Horror movie remakes often earn a bad reputation as some genre fans see them as little more than an attempt from a studio to cash in on a familiar property. Last year, Luca Guadagnino delivered audiences a remake of Dario Argento‘s Suspiria, a 1977 film which is mostly only known by more devout horror fans. Many audiences appreciated that the film took the core concept and explored it in ways which drastically differed from the original, though Argento himself expressed his disappointment with the endeavor. In a new interview, Argento reiterates his disappointment with the film, though shines a light on some recent genre films that he appreciated.
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“To me, the remake of Suspiria doesn’t look like a well-realized project. It lacks fear, music, tension, and scenic creativity,” the filmmaker shared with Interview Magazine. “Films like Get Out and Hereditary have struck me for their beautiful photography, their plot, and their production.”
Despite the filmmaker not appreciating the reimagining his story, it’s no surprise that he expressed his admiration for Get Out and Hereditary, which were some of the biggest hits in the horror world in their respective years of release. Additionally, both of those films are drastically different from many of Argento’s genre endeavors, confirming that he is a man of many tastes.
In the film, young American dancer Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) arrives in 1970s Berlin to audition for the world-renowned Helena Markos Dance Company, stunning the troupe’s famed choreographer, Madame Blanc Tilda Swinton), with her raw talent. When she vaults to the role of lead dancer, Olga, the previous lead, breaks down and accuses the company’s female directors of being witches. As rehearsals intensify for the final performance of the company’s signature piece, Susie and Madame Blanc grow strangely close, suggesting that Susie’s purpose in the company goes beyond merely dancing. Meanwhile, an inquisitive psychotherapist trying to uncover the company’s dark secrets enlists the help of another dancer, who probes the depths of the studio’s hidden underground chambers, where horrific discoveries await.
These recent comments mirror the filmmaker’s remarks about the film that he made earlier this year.
“I saw the remake of Suspiria at the cinema. It did not excite me, it betrayed the spirit of the original film: there is little fear, there is no music,” Argento shared with Radio Rai 1’s Un Giorno da Pecora. “The film has not satisfied me so much, it’s like that, a refined film, like [director Luca] Guadagnino, who is a fine person.”
The film did indeed have music, composed by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, but Argento’s comments likely reflect that he felt the score wasn’t as impactful as the work done by Goblin on the original 1977 movie.
Argento didn’t claim the film was an entire failure, as he noted the director “makes beautiful tables, beautiful curtains, beautiful dishes, all beautiful.”
Suspiria is out now on home video.
What do you think about Argento’s opinion? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
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