Suspiria
1977 · Directed by Dario Argento
An American ballet student arrives at a German dance academy that is obviously a coven. Argento in peak technicolor-blood mode.
Why It's Cult
Argento's Suspiria is a film you watch for the colors. Nothing in the plot makes sense and nothing needs to — it's a fairy tale about a witch in a red room. The Goblin score is an instrument of menace. Every frame is lit like a stained-glass window. Still horrifying, still beautiful.
The Plot, Officially
Suzy Bannion travels to Germany to perfect her ballet skills. She arrives at the Tanz dance academy in the pouring rain and is refused admission after another woman is seen fleeing the school. She returns the next morning and this time is let in. She learns that the young woman she saw fleeing the previous evening, Pat Hingle, has been found dead. Strange things soon begin to occur. Suzy becomes ill and is put on a special diet; the school becomes infested with maggots; odd sounds abound; and Daniel, the pianist, is killed by his own dog. A bit of research indicates that the ballet school was once a witches' coven - and as Suzy learns, still is.
Starring
Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci
Where to Watch
via JustWatch →
