Fantastic, sometimes psychedelic visuals and a great soundtrack, all woven around the story of an evil witch coven. Suspiria is no Oscar material but more daring than 99% of today's mostly very conventional horror movies. Still, after all those gone by years good and a pleasure for the eye and soul to watch - I'm really curious if the upcoming remake can keep up with this one.Verdict: a pleasure to watch, maybe not for the mainstream horror crowd, but for the lover of the extraordinaire. Suspiria reminds me (in its best moments) with its visual powers and gestalt of such films like Fellinis Satyricon (1969) and Caligula directed by Tinto Brass (1979). Good.

Suspiria is visually a masterpiece. The music is exceptional and succeeds in creating the terrorizing atmosphere exceedingly well. Now, when it comes to explaining "dream-like premise", people go too far into rationalizing the negative aspects of the film as intentional. No, the acting is bad and was not made to feel like a dream. The dubbing is very off and sometimes distracting, and while the fact that they are not English speakers is unfortunate, I can't not take that into consideration while I talk about the film.The focus and the objective of the film is not about the straightforward plot or the acting, but is about the other-worldly ambience that the colours, music builds and the cinematography, making these aspects an extension of the subject of horror rather than the props. Some of the camera work, set design and gore scenes reminded me of some of the B-grade horror movies I've seen. I don't mean that it cheapens the quality, but it is just an observation. In fact, there isn't a lot of gore here either.All the negatives aside, this is still a captivating horror film that has clearly influenced a lot of horror and thrillers movies that came after this. It is a must watch for the genre.

American ballet student Jessica Harper goes to Europe to attend famous dance academy, but the school is a front for a witches coven. Italian director Dario Argento's most successful thriller in the States (thanks to an effective ad campaign) is also his most derivative film up to this point, using several other movies as stylistic reference points. The elaborate look and ambiance of "Suspiria" is truly original, however, and Argento's use of color is striking; for those unable (or unwilling) to follow the plot, at least the picture provides a memorable visual experience. Harper has an appealing presence and a pithy way of speaking, though the supporting performances are uneven, often confounding and inscrutable. The mechanisms of the loosely-hinged story--usually the least-important aspect of an Argento picture--come together neatly at the finish line. Weaving a hypnotic web, Argento ensnares viewers with shock cuts but holds his audience with a rapt attention to atmospherics. **1/2 from ****

Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) follows her aunt's footsteps to attend a dance school in Germany. A girl runs away and is killed by a mysterious figure. Strange things happen at the school and Suzy faces innumerable dangers.Influential Italian horror director Dario Argento creates a good Euro horror fantasy. There are some good bloody splatter and nice brightly-colored set design. The plot is pretty simple. It is filmed in the slower traditional pacing although it does have some good thrills. It is different from the other horrors and it works.