Suspiria

DVD / Blu-ray review (region 2)
Directed by Dario Argento
Starring Jessica Harper, Alida Valli, Stefania Casini, Joan Bennett
Release date 18 January 2010

American student Suzy (Harper) enrols at a prestigious German dance academy. After a series of increasingly bizarre events, she begins to suspect that the academy is run by a coven of witches...

Suspiria is generally regarded as both Dario Argento's masterpiece and one of the greatest horror movies ever made. It's a reputation that is entirely jusfified.

If you've never seen it before, you're in for a treat. The set design, with stunning art deco apartments, colourful backdrops and strange detail, is a joy to behold. So, too, is Argento's vibrant - and at the time very unusual - colour scheme. Events both mundane and insane are bathed in hues of blue, yellow and especially red: red walls, red floors, red lighting and, of course, red blood dominate the picture.

For Argento, death itself becomes something of impossible beauty. As one character tumbles through a gorgeous sky window towards the atrium of a grandiose apartment, you almost want to freeze-frame the moment and study it like a painting; this is violence as an artform.

The story itself is frequently baffling and leaves much unexplained, even if you've seen the other entries in Argento's loose 'Three Mothers trilogy', Inferno and Mother of Tears. But this elliptical nature works in Suspiria's favour, lending the narrative an unsettling, nightmarish atmosphere. The terrific sound design also adds to Suspiria's strange appeal, with Goblin's music, full of gargling demons and manic didgeridoos, complementing the visuals to create a true sensorally overload.

Don't expect subtlety - Suspiria is loud, bright and very violent. But despite influencing a new generation of horror movies, it remains unique and appealingly nutty.

This is Suspiria's first appearance on Blu-ray, and if ever a film was made to be seen in high definition it's this one. Both the Blu-ray and DVD releases come with suitably comprehensive extras, including the documentary 'The Cine-Excess of Suspiria' and a commentary from two of the UK's most knowledgable horror critics, Kim Newman and Alan Jones. The pair give fascinating insight into the film's creation and chuckle through the ludicrous exposition scene featuring Udo Kier. Matt McAllister