Editor Reviews:

Description:
The Terrifying First Chapter of DARIO ARGENTO'S "Three Mothers" Trilogy... Uncut, Uncensored and Remastered from the Original Negative!

Jessica Harper (PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE) stars as Suzy Banyon, a young American ballet dancer who arrives at a prestigious European dance academy run by the mysterious Madame Blanc (Joan Bennett of DARK SHADOWS) and Miss Tanner (Alida Valli of KILLER NUN). But when a series of bizarre incidents and horrific crimes (including what Entertainment Weekly calls "the most vicious murder scene ever filmed") turn the school into a waking nightmare of the damned, Suzy must escape the academy's unspeakable secret of supernatural evil.

Experience the most shocking and hallucinatory horror movie in history as you've never seen or heard it before, now featuring the fully remastered landmark score by Goblin and a heart-stopping new film transfer supervised by cinematographer Luciano Tovoli. This is the definitive version of Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA, an aria of terror beyond imagination and one of the most extraordinary horror films ever made.

Amazon.com:
Outside of devoted cult audiences, many Americans have yet to discover the extremely stylish, relentlessly terrifying Italian horror genre, or the films of its talented virtuoso, Dario Argento. Suspiria, part one of a still-uncompleted trilogy (the luminously empty Inferno was the second), is considered his masterpiece by Argento devotees but also doubles as a perfect starting point for those unfamiliar with the director or his genre. The convoluted plot follows an American dancer (Jessica Harper) from her arrival at a European ballet school to her discovery that it's actually a witches coven; but, really, don't worry about that too much. Argento makes narrative subservient to technique, preferring instead to assault the senses and nervous system with mood, atmosphere, illusory gore, garish set production, a menacing camera, and perhaps the creepiest score ever created for a movie. It's essentially a series of effectively unsettling set pieces--a raging storm that Harper should have taken for an omen, and a blind man attacked by his own dog are just two examples--strung together on a skeleton structure. But once you've seen it, you'll never forget it. --Dave McCoy

Rating : - Over the Top, Technicolor, Pseudo-"Slasher"
The work of Italian director Dario Argento may truly be an acquired taste. This tale of an American girl arriving at a European ballet academy and discovering its sinister secrets is interestingly executed but may leave viewers perplexed.

"Suspiria" carries a reputation of being a great horror film. It's not brilliant, really, but it's also not the worst thing on celluloid. I understand its importance as an international horror film. It's known for it's bizarre use of vivid colors and its over the top production design. Those are the most memorable things about this movie.

The best thing in this film is the first murder which occurs about ten minutes or so into the film. It's pretty sensational. But the film overall lacks a lot in substance and story. It's basically a stylish yet flimsy movie. For me it is worth seeing once. I would have no desire to see it again. I'm afraid I was not very impressed with it. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea. I know it has many admirers.

The film is in English but some of the Euorpean actors had trouble speaking English, so their dialogue was later dubbed to be more understandable. This results in a film that seems dubbed but a couple of characters sound like they weren't dubbed (which is exactly what happened).

The music (which has been praised a lot) is too loud, and really isn't great compared to other horror films of the 1970's.

So I would suggest that it's worth renting to see this film that is on so many of the 'Greatest Horror Movies' lists. You may find yourself, like I was, wondering where the real horror was. Personally I'd rather watch a truly scary 1970's horror movie like "Black Christmas" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".