Following the international acclaim of Deep Red, iconic Italian filmmaker Dario Argento was ready to cease his love affair with crime-noir Giallos. Instead, driven by a new sense of direction, the ambitious horror auteur had his sights fixated on a far more supernatural spectacle.
1977's Suspiria, part one of the incomplete Three Mothers Trilogy, would provide the conceptual canvas for Argento to paint his bold artistic vision. But in essence, Suspiria, despite all its visually uncensored splendor and violent shades of expression, drew upon a rich palette of inspiration.
Many of these influential sources would stem from Argento's lifelong love of cinema.
Touching on elements of German Expressionism, not least The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari, alongside the pioneering surrealist works of Georges Méliès at the dawn of cinema, and even the fabled folklorish tales of "Brothers Grimm," through Suspiria, Argento seemingly tributes these monoliths of cinema, while applying his unmistakable style of filmmaking.
At the time, Austrian-based Waldolf educational schools, whose guiding principles were shaped by philosopher Rudolf Steiner's unorthodox teachings, had faced controversy over claims of occultist practices, accused of operating under the facade of creative arts education.
It was, by nature, a darkly captivating premise that would seemingly ignite a compelling spark in Argento when forming Suspiria's framework. Perhaps of lesser influence, the director's then-partner shared a fond love of famous fairy tales. In particular, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, alongside Lewis Carroll's enchantingly imaginative Alice in Wonderland.
Having been fascinated with Snow White from a young age, perhaps Disney's early breathtaking exhibitions of dizzying technicolor played a subconscious part in Argento's unfiltered use of vibrant, eye-popping pigments. Scene after scene, liberal lashings of mesmeric luminosity meet the eye.
Whether referencing Disney or Argento, both conjure a sense-provoking, spell-binding spectacle. Suspiria, on the other hand, would send shockwaves pulsing throughout the horror genre, issuing a lurid, delirium-inducing assault on the senses - its feet firmly in the fairy-tale fantastique aesthetic.
We'll save the masterful soundtrack for another article.
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