This week we had the pleasure of watching Suspiria. Suspiria is a 1977 film directed by Dario Argento. This artistic horror film exemplifies a lot of art decor, lighting changes, and very ornate set designs. Although the film has a lot of strange scenes it’s interesting to watch. However, the biggest let down is we don’t know who the killer “animal” is by the end! We get glowing eyes and hairy arms of some mysterious being that isn’t totally human or animal, but we never quite find out what or who he is. This plays heavily into the supernatural aesthetic of the film that also involves magic, witches, and unexplained phenomenons.

Setting is one of the most important parts of the film. The darker scenes are accompanied with dark locations, shadows and sharp structures, while the calm and safe meetings are in open and bright spaces. This is done on purpose. They want the audience to really see the difference. Everything from where Daniel was murdered to the dance academy is adorned with darkness, or sharp structures. It creates a jarring effect when Suzy goes to meet the psychiatrist out in the open in broad daylight. Setting is very important to the narrative, even if a few things are cliche. Who can resist a dark and stormy night?

The display of colors and light effects are jaw-dropping. I’ve never quite seen anything like it. It is so distinct and articulate that there are not enough words to describe the vast array of emotions it evokes in the audience. Pairing the visual with the audio only hits harder. The music playing in the background of every scene tells you how to feel, whether it is chanting or an intense choral music. These sinister lullabies are creepy, albeit one of the creepiest parts of the film.

This week we had several readings. One of the biggest things that stuck out to me is that Suspiria is a “horror” film. It is listed as a “cinematic giallo” which is Italian for a mystery film. I was never actually scared during the film, so I would agree with mystery over horror. If anything the film was more creepy and strange than scary. There was a lot of murder, but even when the arm shot through the window to kill the first girl I wasn’t scared. If anything the scene intrigued me more.

In our reading “Doing Violence on Film” by Andrew Cooper we see an in-depth insight into the mystic part of the film. “The witches’ invisible power thus carries out their will.” This invisible power was hard to pick out at first. Until Suzy looks into witches herself, seeking out the psychiatrist and talking to an occult specialist the phenomenon doesn’t make much sense. Once the thread we are missing is put into play everything starts to fall into place. The fact the dancing academy is run by witches, powering a “Black Queen” is fun and an interesting plot twist. I am upset that poor dog became a casualty of the magic, being used like an instrument as if he were the same level as the attic of barbed wire. And lastly I still want to know what that mysterious creature was that killed the girl from the dance academy.