The film
“Suspiria” (1977), along with “Rosso – the color of death” (Profondo Rosso), is the highlight of Dario Argento’s work, which transformed the Giallo cinema founded by Mario Bava (“Bloody Silk”) into an aesthetically much more sophisticated one Dimension transferred. With cleverly mixed elements of gothic horror, chilling effects from the Hammer school, surprisingly little blood and a large portion of occult frippery, the Italian director managed to create an abysmal shocker that will forever appear in the lists of the best horror films, mainly because of its outstanding color dramaturgy becomes.
Elevated retrospectively to the first part of a “mother trilogy”, whose sequels “Inferno” (Horror Infernal) and “The Third Mother” (The Mother Of Tears) could hardly keep up with the artistic stroke of luck “Suspiria”, the film essentially tells the Story of three witches who want to conquer the world. Of course, as is usual in this genre, this only plays a marginal role. Instead, the focus is on the violent passion story of the young American Suzanne Banyon (for Jessica Harper, the role of her life), who, for whatever reason, ends up at a ballet school in Freiburg, where one comrade after the next is brutally murdered. Finally, she deals with black magic and makes acquaintance with the “mother of sighs”.
The cult
In Italy “Suspiria” was more successful at the box office than “Jaws” and in Japan Argento’s predecessor “Rosso – the color of death” was subsequently renamed “Suspiria 2”. Bullshit, of course, but that says it all about the enduring enthusiasm for the mystical ripper to this day.
The soundtrack
Dario Argento has worked with Claudia Simonetti and his band Goblin a total of 13 times in his career. But no score was as memorable (or unfolded such even horror) as that of “Suspiria”. With minimalist precision, the musicians experimented with all sorts of instruments such as a tabla, a bouzouki and other Far Eastern instruments in a generous three months of studio time. The famous theme of the film emerged fairly quickly during the rehearsals, which allowed a seductively simple glockenspiel sample to be intertwined with several repetitive and yet always slightly varied rhythms and sound fragments.
witches sigh
In addition, there were a few hypnotically whispered words (“Witch”) – demonstrably spoken by Goblin singer Simonetti and long since identified in retrospect as gibberish – which once again explicitly brought the eerie, ghostly touch of the sound collage to the fore. The mysterious, powerful witches should also be acoustically present at all times.
Argento, who was heavily involved in the pre-shoot production of the score, played the chilling tracks out loud on set, which included progressive rock approaches, free jazz sprinkles and electronic experiments, to get the actors in the mood. Much of it was lost in the seamless sequence of terrifying murder scenarios and artificial symbols of destruction, which may also be part of the myth of “Suspiria”. The images are often stronger.
Nevertheless, it was impressively possible to support the experimental approach of the basically poor story, but due to its suggestive image composition and theatrical performances in a lasting way touching story with a musical vision that is as captivating as it is free-floating and above all roaring loud.
Up until that point, synthesizers had been a rarity in film soundtracks, and after Suspiria (which even used the kind of “Big Moog” that Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Keith Emerson would later snap up for sound refinement) there were hardly any a horror score that didn’t bask in its possibilities. John Carpenter listened carefully and used a few acoustic tricks for “Halloween”. When the film director and acclaimed electronic pioneer (“Assault,” “The Fog,” “The Rattlesnake”) once encountered the Goblin’s head, he said, “I know you quite well. I stole all your music.”
The Composers
After the first hesitant prog experiments under the name Cherry Five in the early 70s, Goblin had already disbanded when Dario Argento brought them back from obscurity in 1975 for “Rosso – the color of death”. The band thanked the giallo pope by producing more than a handful of soundtracks for him.
Under the name Goblin, Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante, Fabio Pignatelli, Agostino Marangolo and later Fabio Frizzi (who developed the inspiring score for Lucio Fulci’s “Ein Zombie hung am Glockenseil” in 1980) also composed their first one a year after their fantastic premiere as composers Concept album before: “Roller”. Another came in 1978 with “Il Fantastico Viaggio del Bagarozzo Mark”. Otherwise, the musicians mainly focused on never profane, always sprawling horror film soundtracks – with the inimitable highlights “Dawn Of The Dead” (1977), “Tenebre” (1982) and “Phenomena” (1985).
The group broke up in 1989, but put heads together again for the theme song to Mind’s Eye and Argento’s Sleepless (Non ho sonno, 2001). Although the individual members have split into several formations, the founding members Claudio Simonetti and Massimo Morant have been touring the world as New Goblin since 2010, they remain in the memory of most film buffs mainly because of their collaboration with Argento.
The successful musicians
A successful combination: The soundtrack of “Rosso – die Farb des Todes” alone (which was recorded in just one day and is even more exciting and consistent as an album than that of “Suspiria” in several respects) has sold in the last 40 years more than four million times.
The best musical moments
Of course, the first murder scene has to be mentioned here, even if the soundtrack is primarily onomatopoeic support for the imaginatively assembled, brilliantly choreographed and highly effective “Action” in terms of color dramaturgy.
But the unforgettable opening sequence alone, which as a trip to the ballet school is a masterpiece of staging the uncanny, draws its strength from frightening sounds of terror, the background music of the “Suspiria” motif, which is played very quietly at first, which eventually becomes more and more concise, until it finally , still outlined by thunder and lightning, initially silent upon arrival.
ride to hell
Much of what follows is more gruesome – but the presence of a diffuse evil, conjured up primarily by the restless background music, which here reaches out for an innocent girl, is already compelling in the first five minutes, which seem endlessly long.
More highlights
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