Day 7
Suspiria

“One of the scariest movies of all time!” – Entertainment Weekly

I don’t think the critics at Entertainment Weekly watch too many Horror films.  On Blue Underground’s fantastically put together DVD release of Dario Argento’s Suspiria, the above quote is in all caps right at the top of the cover art.  Genius marketing if you’re selling this DVD to a budding Horror aficionado.  But, if you’re like me and are a seasoned Horror fan just trying to cross off their “Horror List of Shame” then you’re be sorely disappointed with Suspiria.

My main gripe? There’s really no plot or even characters I care about.  We’re introduced to Suzy Banyon (Jessica Harper) an Americal Ballet dancer who finally gets a chance to study at the Ballet Academy of Freiburg.  Unfortunately for her, strange things happen leading to murders and other unsettling occurences. The problem is, we’re never given a chance to get to know this girl, much less give two shits about her.  She’s just a character we follow through these series of weird events.  Suspiria‘s only saving grace is an amazing score by Goblin and some creative and beautifully haunting visuals.

What I loved:

• Goblin’s score.  It’s memorable and even if it’s a bit repetitive, the music elevates Suspiria to another level.
• Argento’s strength lies in the strong visuals we’re treated to in the film.  He knows how to fill a frame with some really breathtaking compositions.  There are many scenes that would look great in a frame.

What I liked:

• A handful of scenes were very effective in building up a sense of dread, and in a more interesting movie would have enhanced the plot.
• A horror film is only as good as it’s kills.  There are few, but memorable (yet random) deaths in Suspiria.  The biggest WTF moment being a room full of razer wire.

What I didn’t like:

• Why doesn’t Suzy Banyon just leave?! If things as messed up and weird as they were in Suspiria, I’d have left the first night.  There is no reason for her to put up with what she does.
• The plot is weak.  Girl arrives at messed up place, girl must leave the messed up place.
• Characters spend too much time wandering.  A majority of the film is following idiotic girls wandering through dark hallways.  Snore.
• Random acts of randomness.  Hey, let’s have a dialog scene and take it into the pool in the middle of the night! Wha? Many more scenes unfold like this. (Also, who keeps a room full of razor wire? This Ballet school does!)
• It’s just not scary.  Suspiria is an example of style over substance.  Sure, it has some creative scenery and a few moments of dread, but that doesn’t lead to anything truly scary. 
• Tediousness.  Suspiria drags.  A lot of times I didn’t realize what was going on or even why I cared.  Unlike The Exorcist, which had slower scenes, but they all advanced the plot.

Suspiria is one of those movies that is held in an extreme high regard among the Horror elite.  Dario Argento is a darling among the hardcore fan base of Horror, but I haven’t seen too many of his movies.  In fact, I think The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is a superior film.  Argento has his place as an inspiration to many Horror Directors and writers, and for that I’m grateful.  However, I think Suspiria is a tad over-hyped.

Demons

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Directed By: Lamberto Bava

Screenplay By: Dario Argento

Starring: Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey

Plot Synopsis:

A group of people are trapped in a large West Berlin movie theater infected by ravenous demons whom proceed to kill and posses the humans one-by-one thereby multiplying their numbers,

Review:

Demons is one of those movies I would always see on the back Horror shelf of the video store as a kid.  I remember looking through all the vhs boxes imagining what these movies were like.  In the process, I would freak myself out and most likely have a nightmare that night.  Finally, 20 years later I’m catching up on all the great horror flicks of the 80s, and the Italian gore-fest Demons is 80s mayhem at it’s best.

Fueled by an awesome metal soundtrack, including Motley Crue, Billy Idol, Accept and Scorpions this screams 80s in all it’s glory.  Whether or not it was intended at the time, this really helps set the tone for the romp that Demons is.  Horribly dubbed, I’m not sure it it was originally in Italian or maybe the accents were so bad it had to be dubbed.  Either way, it’s humorous at times, but doesn’t take away from the flick as a whole.

The plot is simple, like most of these films.  People go to a midnight movie, some start turning into demons, a small group must band together and battle their way out of the demon horde to survive! With the plot what it is, what makes Demons so rad is the amazing gore and make up effects.  There are plenty of great gore moments, better than most modern horror flicks.  In fact, if you’re planning on going into the special effects and make-up field, Demons should be required viewing.  There are some great effects.

For what it is, Demons works.  It’s a lot of fun and not as scary as my 10 year old imagination made it out to be.  I’d been meaning to watch this for the past couple of years, I’m glad I finally got a chance.  If you haven’t seen this, and are a budding horror fan, check this out.

Rated R for graphic violence and gore.