SUSPIRIA

Italy, 1976, 97 Minutes, Colour.
Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bose.
Directed by Dario Argento.

Dario Argento specialises in effective grisly thrillers. Here he takes on witches' covens quite seriously but with the presupposition that he presents it no holds barred. If you ever wondered about the impact of horror cliches and conventions played absolutely straight, unsubtly over-stated with baroquely garish sets, an array of ominous camera movements, bizarre sounds and electronic music and punctuating gory shocks, then this is exactly what they look like. American Jessica Harper plays the terrified heroine valiantly. Alida Valli plays a ballet instructress like an S.S. wardress, while Joan Bennett looks like an embalmed grande dame. A must for horror addicts only to test the courage of their convictions.

1. A successful horror film? Audience enjoyment of horror, violence? The violent imagination?

2. The Italian imagination of the director? The particularly Italian characteristics, style? His use of a Swiss setting and an American heroine? How well did this new and old world combination work?

3. The influence of murder thrillers and their style on this film, the occult films of the 70s? A satisfying blend of murder mystery and the occult?

4. The importance of the decor, sets? The use of colours, especially garish and lurid colours, filters, red lights, light and shadow? The school and its exterior, the interiors especially the corridors, the rooms, the ballet practice room, downstairs with the suggestion of witchcraft? The atmosphere of the occult? The importance of the costumes? How did this contribute to the atmosphere and the baroque style?

5. The importance of photography styles and the way the film drew attention to styles? Angle shots, close-ups? The importance of the editing for shocks, atmosphere of fear? The use of obvious techniques of tracking and cutting and their effect on the audience?

6. The atmosphere of the rock electronic musical score? The relentless presentation of the music, atmosphere, stress and over-statement? Suitable for this kind of film?

7. How exploitive was the film of fear, gore, violence? How enjoyable? Playing on audience fears? Audience fantasies of the occult and violence?

8. The effectiveness of the structure for audience interest and involvement: the introduction of Susie, the transition to the violent murders, the atmosphere of the school, the introduction of the personnel and their mysteries, a real world yet its unreality, the growing eeriness? The transition to the long sunlight talk with Fred about psychiatry and witchcraft? The film being stopped by this long discussion? The movement towards greater eeriness and mystery and the violence of the ending?

9. The atmosphere of the opening, the deserted airport, the rain, the taxi? Susie and the American background, alone in Europe? The mysterious school, the encounter with Pat and the flashbacks illustrating the mystery of her disappearance? The clue of the iris and Susie's later memory of this?

10. The atmosphere of fear, the introduction to the girls, Pat and her terror, her companion? The long build-up to the murder, the face against the window, the arm, the atmosphere of the rain, the gruesome close-ups of the stabbings, the draining of blood, the hanging? The transfixing of the other girl? Audience response to such immediate and gross violence? The transition to Susie returning in the sunlight, all trace of the killings have disappeared, the introduction to Miss Bland and Miss Tanner and their running of the school - and yet the presence of the police and interrogation? The police moving away and leaving Susie to be involved in the mystery of the school?

11. The portrait of the school and its ordinary running, the dancers and their practice, the emphasis on money, the sinister overtones, the lending of the shoes and people being disagreeable, the talk amongst the girls and its sinister aspects? The contrast then with Susie going to the flat and pleasant discussions?

12. The characters of Miss Tanner and her overtones of wardress in a prison and Miss Blank and her aged elegance? The emphasis on their styles? The way they dealt with the school, with Susie? Miss Tanner and her showing people around the school, her treatment of Susie's dizzy spell? Miss Blank and her arrangement that Susie move from the flat to the school?

13. How well did the film develop the character of Susie? Her presence in the school, dancing? Suspicions? The meals and her being drugged? The growing eeriness? The importance of the sequence with the maggots and the atmosphere that it elicited?

14. The character of Sarah, her investigations, her having to go by herself because of Susie's being drugged, her terror, her being caught in the wire and her death?

15. Susie and her fear, the sequence with the bat? Her putting the meal down the lavatory and the wine down the sink - with its visual overtones? Her counting the steps of the staff, pursuing them? The eeriness of her following the staff, eluding the cooks, the various corridors and the slow atmosphere of fear? The encounter with Elena Markos and their dialogue, the occult overtones, her appearance and disappearance, Susie stabbing her and her appearance and grossly old, the knife tearing her flesh etc.? The destruction of the main witch and the destruction of the coven and the way this was visualized? Sarah's ghost materialising to threaten Susie but her coping with this?

16. The importance of the sequel with Frank and its taking place in daylight, commonsense and modernity, the talk about psychiatry, witchcraft and traditions, Elena Markos?

17. The male characters and their being very much subordinate to the feminine characters? The characters of the servants - the waiter and his teeth, the two cooks etc.? The blind pianist and his being savaged by the dogs and the atmosphere of this? The little boy and his presence in the school, at the seance? The effect of such a range of characters?

18. What was achieved in presenting this kind of bizarre story so garishly and unsubtly? The experience of the audience and insight?