The Sound of Red: Suspiria (1977)

This movie operates like a song. The soundtrack tracks this movie with intricate beats per minute that allow for remarkable engagement. The utterly ominous and scary tranquility through pictures of horror created by the Greek 'Bouzouki' instrument is hair-raising. I adore movies that function using a main theme sprinkled thoroughly. It creates such a memorable mood for the viewer and makes for a remarkable choral experience. Another fantastic addition was the tabla, establishing such a neat and spicy sense of drama and a focus on deliberate composure that is the cornerstone of this film. Thereafter, the rhythmic intensity it welcomed dances on the edges of your heart. Just the immediate heightened nature of a scene is so satisfying to overtly feel; and alluring to witness. The resultant operatic nature and rhythm of the movie is an enticing prism that I truly want to be a part of. 

Next up. the visuals. The dusky, velveteen, crisp-red saturation of the picture makes for an oh, so stark sense of alertness and evil. The red is obviously symbolic, but never have I seen such an abundant and unapologetic penetration into the creases of a film. It simply produces a beautiful spectacle that is orchestrated in a feathery, heavy thudding flow. The walls are red, and the gore is red. Especially after that opening scene, where the exuberant massacre of two girls is graphic and horribly macabre using the menacing and striking technique of showing the horrendous crimes of the witches i.e., repeatedly stabbing the actual, physical heart! *shivers* 

Not only is the cinematography amazing, but the direction results in brilliant captures of reaction and enables something to be kept from the characters and audience alike. One interesting shot was the focus on Olga's back during the front door conversation between The Cute Guy and Suzy, creating such a mischievous and suspicious encounter and perhaps suggesting Olga to be evil. The movie, furthermore, is so well-structured. The setting, I cannot praise enough. Horror movies can survive in good settings. The wide shots were so tasty to view and complimented the graphic and hypnotic backgrounds that immensely elevated all scenes alike.

I highly respect how this picture owns its exaggerated nature of portrayal, which honestly is so greatly needed in movies, especially horror. I thought this movie was genuinely scary, with its pacing and graphic scenes. The main character was almost a mouthpiece for us, in the sense that she found out everything with us. The slick 'witches' introduction, where everything faded to black is an example of this. The idea is quite unexpected, at least it was for me, so it is acutely jarring and a dramatic turning point for the film. It's also when Suzy becomes noticeably more involved. This is quite an interesting concept. Yes, she is still around and involved before this, like feeling weak, and we know she is the hero, but the latter half is where I feel she transforms into the quintessential protagonist. Now everything surrounds her as opposed to just being a suspicious or outside observer. To me, she is used quite efficiently. It's like they are saving her charm for the final act when she finally stops eating the food and confronts the mystery which is quite liberating and essentially, very classic. It's the natural chain the film tried to create. Before Suzy, Sara plays the 'main' role of coming up with theories and observing something fishy going on. Before Sara, Pat (the intro girl) was the main threat to the witch coven. Just as one discovers something and is killed off, it is passed unto the next until finally, someone ends it once and for all. 

The ending scene, for me, is one of the most memorable ones I've ever seen. It shouts 'iconic' to me. As Suzy, our hero, fights off everyone and saves the day in electrifying cacophony, the place burns down and the coven falters to their final and epic demise. The film ends by giving us such an earnest depiction of the human instinct. A smile of relief. She isn't brooding or looking intense. She is just in a massive moment of relief that she isn't dead, that she somehow ended the evil. This is vastly different from what I have normally seen in movies before. The smile isn't cliched like looking at each other 'We're alright now' or 'We did it together.' It is just a glimpse of utter liberation. But this feeling would not be achieved if it weren't for the intensity of the tension and horror, we and Suzy experience thus far. 

I also weirdly enjoyed the dubbed sound of the dialogue, famous in Italian filmmaking. It really suited the movie and heightened the baleful, dreamy, and displaced nature of everything. It felt like a great idiosyncrasy for a movie to have and well, Dario Argento is Italian, so it makes sense. It worked like a charm and was quite good for the film. Also, can we talk about how perfect the duration of this film is?