This will prolly be a quick one. The eyes are straining, and credits on the tv are rolling, prompting me to change the DVD. I was excited that I got to see the original Suspiria just days before seeing the remake. Although it turns out, except for a few basic basic plot points and character names, the two are vastly different. So let’s just throw any comparisons out the window, ‘kay?
Dakota Johnson stars as an aspiring dancer (it was more modern than ballet) who comes to Germany to learn under Madam Blanc (Tilda Swinton), but the dance studio isn’t quite what it seems.
Well there’s no doubt this was a horror, although times felt more like a historical drama, with an emphasis on a divided post-WWII Berlin. The imagery was grotesque and horrifying, and there were creepy undertones throughout. There was a hauntingly beautiful dance performance that I absolutely LOVED, not to mention the rest of the dance elements throughout.
However, beyond those fleeting moments of the macabre, I just didn’t get it. I always hate making such admissions, but it’s true, I had no idea what was going on. It was slow, yet still tough to follow, and then it got weird, and then it kept going. Really, I spent most of the time plotting what my dinner options were with the few minutes I’d have to run to the foot court before returning for Round 2 of Bohemian Rhapsody after. Suspiria felt more like an obstacle to get thru.
Suspiria – \m/ \m/