Part of Critical-Film's 2009 September Screams

-Inferno review
-Mother of Tears review

There's not much I can say about Suspiria that hasn't already been covered by nearly every other film reviewer on the planet. Considered by many to be one of the all-time greatest horror films of all time (and even the 100th greatest film, horror or otherwise, by ' The Village Voice ', following the likes of Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt, and Scorsese's Mean Streets in 99th and 98th, respectively), there's no doubting Suspiria's influence on the world of modern day horror.

All you really need to know about Suspiria is that it's one of the few genuinely good films about witches. An American ballet dancer (Suzy, played by Jessica Harper) arrives at a European dance academy. She arrives in the middle of a rainy night to the sight of a young woman screaming through the rain as she runs from the academy. (This sequence is followed by what many consider the most violent murder ever put to film... but it's constructed so well that you can't deny it's beauty.) Suzy, unable to get in to the academy, returns the next morning to take her place, only to be plagued by all number or horrors.

From the very beginning when Suzy arrives at the school on the rainy night, it's obvious you're watching something very special. Dario Argento was at the top of his proverbial game when directing both Suspiria and Inferno, as they defy everything you've come to expect from horror films. Not only are they brimming with suspense and incredibly stylized violence, they are absolutely beautifully filmed. Now, I don't mean strictly good lighting and inventive camera angles. No, these two films, Suspiria in particular, define the horror film as a potential work of visual art. Scenes are lit with bright reds, greens, and blues making them look more like moving paintings than film. It's a masterpiece of visual film-making.

The other key feature that sets Suspiria apart from many other horror films is Argento's desire to build his film like a mystery. The majority of his films have a resolution that hinges on the ability of our protagonist to decipher the significance of something they either saw or heard earlier in the movie. Suspiria has Suzy attempting to piece together what she saw that night in the rain, Inferno has the characters trying to decipher the riddle of the keys, Deep Red has one of the most incredible hidden visuals I've ever seen, and the list goes on. It's a theme that Argento likes to include in most of his films, and the films which include a little mystery are the best in his filmography.

Suspiria also includes one of the most memorable soundtracks of all time. Goblin, who would score numerous other films for Argento, provide a haunting score; one that uses strange human vocals, the sounds of whispers and gasps to compliment the music. It's an artistic choice that lends itself well to the film, as Suspiria would be a lesser film without Goblin's accompanying soundtrack.

For every ingenious move Argento makes, there are a few significant flaws throughout Suspiria, and to be truthful, nearly every one of Argento's films. These flaws are almost entirely related to the story and it's lack of believability at times, and the occurrence of events that can rightfully be referred to as ridiculous. This is a lesser problem in Suspiria than some of Argento's other works, but the same noticable problems are there. To relay one example without giving too much away, there's one sequence that involves a woman's death by razor-wire, but if you watch the scene there's no way anyone could ever make the same mistake. Trust me, you'll know what I mean when you watch it. Moments like these require a particularly large amount of disbelief to be suspended, however in the big picture they are a small gripe in a film as beautiful and effective as this.

It's unfortunate, with Suspiria being recognized as one of the greatest horror films of all time, that Argento's talent for creating lush visuals and atmospheric environments has seemed to slip in recent years. Films like Phantom of the Opera , The Card Player , and Trauma only hint at the brilliance of his earlier works, as films like Suspiria , Deep Red , and even his first work Bird With the Crystal Plumage are excellent achievements in the horror/thriller genre, and proof that he was once the greatest Italian horror director... perhaps of all time. On a personal note, I will also state, that with all his flaws, Dario Argento introduced me to the world of Italian horror cinema, and I consider him to be my personal favorite director, all time.