'Suspiria' Still Holds Up 36 Years Later

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 19, 2013 7:40PM

Italian master of horror Dario Argento’s films have a distinctive style—a blend of bold colors, inventive use of background music and an ability to ratchet the tension of a scene culminating in a bright bloody, Grand Guignol-style climax. Argento’s most recent films (2009’s Giallo and last year’s Dracula 3D) are remembered more for their sloppy production, poor reviews and behind the scenes drama; Giallo star Adrien Brody sued the film’s producers because he wasn’t fully paid.

Argento’s magnum opus is arguably 1977’s Suspiria. A tale of an American ballet dancer who slowly discovers a coven of witches is responsible for a series of horrific murders at the academy where she studies, Argento is in full command of his filmmaking skills here. Suspiria is best known for this scene where a student at the ballet academy flees a killer, only to fall into a pit of barbed wire and meet her fate.

Barbed Wire Scene

Argento’s best films served as the foundation for popular slasher franchises of the 1980s like the Friday the 13th series and had an indelible impact on filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth. Suspiria (despite the cartoonish gore) still holds up today thanks to the tense atmospheres in which Argento places his characters.

The local horror movie society Terror in the Aisles will be screening a rare 35mm print of Suspiria as part of a Nov. 30 triple feature at the Patio Theater. Suspiria runs at 9:30 p.m. It’s preceded by the Midwest premiere of Devil in My Ride with an appearance by director Gary Schultz. A rare 35mm print of Lucio Fulci’s 1981 film The Black Cat follows Suspiria at 11:30 p.m.

In addition, there will be a screening of vintage horror movie trailers and short films and a screening of Treevenge, a short film by Jason Eisener, director of the cult classic Hobo with a Shotgun.

Tickets are available online here.