Suspiria (2018) - The horror slowly creeps in - 8/10 (02/10/19)

Suspiria isn't only a remake of Dario Argento's movie but an expanded reimagination of the legendary Italian horror movie. The film is set in Berlin during the German Autumn and follows the story lines of a young American dancer who arrives at a dance school and an old psychotherapist who investigates the disappearance of one of his troubled patients. The two story lines intertwine in six chapters and an epilogue with a total length above two and a half hours and find their climax in the mysterious dance school.

This movie convinces for numerous reasons. First of all, it doesn't blandly copy the original movie but adds more characters, new plots and haunting visual effects. It's very interesting to compare both movies and it's really just a matter of personal taste which version you prefer.

Secondly, the characters in this movie are really interesting. The female lead character incarnates ambition, innocence and resilience but soon gets caught up with sinister events. The male lead character incarnates curiosity, guilt and shame and investigates both his own past and present events involving a missing dancer. The side characters in this film are also highly intriguing, especially head artistic director and choreographer Madame Blanc who is torn between supporting her colleagues and saving her protégée.

Thirdly, the actresses in this movie are absolutely outstanding. Many of them play two or even three different roles. One simply has to point out Tilda Swinton who convincingly plays a male psychotherapist, a female choreographer and a mysterious physically disabled old woman. The movie features numerous excellent young actresses such as Mia Goth (''Everest''), Dakota Johnson (''Bad Times at the El Royale'') and Chloë Grace Moretz (''Carrie'').

Fourthly, the movie has a truly gripping atmosphere that subtly intensifies throughout the movie. There are numerous red flags showing that something is amiss about the mysterious dance school. One student mysteriously disappears. Another one has a meltdown during a practice. The building includes numerous hidden rooms with sinister secrets. The more the film progresses, the more intense it gets until a stunning surreal finale.

Fifthly, the cinematography of this movie is astonishing. This starts with the sinister locations along the Berlin Wall. It continues with the gloomy weather as it always rains or snows in Berlin. The numerous dance practices and performances in the movie are creative, emotional and intellectual. The use of blood, bones and urine makes the movie progressively more repulsive. The film's climax is visually stunning with outstanding light effects and visual components.

In addition to all these elements, the movie cleverly connects the main plot to elements regarding Germany's sinister past during the Third Reich and contemporary political events throughout the German Autumn. All these events deal with guilt and shame and foreshadow or parallel the sinister events of the main plot. This movie deserves multiple views to uncover and understand its numerous references.

There are two reasons why this movie didn't get an even higher rating. First of all, the first act of the film is quite confusing as we are introduced to numerous characters and multiple plot lines without any explanations and without any clear structure. This confusing potpourri disentangles during the second act and the movie then progresses coherently until the very end. Secondly and lastly, the movie slightly overstays its welcome with a challenging length of one hundred fifty-three minutes. The film could have been shortened by about twenty to thirty minutes without losing its essence. The filmmaker should also refrain from working on a potential prequel or sequel. This movie works very well on its own and doesn't need anything more.

In the end, Suspiria should please to fans of moody horror movies that are willing to invest two and a half hours to discover fascinating atmospheres, characters and story lines developed with outstanding acting performances and creative cinematography. It doesn't matter whether you have watched the original movie or not since this isn't a remake but a reimagination that stands very well on its own. Original creator Dario Argento didn't appreciate this new version but his closed-mindedness shouldn't be categorized as anything more than a personal opinion among many others. Suspiria is one of the better horror movies in recent memory.