[Editorial] In Defense Of… Why Suspiria (2018) is Better Than The Original

“Patricia wrote about ‘Three Mothers’ lost to time, predating all Christian invention. Pre-God, pre-devil. Mother Tenebrarum. Mother Lachrymarum. Mother Suspiriorum. Darkness, tears, and sighs.”

Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977) is a classic. There’s simply no other way to describe it. Its use of garishly bright color, the amazing soundtrack by Argento’s band Goblin, and Daria Nicoldi (Argento’s wife at the time)’s fairy-tale-inspired story are groundbreaking. Many fans were outraged when it was announced that Suspiria was to be remade but I, who find the original Suspiria offers more in the way of style than substance and story, thought “Let’s see where they’re going with this…”. Giallo and Italian horror fans can be tremendously territorial, especially about Dario Argento films. Giallo is such a delicate sub-genre and brought to worldwide fame by Argento, so the stakes were tremendously high. Many were already outcrying the film at just the announcement of a remake in the early 2000’s, when it was acquired by Luca Guadagnino and offered to director David Gordon Green (Halloween Ends) before being canceled due to budgeting issues. The project became official in 2015 with Guadagnino helming the film himself.

Director Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All), chose a different and rich path. Intelligently paying tribute to Argento’s source material while washing away the vibrant colors of the original film for a bleaker palette, he gave the dance school, characters, and even the setting in divided Berlin during the late 1970s a firm push resulting in a real story, fully fleshed out characters, and quite the twist ending.

A remake -  or a homage, as Guadagnino calls his version of Suspiria -  needs an amazing cast and performances to stand a chance and Suspiria 2018 boasts beautiful and haunting performances by Mia Goth as the unfortunate Sara, Dakota Johnson as our protagonist Susie, and heavy hitter Tilda Swinton in dual roles as both the malevolent yet loving Madame Blanc and the elderly male psychiatrist Dr. Klemperer. Argento and Nicolodi’s characters and script are more of a springboard for this version, providing screenplay writer David Kajganich a chance to give the characters background and to make The Markos Tanz (Dance) Company a chance to become more than just a convenient front for a witch coven. In the 1977 Suspiria, the dance company means little to the plot with the dancers employing some form of directionless ballet with Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper), dancing for maybe 5 seconds before collapsing for us then to be carried off into the slowly unfolding plot with a bit of an anticlimactic ending. One of the most mesmerizing aspects of Suspiria 2018 is the fact that modern interpretive dance has replaced the, ultimately, pointless ballet of the original and is extremely integral to the plot, the coven of witches, and actually becomes a powerful way to enact the spells and thrall of the witchcraft coven. It is a story so rich it is broken into acts, as if the viewer is watching a play and the acts give hints as to what will unfold within it with the rich layer of the original score by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke replacing Goblin’s prog-rock soundtrack of yesteryear. 

Dario Argento, having spoken with Luca Guadagnino, made his thoughts well-known on Guadagnino’s version of his classic film. “It did not excite me, it betrayed the spirit of the original film: there is no fear, there is no music. The film has not satisfied me so much.” [Burwick, Kevin. “Dario Argento Says Suspiria Remake Betrayed the Spirit of the Original.” Movie Web, 20 Jan. 2019]

As much of a fan as I am of Argento’s work, I tend to think that his comments make more sense when applied to his own version of Suspiria, given the lack of any depth of character or plot. It’s just a beautifully lit piece of moving art with a great soundtrack. Guadagnino’s Suspiria is intensely rewatchable, and the characters have backgrounds, fears, talents, and emotions that make the viewer care. For instance, giving Susie her Mennonite background and making it have such important plot weight is an amazing addition, not to mention the inclusion of the importance of the Berlin location and timely subject matter, and bringing the German language into the film for full immersion (more than 30% of the film is spoken in German). The film feels both artistic and realistic and doesn’t short out on thrill and gore. The women are simultaneously powerful, loving and frightening and the nearly-exclusive female cast and the continuous theme of the mother figure are a boon to the film. 

I find that the female-centric plot serves not only as a female empowerment message, but that it speaks upon many aspects of female relationships - be they mother and daughter, sisterhood, friendship, or queer. The film can certainly be interpreted as a queer horror epic and Guadagnino has never shied away from this type of subject matter in any of his filmwork. 

“[...] Gone are its internal hierarchies and secrets and gone too are its abuses of power for personal gain. Ultimately, Suspiria (2018) interrogates its political anxieties, and arrives at the conclusion that a truly queer approach is to engage in radical acts of love and compassion.” [Fortier, Zoe. “Women and Queerness in Horror: Suspiria (2018).” Phenixx Gaming, 23 Sep. 2020].

In the end, I nominate Suspiria 2018 as a remake, re-imagining, recalibration and “inspired by” horror tale that was ripe for such a retelling and deserving of an audience. As a fan of Argento’s work, I think his original Suspiria leaves me lacking while Guadgnino’s version leaves me wanting more and frequently revisiting his 2018 version. I find Argento’s Suspiria ultimately rings hollow, especially after seeing the newer and richer take on it. When it comes to Argento, it will be Tenebrae (1982) at the top for me every single time. 

I don’t feel Suspiria 2018 has been viewed by enough people with open minds (though horror fans seem to be coming around as of late), so I would hate to give away too much of the plot, specifically the ending. It simply must be viewed to have the full experience - and it is quite the experience, at that. The ending is an absolute favorite of mine as it is one, no matter how much you think you have figured out, that will blow you away in its distinctive gore and surprising beauty of a sense.

While I have yet to fully cover Suspiria 2018 on my podcast The House That Screams, we have tackled the (stubbornly) beloved 1977 version of the film, with a brief side discussion on Suspiria 2018 within it. I feel it proves many points I’ve made within this editorial. Stay tuned to my podcast in 2023 for a full discussion on Suspiria 2018. 

You can also have a listen to my discussion on The House That Screams Podcast about Suspiria (2018)!

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