Suspiria (1977)

Dario Argento’s Suspiria is a career defining, genre breaking film, as well as a favourite of almost anyone who watches it. The design and aesthetics are incredible, unique, and captivating. Argento and cinematographer Luciano Tovoli created a kaleidoscope of colours and sounds, turning a simple story about spooky, evil witches into a vibrant, engrossing experience. The way that film circles talk about Suspiria, I always got the impression that this was a heavy, obscure art film, the kind that people bragged about being able to endure. But when I watched Argento’s Suspiria for myself, I found myself totally enthralled. It’ss absolutely breathtaking, truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

Like most horror / ‘controversial’ films, parts of Suspiria were censored by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) once it was released on VHS. A period of moral panic in the 80’s about children accessing violent movies on videotape (a new media format) eventually led to the creation of a bureau that would decide which scenes were suitable for the public’s consumption. Suspiria came to VHS in the early 90s with an 18+ rating and several of the gorey close-up shots cut out (fine for the BBFC to view, I guess, but too dangerous for the general public). It was only in 1998, 20 years after the film’s release did the full version become available in the UK.