An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.
- Awards
- 1 win & 4 nominations
- See all cast & crew
- Director
- Writers
- Dario Argento
- Daria Nicolodi
- Thomas De Quincey(uncredited)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Dario Argento's original idea was that the ballet school would accommodate young girls no older than 12 years. However, the studio and producer Salvatore Argento (his father) denied his request because a film this violent involving children would almost certainly be banned. Dario raised the age limit of the girls to 20 years but did not rewrite the script, hence the naiveté of the characters and the occasionally childlike dialogue. He also put all the doorknobs at about the same height as the actress' heads so they would have to raise their arms in order to open the doors, just like children.
- GoofsDario Argento's face can be seen reflected on the taxi's glass partition in the opening sequence. Assumed by many people to have been a mistake coming from a rushed shoot, Argento has gone on record to say it was intentional.
- Quotes
Dr. Frank Mandel: Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds.
- Crazy creditsYou have been watching "SUSPIRIA"
- Alternate versionsThe remixed soundtrack on the Anchor Bay release omits a line of dialogue near the conclusion when Susy is creeping down the secret hallway. It cuts out Tanner's faintly-heard declaration "All right, we must come to a decision. The situation can no longer be tolerated."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Ling ye (1981)
- SoundtracksMarkos
Adapted from "Music in Similar Motion" by Philip Glass
Arranged by Claudio Simonetti, Fabio Pignatelli, Agostino Marangolo and Massimo Morante
Performed by Goblin
Featured review
''She must die, die, DIE! "
"Suspiria" has been acclaimed as director Dario Argento's masterpiece. And it certainly is. The plot is fairly simple. American ballet student Susy Banyon (Jessica Harper) travels to Germany to attend an exclusive ballet school. Once there, she discovers that there is more going on within than just dance instruction. Although the school's directress, Madame Blanc (Joan Bennett) welcomes her warmly, she is unsettled by her aide, Nazified teacher Miss Tanner (Alida Valli), as well as several mysterious student disappearances. When her new friend Sara (Stefania Casini) is the latest to vanish, Susy begins her own investigation of the academy. Filmed in bright, lurid Technicolor, and accompanied by a thundering soundtrack by Goblin, Suspiria is a nightmare-come-to-life. The performances of Harper, Bennett and especially Valli (like Bennett, a major star of the Golden Age) are solid, as is the unrelentingly creepy atmosphere. Also on display are two especially gruesome murders which happen near the beginning of the film. Argento later said that he modeled the look of the film directly on Walt Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and, indeed the similarities are apparent. "Suspiria" may not always make perfect sense plot wise, but it's a thrilling roller-coaster ride through what may very well be Hell. "Suspiria" ranks as one of the best Italian-made horror films of all time.
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- phillindholm
- Aug 30, 2005
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Dario Argento's Suspiria
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $45,605
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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