Dario Argento’s Suspiria is a classic horror movie and a must-see for anyone who likes Italian horror. I surprised myself by not having reviewed the movie yet. It should not have taken 12+ years and over 300 movies to get to this one.

The story is simple: Suzy is an American dance student who travels to Germany to study at a prestigious German ballet academy. She discovers something sinister is a afoot as grotesque and deadly things start to happen.

Even if you don’t like the horror genre or the particularly over-the-top stylings of Italian horror, you cannot deny the carefully crafted aesthetics or the effectiveness of the haunting mood.

This movie is a visual treat with an oddly vibrant color palette and quaintly Wes Anderson-esque locations that look like works of art. Argento made this bold decision to trick the viewer into feeling safe with the colors and environments. Or maybe he just thought it looked cool. Either way, he was right.

Then you have the prog-rock band Goblin providing the musical score that bombards your ears with frightening soundscapes of droning mystery and breathy vocalized impending doom. At times, the cues are a bit too harsh and repetitive, but I think that is the point. When the music is used, it is for a purpose and it’s supposed to hit you hard. In your face.

The gore is a full spectrum of maggots falling from the ceiling to glass shard deaths and stabbings.

There are definitely things to not like about the movie. The dubbing is difficult at times (even though some of the actors do speak English throughout), some scenes go on for too long, and the ending is kind of abrupt. Still, there is something very important about this movie. At a time when horror movies were recycling the same old formula, this one pushed the boundaries out just a little further.

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