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Devil's Advocates #14
Suspiria
As one of the most globally recognisable instances of 20th century Eurohorror, Dario Argento's Suspiria (1976) is poetic, chaotic, and intriguing. The cult reputation of Argento's baroque nightmare is reflected in the critical praise it continues to receive almost 40 years after its original release, and it appears regularly on lists of the greatest horror films ever. For fans and critics alike, Suspiria is as mesmerising as it is the impact of Argento's notorious disinterest in matters of plot and characterisation combines with Suspiria's aggressive stylistic hyperactivity to render it a movie that needs to be experienced through the body as much as through emotion or the intellect. For its many fans, Suspiria is synonymous with European horror more broadly, and Argento himself is by far the most famous of all the Italian horror directors. If there was any doubt of his status as one of the great horror auteurs, Argento's international reputation was solidified well
beyond the realms of cult fandom in the 1990s with retrospectives at both the American Museum of the Moving Image and the British Film Institute. This book considers the complex ways that Argento weaves together light, sound and cinema history to construct one of the most breathtaking horror movies of all time, a film as fascinating as it is ultimately unfathomable.
beyond the realms of cult fandom in the 1990s with retrospectives at both the American Museum of the Moving Image and the British Film Institute. This book considers the complex ways that Argento weaves together light, sound and cinema history to construct one of the most breathtaking horror movies of all time, a film as fascinating as it is ultimately unfathomable.
120 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2015
5 people are currently reading
353 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
29 books47 followersAlexandra Heller-Nicholas is a film critic, research academic and the author of seven books on cult, horror, and exploitation cinema with an emphasis on gender politics. She has recently co-edited the book ReFocus: The Films of Elaine May for Edinburgh University Press, and her forthcoming book 1000 Women in Horror has been optioned for a documentary series. Alexandra is also a programming consultant for Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, the largest genre film festival in the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 5, 2020
Suspiria posiblemente sea para mí la mejor película de terror jamás creada. Lo que es indiscutible es que es la más bella. Un film sensorial donde las imágenes, los paisajes y edificios, la música, el color y la luz, todo te atrapa y te confunde desde el primer minuto.
La historia de como una joven se mete en una academia de ballet y descubre que es un nido de brujas donde extraños asesinatos están teniendo lugar también es irresistible.
Una peli inmortal con mas de 40 años que ha tenido un remake bastante bueno hace poco y que en este libro se desgrana paso a paso incluyendo algunas anécdotas. Si sois fans de Argento o el cine giallo es recomendable, si no ved Suspiria y disfrutadla.
La historia de como una joven se mete en una academia de ballet y descubre que es un nido de brujas donde extraños asesinatos están teniendo lugar también es irresistible.
Una peli inmortal con mas de 40 años que ha tenido un remake bastante bueno hace poco y que en este libro se desgrana paso a paso incluyendo algunas anécdotas. Si sois fans de Argento o el cine giallo es recomendable, si no ved Suspiria y disfrutadla.
January 22, 2018
This is a rare foray for me into published film criticism about one particular film (outside of sundry Criterion/Arrow Video essay booklets), and I'm a bit mixed about the results. While I love the idea of a 33 1/3-style series for film (the Deep Focus run was short-lived but quite good), this particular entry in the conceptually-appealing Devil's Advocates series feels like it leaves a lot on the table. It's a decent summary of critical and intellectual interpretations of both this film and the success this film found, but I'm left wishing there was simply more here to chew on.
The highlight is the interview with Suspiria's cinematographer, Luciano Tovoli, which concludes the book. He offers insights and far-ranging asides that are at least as interesting as anything else discussed throughout. Worth a gander if you're passionate about the film, but I imagine this won't make too many new converts.
The highlight is the interview with Suspiria's cinematographer, Luciano Tovoli, which concludes the book. He offers insights and far-ranging asides that are at least as interesting as anything else discussed throughout. Worth a gander if you're passionate about the film, but I imagine this won't make too many new converts.
November 17, 2016
Not quite as engaging as Murray Leeder's analysis of Halloween (another entry in the same series, the Devil's Advocates), but understandably so due to the subject matter. Suspiria is weird, man. But Heller-Nicholas breaks it down well. While there is the occasional "reading too much into it" moment and summarizing the narrative, it does succeed in bringing to attention the whole "senses over logic" perspective necessary to actually enjoy the movie. Brings to light some cool information about Italian horror and Suspiria's impact on the horror landscape. Some excellent points made about Dario Argento's inconsistent and incomprehensible gender politics as well.
November 12, 2018
More analysis than expected
I wanted to read the story. Not an analysis or history of the story. It was interesting but not what i expected.
I wanted to read the story. Not an analysis or history of the story. It was interesting but not what i expected.
August 26, 2021
SUSPIRIA is a funny little film. At least from my perspective- which we'll get to in a moment. Made in 1977, written by Daria Nicolodi and Dario Argento, and directed by Argento, it was released in the "Summer of STAR WARS" to financial and critical success, and then "stepped away" from the public conscious as did many of the films of 1977, because, STAR WARS so dominated the medium of film and discussion, not a lot from that year is remembered as well. Even certified classics like ANNIE HALL (uh, yeah) and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND seem sidelined by the megalithic force of nature about laser battles and talking robots. SUSPIRIA though, managed to carve itself out a hallowed place in the community of horror fandom.
That however, took years. For as popular as it was, opportunities to see it were limited even when home video took off, the early VHS versions left something to be desired- for one thing, a lot of those versions were pan-and-scan where the movie itself is a 'scope (2.35:1 ratio) picture. So when fans would talk about SUSPIRIA in the 1980s and 90s, the conversation had a strange aura, as though arcane knowledge was being hinted at. Things improved with the advent of DVD in the late 1990s, but even then, the fans of SUSPIRIA had a hard time praising it when the movie itself is so hard to describe linearly.
Then, things changed. That loyal and devoted cult following got bigger and they went from hobbyists to editors and professors and those imperfect home video editions gave way to restored and uncut blurays. SUSPIRIA found itself in the mainstream and in a hallmark of respectability for horror classics, it got remade (that film is currently building its own reputation not dissimilar to how the original built its own).
Recently I took the time to read SUSPIRIA, by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas from the Devil's Advocates series of books about classic horror films. Devil's Advocates has been publishing books about horror films for several years now, and other editions have covered HALLOWEEN and THE SHINING among others. In 2015, they published a volume on SUSPIRIA.
To fully appreciate this book, one should view SUSPIRIA first. The book covers the thematic concerns of the film, and examines the origins of the story and its subsequent filming by Argento. The background of the actors involved is discussed as are the backgrounds of the many technicians and craftsmen that worked to give SUSPIRIA its many unique facets that the fans have obsessed over for years and sometimes incorporated into their own works- a part of the fandom Heller-Nicholas devotes a few pages to. Also included is an interview with SUSPIRIA cinematographer Luciano Tovoli who discusses working with Argento and some of his own artistic influences when shooting SUSPIRIA.
If there is a drawback, it is that the book is barely 90 pages. To some fans of the film, this will seem a cheat, but to those who have just discovered SUSPIRIA, this will seem just right as it gives them a chance to delve into this strange and remarkable film without getting lost in the details.
Overall, the book is well and clearly written and not afraid to dabble in some of the occasional controversies that have arisen in the fandom like, "Is SUSPIRIA a giallo?" This works well as an introduction to Dario Argento's career and some of the non-linear features of SUSPIRIA- including a few paragraphs about the set decoration and the background behind a few of the shooting locations (it was set and shot in Germany- it's impossible to divorce this fact from Germany's own history and Heller-Nicholas doesn't shy away this).
As this was published in 2015 it unfortunately misses a few things that have transpired since. The 2018 remake isn't discussed although the attempts leading up to it were. More importantly is the painstaking 2017 restoration of SUSPIRIA by Synapse Films which was acclaimed by all corners and may be strongly responsible for SUSPIRIA'S current wave of popularity.
The most important thing is, I finished the book wanting to watch SUSPIRIA again. And other Argento films (there is a special mention of his film THE STENDHAL SYNDROME). For the new fan, this is essential. For the older fan, this is very useful especially when used to answer any questions that might arise in the mind of the viewer.
See SUSPIRIA and then read this book.
That however, took years. For as popular as it was, opportunities to see it were limited even when home video took off, the early VHS versions left something to be desired- for one thing, a lot of those versions were pan-and-scan where the movie itself is a 'scope (2.35:1 ratio) picture. So when fans would talk about SUSPIRIA in the 1980s and 90s, the conversation had a strange aura, as though arcane knowledge was being hinted at. Things improved with the advent of DVD in the late 1990s, but even then, the fans of SUSPIRIA had a hard time praising it when the movie itself is so hard to describe linearly.
Then, things changed. That loyal and devoted cult following got bigger and they went from hobbyists to editors and professors and those imperfect home video editions gave way to restored and uncut blurays. SUSPIRIA found itself in the mainstream and in a hallmark of respectability for horror classics, it got remade (that film is currently building its own reputation not dissimilar to how the original built its own).
Recently I took the time to read SUSPIRIA, by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas from the Devil's Advocates series of books about classic horror films. Devil's Advocates has been publishing books about horror films for several years now, and other editions have covered HALLOWEEN and THE SHINING among others. In 2015, they published a volume on SUSPIRIA.
To fully appreciate this book, one should view SUSPIRIA first. The book covers the thematic concerns of the film, and examines the origins of the story and its subsequent filming by Argento. The background of the actors involved is discussed as are the backgrounds of the many technicians and craftsmen that worked to give SUSPIRIA its many unique facets that the fans have obsessed over for years and sometimes incorporated into their own works- a part of the fandom Heller-Nicholas devotes a few pages to. Also included is an interview with SUSPIRIA cinematographer Luciano Tovoli who discusses working with Argento and some of his own artistic influences when shooting SUSPIRIA.
If there is a drawback, it is that the book is barely 90 pages. To some fans of the film, this will seem a cheat, but to those who have just discovered SUSPIRIA, this will seem just right as it gives them a chance to delve into this strange and remarkable film without getting lost in the details.
Overall, the book is well and clearly written and not afraid to dabble in some of the occasional controversies that have arisen in the fandom like, "Is SUSPIRIA a giallo?" This works well as an introduction to Dario Argento's career and some of the non-linear features of SUSPIRIA- including a few paragraphs about the set decoration and the background behind a few of the shooting locations (it was set and shot in Germany- it's impossible to divorce this fact from Germany's own history and Heller-Nicholas doesn't shy away this).
As this was published in 2015 it unfortunately misses a few things that have transpired since. The 2018 remake isn't discussed although the attempts leading up to it were. More importantly is the painstaking 2017 restoration of SUSPIRIA by Synapse Films which was acclaimed by all corners and may be strongly responsible for SUSPIRIA'S current wave of popularity.
The most important thing is, I finished the book wanting to watch SUSPIRIA again. And other Argento films (there is a special mention of his film THE STENDHAL SYNDROME). For the new fan, this is essential. For the older fan, this is very useful especially when used to answer any questions that might arise in the mind of the viewer.
See SUSPIRIA and then read this book.
April 30, 2019
Being a film fan and especially a horror fan there are some that I love and have watched many times, but....there comes a point when too many viewings can cause them to tarnish, you start to see the joins. I've reached this point with many films I rate highly. So, instead of watching them, I've found reading about them equally rewarding.
'Suspiria' is an astonishing, inspiring movie and this wonderful little book just adds to the power of my memory of it.
I have one or two quibbles: someone could've done a better job with the proof-reading, there were quite a few errors.
Also I really don't think the soundtrack to George A. Romero's superb vampire film 'Martin' was inspired by Goblin's 'Roller' album. The music was composed by Donald Rubinstein and is perfect as it is.
This is the second of the Devil's Advocate series of horror film essays I've read and so far I can't recommend them highly enough. Full of insights and fascinating bits of gossip and information.
'Suspiria' is an astonishing, inspiring movie and this wonderful little book just adds to the power of my memory of it.
I have one or two quibbles: someone could've done a better job with the proof-reading, there were quite a few errors.
Also I really don't think the soundtrack to George A. Romero's superb vampire film 'Martin' was inspired by Goblin's 'Roller' album. The music was composed by Donald Rubinstein and is perfect as it is.
This is the second of the Devil's Advocate series of horror film essays I've read and so far I can't recommend them highly enough. Full of insights and fascinating bits of gossip and information.
November 29, 2025
Recently I rewatched the movie (still not among my favorites) and eagerly picked this non-fiction book up to shine more light on this confusing and at parts disturbing horror movie. The movie is regarded as big art and very famous. Well, inside you read about the secret of the irises, learn that magic is everywhere, a pre-history, cast/crew in detail, meet death now and reception and legacy. To be honest the film isn't up my alley even with some intriguing motifs and shocking scenes. But this was a good read and good look behind the scenes. Some movie stills were included. Really recommended.
April 22, 2022
“Suspiria is one of the most radical horror films that has ever been made, and the precise reason for this is that it is unapologetic in the way it expresses horror and the way it demands the opening up of the viewer to take pleasure in things that they cannot describe.”
Precisely!!
Precisely!!
November 6, 2018
Really fascinating. Gave me some real insights and things to look out for during my next watch.
October 17, 2021
0 stars actually this was awful
October 24, 2025
excited to watch
suspiria again with
a fresh perspective
suspiria again with
a fresh perspective
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2023
"I can't get over how well this book is written. The prose is both elegant and emotionally resonant."
July 28, 2018
I usually love the analyses produced in the Devil's Advocates series, but this one falls a bit short. I was expecting more discussion of the different themes and techniques used in this film since Suspiria is such a highly respected and legendary horror "art" film. Instead we mainly get a recap of the plot (granted - with some bits and pieces of analysis that is great) and a piece on its legacy and reception. With a film that relies more on sight, sound, color, and technique, as opposed to narrative, it is NECESSARY to explore some of its meanings and themes in relation to the context within which it was made. In the end, the most interesting part of the book was the interview with Suspiria's cinematographer, Luciano Tovoli in the appendix.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews