take what I say with a grain of salt, I suppose.

"We need guilt, Doctor, and shame."

The scariest thing in the world (to me) is a person with no sense of shame. It's remarkably easy for some people to decide, 'I'm not responsible, I don't care if I hurt people or if people are hurt in my name, as long as I'm comfortable. As long as I don't see it. As long as I can justify in my head why those people deserved it. As long as I get to sit here, sip my tea, and not think about the bodies.'

Such is the poison that consumes the Helena Markos Dance Academy, where the matrons who run the school prey upon their students. They put on a protective, motherly front to manipulate and destroy the young women who come through their doors. The youth believe the celebrated academy will help perfect their dancing capabilities. This lie masks a secret, nefarious plot - one the coven will gladly kill to protect.

Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria has a lot on its mind - the German Autumn, modern dance, motherhood, witchcraft, psychotherapy - but everything comes back to a struggle with shame, especially as it applies to those with power. The witches at the academy were victims of the Third Reich, and have since devolved into their own form of fascistic groupthink. Fear of discovery drives the coven to commit atrocities. We are shown in grueling, bone-crunching detail the cruelty they are willing to inflict on dissenters, and then we see how shockingly happy and contented they are with what they've done. Evil is banal, and it does not occur to (most of) the matrons that they should feel even the slightest semblance of guilt.

The only other authority figure in the film is Dr. Klemperer (played by the endearing "Lutz Ebersdorf"), a psychologist who survived the Holocaust. While his intentions are more noble than those of the witches, he still fails to take action when it counts and pathetically denies the blood on his hands. The message may not be subtle, but that doesn't make it any less palpable: We are all culpable when we allow unjust regimes to flourish. Shame can help save humanity.

Guadagnino is more concerned with character psychology than Dario Argento was in his 1977 original. Every character actively pursues an agenda, and their individual journeys interlock in interesting ways. It's difficult to say there is only one main protagonist; we closely follow the progress of so many people. Guadagnino also shows way more compassion for his characters than Argento did. The sisterhood that develops between Susie (Dakota Johnson) and Sara (Mia Goth) is genuinely touching. So is the intense, symbiotic bond between Susie and her instructor, Madam Blanc (the incomparable Tilda Swinton). And of course, there's Klemperer on a mission to find and rescue his missing patient, a dancer tormented by the academy (Chloe Grace Moretz). Because there is sincere, deeply felt love for each of these characters, the terror visited upon them is all the more distressing.

Many of the film's stylistic choices can be quite jarring, particularly in the VFX and editing departments. It's also 2.5 hours long and slow paced in sections. It's not for everyone, but then again, neither is the 1977 original. Guadagnino pays tribute to the free, punk rock spirit of Argento in his own unique way. Thom Yorke's music is also very surprising; singing on a horror movie soundtrack is a bold move. Yet nothing here feels out of place. The world of this film follows a well-defined, if unorthodox and challenging, aesthetic logic - in that regard, it matches the success of the original, which critics described as "A movie that makes sense only to the eye."

The new Suspiria makes sense on a deeper level. For all its intellectual obsessions, the movie is first and foremost an emotional experience. We watch, helpless, as characters we care for are neglected, lied to, and murdered by their elders. With age and trauma, the adults have lost touch with their humanity, and now they commit selfish crimes whilst hiding behind a wall.

People who say this movie "doesn't know what it wants to be" couldn't be more wrong.

I've seen the original and can tell that this remake goes one step further. While the old 'Suspiria' from 1977 has strong atmospheric suspense, his one has less of it, but becomes real bloody at the end. What drives me mad is the run time. 2 hours 31 minutes for a story that could be easily told in 1 hour 45 minutes. So I lost a lot of time for a mediocre story. I would have given even a worse rating, if it wouldn't get so gory shocking scenes at the end. That's the only point it can really score with - as a horror movie. The story is too long winded.

Need another remake/reboot/reimagining of a classic horror movie that was effective because of the timing of its release... and deserves to keep its legendary status for the rest of time." Then I saw that it was 2.5 hours, and I was like "OMG, what?!" Then I watched it, and I was like "OMG, what?!" I think I'm going to watch it again, because I wasn't paying attention a lot of the time. However, this is one of those remakes/reboots/reimaginings that I respect. Why? Because it takes the CONCEPT of the original, and spins everything about, swirls and twirls it, then flips it up into itself, turning into a completely faithful representation of the term "REIMAGINING". I respect SUSPIRIA 2018. Granted, some of the makeup effects were pretty bad (especially the "old man", which I don't really think was necessary; and the silly makeup for one of the "old ladies" in the final act, which was worse). It is a little long in the tooth. It tries perhaps a little too hard to be artsy-fartsy... But it grabbed me. It pressed its filthy, dirty fingers on my windpipe in parts, and gently squeezed with wrathful intimacy. I felt dirty, yet couldn't help but feel enthralled in parts.

I will say, though, that even if this movie was a complete FAILURE of a horror remake, I will gladly praise the fact that it tried to be its own thing. It wasn't a shameless ripoff. It really, truly IS a reimagining. We just don't get enough of those these days.

Gone is the exaggerated colour palette, the elaborate set pieces, the nightmarish soundtrack & the no-nonsense premise of the original. In fact, Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria departs from everything that made Dario Argento's horror classic unique, and is a dull, dismal & divisive remake that's exhausting, frustrating & one hell of a slog.

Unlike the 1977 original, this one employs muted colours, shrivelled set design, slow-burn approach, hypnotic score & an unnecessarily drawn out narrative that piles one needless segment on top of another, resulting in an overlong flick that exceeds the original's length by a considerable margin, and will test the patience of most viewers.

Aiming for more than a straightforward supernatural horror, Guadagnino retains the themes of the original but is more interested in exploring the political unrest of the depicted timeline, not because the plot calls for it but because he wants to. While some will admire his choice to not rehash the same story, others will argue that his reach far exceeds his grasp here.

On the plus side, the eerie mood & foreboding aura never leaves the room, some kills are downright terrifying, the earthy tones do fit its depressing tone, that Volk dance sequence is truly a highlight, Make-up is top-notch, and Thom Yorke's score just fits. As for the performances, Tilda Swinton steals the show by taking the role of not one, not two but three different characters, and she excels at all of them.

Overall, Suspiria does retain the original's title but everything about it is different. More a homage than a full-fledged remake, it is an abstract re-imagination that attempts to tackle themes & elements that it could've done without, and comes stuffed with an unwarranted subplot that's detrimental to the viewing experience. In short, Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria is too long, too slow & too far up its own ass.

It's 1977 Berlin in an atmosphere of political terrorism. Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) is a wide-eyed amateur new to the free avant-garde Tanz Dance Academy. Former dancer Patricia Hingle disappeared and her psychiatrist Josef Klemperer reads her journals. Tilda Swinton plays multiple characters.

This is about three quarter grind and a quarter amaze balls. The grind is a lethargic slow procession. Dakota is also lethargic and struggles to be the lead. Her 50 shades acting has infected this movie. She barely stands out in the sea of wraithlike dancers. It's weird and arthouse beautiful. It's meandering. It's a real grind except when it's amaze balls. The first contortion kill is crazy and good and crazy good. It is visually aggressive and artful. It's new and everything I want from this movie. It's also the best the movie ever gets. There are some good moments after that but they don't exceed it. I can see how some may like the arthouse horror aspect but I suspect that more will not like the slow grind. It's two and a half hours and I wouldn't mind cutting out a good half hour out.

A lot of bad reviews on here probably from those expecting a copy of the original. I personally didn't want a copy (what's the point in that?), the original had a chilling score and beautiful visuals but wasn't all that scary. They say this movie is an art scene but in my opinion, the original focuses more on art as it does actual horror. This Suspiria delves more into the coven of witches and the substance you would want from a so called horror movie. I am a massive horror fan but I pick what I watch wisely as the horror genre as a whole is only 25% good. If you want substance then watch this film, if you want cheap jump scares, lack of story and crappy Hollywood types then look elsewhere.

I cannot put my finger on it completely, but something is off with this movie and I don't like that I cannot give it a 9 since the acting was great. As always, Swinton can carry any movie single-handedly on her shoulders. And her doubling as the Doctor was unexpectedly good. Simply, I think the casting was great.

The writing, storytelling and maybe the editing seems to be decent but perhaps holding the film back a bit. So I'm unfamiliar with the historical backdrop of the film, but that's ok because I think there is enough gloom and doom feeling that I get the mood it's trying to set. But then all the flashbacks or sharp cuts to all these random pictures and scenes gets muddy. I get that maybe it was supposed to bring this elevated artistic thriller element but it failed because it was overused and just too random at times. The pacing was a bit slow as well or maybe it was the long runtime that made it feel like it was ongoing forever.

In all, I think it's a 6, but it could have been an easy 8 with at least better editing and shorter runtime.

While I really liked the weirdness of the Original (you can't really put your finger on it and what it tried to tell us), this really steps up to the task. I know that just writing this or just the rating will have some fans of the Original riled up. Now I'm not trying to take anything away from your memories or your taste, so if you are reading on, I thank you for being open minded.

For anyone unaware of the original, you do not have to have seen it, to enjoy this. But you can watch both, because they differ on enough levels to make them both enticing and interesting to watch. Even a double will would be something that made sense. And whichever order you want to watch them. Though I think it would make sense to watch Argentos Suspiria first. We have different characters here, we have an amount violence and depicted visual explicit pain enducing scenes, that this is not for the faint of hearted. If you are squeamish, do not - I repeat: do NOT watch this! But if you stomach the visceral and painful moments (there are not that many and they are mixed well with the story), you will love the rest too.

Great storytelling and a weirdness that can hold up to that of the original. And really great acting to go along with everything.

Perfecta por donde se la mire. Luca Guadagnino lo hiciste de nuevo.

I don't mind weird art house movies but this was just not good. There are so many themes (holocaust, witches, terrorism, patriarchy, matriarchy, oppressive religion) alluded to in the film but without any depth or coherence that it left me completely baffled. I had to look up an explanation of the plot after I finished the film because none of it is coherently brought together even in an art house metaphorical way. Dakota was too bland for the lead too - that type of role needs subtle nuances throughout the film for the plot to work but she plays it so straight and is so dull that the trajectory of her character is too hard to believe. Mia Goth & Chloe Moretz are more captivating in their very short roles.

This is the coolest movie of 2018, no doubt. I liked the original, but this version was way better. The stakes were upped, the political context was more interesting and thought provoking - and the special effects were off the chain. So bloody and disturbing and clever. Great performances all around, and dance too! the ending is so rewarding I can't even get into how graphic it is. SEE THIS FILM!

Suspiria is a well made horror movie, not boring, building slowly the tension and with a great director work behind it. If you expect a classic horror movie "american style" you will be disappointed, but if you are looking for an adult horror movie then this one is for you. Everyone talking about the last 20 minutes.... well, last 20 minuts must be considered and evaluated in the totality of the work of Guadagnino, as his own personal touch. Above all, i suggest to watch it without prejudices and with a clean mind, to enjoy the atmosphere, the uncomfortable situations, the evil sensation that Guadagnino can offer us.

This would have been a fantastic 1hr 45 minute film. The problem is this film runs for a whopping 2hrs 30mins.

This is a film that needed an editor to cut back scenes. They run too long and there are many irrelevent to the plot scenes dragging this movie down considerably.

If this had of been cut back this would have been an 8/10 film. As it stands now I gave this 4/10.

See the Daria Argento original instead.

I'm Italian and I'm proud of Luca Guadagnino, he has grown very much. This movie is an author's movie, you can breath Guadagnino's style. The movie undergoes a difficult comparison with Dario Argento' masterpiece, someone couldn't appreciate it because of the original movie. The director had the difficult task of respecting the masterpiece, in fact he decided to change the original main plot, but leaving the essence of the original movie. The dance scene are really well filmed, maybe too long... in fact the biggest problem is the duration. A lot of scene are too long! I really appreciated Suspiria. Well done Luca

Large groups of people seem to either be awed by this film or utterly revile it. I, however, am willing to go against the grain and take the middle ground. This is neither a masterpiece, nor is it a disaster.

It's a highly ambitious remake that attempts to weave political and artistic themes together into one cornucopia of fantasy-horror-historical expression, and unfortunately it only succeeds some of the time. Does this film bite off more than it can chew? One could argue that, but sometimes I'd rather a film try to do too much and partially fail than play it safe and thereby come out less memorable.

What tends to give this film more bite is its ferocious dance sequences. I can only imagine how much work went into that aspect of the filmmaking. There is also a wonderful recreation of the sterile bleakness of late 1970s Berlin back when the city was still divided during the Cold War. As far as performances go, there isn't a false note. Dakota Johnson gives a nuanced turn as an aspiring American dancer who comes to Berlin in 1977 to join a world-renowned dance company, which just might be dominated by a host of witches. Tilda Swinton gives an equally disquieting turn as one of the dance instructors. Chloe Moretz Grace turns out to be under-utilized.

Although some scenes don't feel as artistic as they could have been, this is still an arresting cinematic experience overall. Putting its inconsistency in execution aside as well as a seemingly winding conclusion, I recommend this film for those looking for something ambitious and off-the-wall.

A dancing school is not what it presents, swinging back and forth charades with dark pretence, a coven of conspirators, necromancer choreographers, a malevolent and pernicious, dark presence. A young American enrols, and takes the floor, not too long before events suggests theirs more, than a spin, a twist or twirl, as performances unfurl, and disguises make surprises so much more.

A colourful and vibrant tale of what lies beneath the surface, under the covers and behind closed doors in a German school of dancing, although once you start to peel away the flesh, you may find an abstract and occasionally complex undercurrent of themes that reflect how progressive the world, or at least parts of it, have become. Both Dakota Johnson and especially Tilda Swinton deliver top drawer performances.

There's a huge difference between dark cinematography and just a poorly lit set. The poor lighting gets in the way of what seems to be pretty sold performances from Mia Goth and Dakota Johnson. I'm not sure if it's the wrong film stock or if it's actually intended to wash out detail. If I were one of the actresses or their agents I would be upset that their work was so strongly obstructed by lighting. Additionally, a good amount of set design is lost to darkness. At one point, Mia Goth finds a secret room. She looks around, frightened by what she sees. The intent is clearly to have some exposition of what's going on behind the scenes of the dance company. Unfortunately, the viewer can't make out what any of it is, there are plaster death masks and a bunch of shadowy junk that doesn't give any sort of insight. Is it a strange tea party, a devil worshipping coven, a garage sale with the lights off?

Tilda Swinton is so poorly cast as Dr Klemperer that it takes you right out of the movie. There's no point to having her play multiple parts. The makeup and costume certainly make her look like an old man but as soon as she starts speaking, the feminine voice gives an uncanny valley sort of cognitive dissonance that tricks the mind into feeling like it's a voice over. Any elderly man could have played the part without being a distraction.

Finally, editing. There are about 20 minutes of extra footage that could have been trimmed out to give a much tighter story. For example, the first dance of Susie/ death of Olga was about eight cuts too long.

The best thing about Suspiria is the fact that Luca Guadagnino has been able to evolve as a film maker. After Call Me By Your Name, Luca could have stayed safe with the romantic drama, he tried something different and that is admirable.

I'll probably get hate for it but I haven't seen the original, I'm sure it's incredible! Suspiria is incredibly well filmed with such a style that makes it feel old with a awesome soundtrack! Glorious eerie vibes in many parts which is nice. Very much reminds me of Black Swan just very different and more terrifying; which I love! Electrifying experience that I didn't expect, I cant't believe Suspira didn't get more praise.

Once I stopped seeing it as a remake I started to enjoy it. Some incredible acting (Tilda Swinton as always) and some really good body horror moments which felt like you were really part of the nightmare. Final act is totally insane, in the best possible way.

This is my very first review on IMDB, but I feel this film merits recognition. First off, let me say this film is not for everyone (the guy who I fist bumped when we started the film walked out). Frankly, if we are being honest this is a bit of a niche film. Howeverly it is a gorgeous piece of cinema worth give attention to.

The cinematography is gorgeous in every shot, and at times will honestly make you questionin what era the film was made in. The socre is somber and a great match with the the bleak tone constructed by Guadagnino. The acting is very well done, and stands strong throughout the film. I personally don't want to give the plot away, or any more information beyond what I have said.

I for the life of me can't understand why fans of the original dislike this piece! If you love the uniqueness of the original Suspiria, and are willing to experience a new interpretation of the film I genuinely think you'll have a blast!

Though it has essentially the exact same set up as Dario Argento's original masterpiece, this remake wisely opts for a different approach when it comes to all the details. We still have an American dancer coming to Germany in the late 70's to study ballet in a dance school that's a front for a coven of bloodthirsty witches, but everything else from the style, the performances, the gory set pieces, the tone, and the message are completely different.

The political backstory is entirely unnecessary and leads to nothing and a subplot involving a psychiatrist whose wife was killed in World War II adds a lot of heart, but can feel meandering at times and like an unwelcome houseguest every time it cuts to him when we'd much rather be learning about the shady underbelly of the dance academy and the relationships between the students and teachers.

Besides this, Suspiria is a brave and compelling re-imagining of a horror classic that takes big risks and delivers for more patient viewers expecting more than a simple retread of the original.

I sat through the entire film, and honestly do not understand any part of the plot. The film is basically a collection of bizarre scenes. Many scenes are gory, but they are so over the top that they become funny instead of scary. I can't imagine a film that can be worse than this.