Suspiria (1977)

Director:

Dario Argento

Writers:

Dario Argento (writer) and
Daria Nicolodi (writer)

Release Date:

12 August 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

The Only Thing More Terrifying Than The Last 12 Minutes Of This Film Are The First 92.

Plot:

A newcomer to a fancy ballet academy gradually comes to realize that the staff of the school are actually a coven of witches bent on chaos and destruction.

Plot Keywords:

Ballet | Ballet School | Apartment | Sinister | Europe

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jessica Harper	...	Suzy Bannion
Stefania Casini	...	Sara
Flavio Bucci	...	Daniel
Miguel Bosé	...	Mark
Barbara Magnolfi	...	Olga
Susanna Javicoli	...	Sonia
Eva Axén	...	Pat Hingle
Rudolf Schündler	...	Prof. Milius
Udo Kier	...	Dr. Frank Mandel
Alida Valli	...	Miss Tanner
Joan Bennett	...	Madame Blanc
Margherita Horowitz	...	Teacher
Jacopo Mariani	...	Albert
Fulvio Mingozzi	...	Taxi Driver
Franca Scagnetti	...	Cook

Also Known As:

Dario Argento's Suspiria (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

98 min | Germany:88 min | USA:92 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian | Russian | English | German | Latin

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (prints) | Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (35 mm optical prints) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) (1990) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Italy:VM18 | Germany:18 (TV premiere) (2006) (heavily cut) | Germany:18 (theatrical rating) (1977) (cut) | Singapore:M18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) (Original rating) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (1977, re-rating) | USA:R | Australia:R | Canada:R | France:-16 | Italy:VM14 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18 | Ireland:18 | Norway:(Banned) (video rating) | Norway:(Banned) (1977-2003) (cinema release) | Finland:K-18 (DVD rating) | Norway:18 (DVD rating) (uncut) (2005)

Filming Locations:

BMW Building, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Seda Spettacoli

Trivia:

The first part (with Inferno (1980) and La terza madre (2007)) of a trilogy of films about the "Three Mothers".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Cord visible on bat as it flies from the closet

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: Suzy Banyon decided to perfect her ballet studies in the most famous school of dance in Europe. She chose the celebrated academy of Freeborge. One day, at nine in the morning, she left Kennedy airport, New York, and arrived in Germany at 10:40 p.m. local time.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Something to Scream About (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Markos

The most horrifying use of color to date.

What sets Dario Argento apart from many of his contemporaries is his success with visual imagery. In a style where sudden visual shocks are used to thrill the audience, Argento creates elaborate deaths which cannot be quickly forgotten. The highly involved double-murder towards the beginning of the film still remains one of the most memorable scenes in horror history, standing next to the Psycho "shower scene" in pure sensory input. And in a technique so powefully employed here and here alone, Argento sets scene after scene aglow with color, using it to express the mood in ways only the subconscious can fully appreciate. All around, this is an excellent addition to the genre of horror cinema, one of the most expressive films to ever plunge a knife into the psyche of its viewers.