Suzy Bannion arrives in Freiburg on a night of relentless rain, a violent storm trailing her from the airport to the dance academy where she has just enrolled.
As she reaches the building, she catches sight of a terrified girl fleeing into the night, muttering fragments of what sound like a warning.
Denied entry and forced to spend the night elsewhere, Suzy remains on the outside, while inside, the same girl seeks refuge with a friend. A malevolent presence soon breaks into their room, brutally murdering them both.
For Suzy, it marks the beginning of a slow descent into nightmare, as a series of strange and seemingly disconnected events begin to close in around her.
The academy’s blind pianist is savagely killed by his own dog shortly after an argument with a strict instructor. One of the students hints at unsettling stories involving witches and Miss Tanner, the school’s director.
In truth, the academy stands on the ruins of a former coven, once led by a mysterious “Black Queen,” Elena Markos.
And the director, along with the rest of the staff, are all part of the same hidden circle.
Marking Argento's first full dive into horror, Suspiria plays like a concentrated showcase of pure dread.
The film brings together striking, highly stylized visuals with a soundtrack of overwhelming intensity, composed by the Goblin alongside Argento himself, achieving a seamless fusion of image and sound.
Its violence, remarkably graphic for its time, has since become part of horror cinema history.
It is also the only Italian horror film cited by Stephen King in his essay “Danse Macabre”, where he highlights the infamous scene of maggots falling from the ceiling, narratively unnecessary, yet viscerally unforgettable.
Review by Undying1
