Suspiria

[first watched 16th may 2021] [original rating: ★★★★½] I hold the original Suspiria in very high regard, Dario Argento is one of my favourite directors and it is most certainly his masterpiece - I was anxious when I initially watched this remake mainly due to the fact that so many remakes, particularly in the horror genre, are often absolute rubbish The thing with the Suspiria remake is that it is hardly even a remake at all, rather it is Luca Guadanino's take on a concept - the term remake should be used very loosely when describing this film as it is a completely different beast entirely Where the original Suspiria shines in its exceedingly colourful and eccentric depiction of the dancing school in Germany, the remake strips the colour out of the film almost entirely, creating what could be described as the polar opposite to the original whilst still adopting the same base premise - its even s stretch to say that the premise is the same, sure the film takes place in a dance school in Germany and involves witches, but the plot progression and certainly the ending are drastically different from the original The characters and performances fit the darker tone of the remake incredibly well - Tilda Swinton is one of, if not, my favourite actress of all time, her performance in this film is so imposing yet you are able to find a sense of trust and comfort in her as an audience member - Mia Goth is incredible in this film as is Dakota Johnson Suzy Banion is one of my favourite characters ever, what Dakota fanning brings to the role also fits the film well, the film feels modernised whilst looking like a film from the Argento era - Jessica Harper appears in a supporting role in this which I think is great, still shows the remnants of Argento's creation by including the original Suzy even though the actress is playing a different character entirely There are very sporadic bright colouring resembling that of the original Suspiria, mainly in the disturbing montages - this is clear acknowledgement of the original whilst still telling a different story, I think that's awesome The sets are absolutely incredible - the wall mirrors in the various rooms of the school help create an immense feeling of entrapment, Stasi occupied Berlin is represented incredibly through the film's consistent dark colours and the undertone of constant surveillance - both from the witches and the people on the outside Olga's scenes are scenes that I now personally believe are some of the hardest to watch and most deeply disturbing scenes ever put on film - one thing I picked up on when rewatching was that she lived, those who have watched it will understand why that is such a terrifying realisation, perhaps more so than the initial incident everything about this film, to me, is just excellent - the film is shot expertly with some really great gore and lighting and MY GOD Luca knows how to incorporate sound into his films Jesus Christ the score by Thom Yorke is awesome - I'm not really a fan of him but I hope he continues venturing into scoring feature films  This is by far my favourite Guadanino film - sorry Call Me By Your Name fanboys but this is great  I'm not sure what compelled me to rewatch this but I'm very happy I did, so disturbing and awesome - I know its not for everyone but I think everyone should at least give it a try