Director: Luca
Guadagnino
Notable Cast: Dakota
Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, Chloe Grace Moretz, Angela Winkler, Ingrid
Caven, Elena Fokina
Remakes are a contentious subject for movie fans. I don’t
necessarily share most of the feelings, as I believe a good film can be a good
film regardless of its connection to its source material, but after years of terrible
remakes, it’s hard not to have some understanding for the hatred. When it comes
to a classic film with a very rambunctious and vocal fan base like Suspiria, having a remake was already
going to be a hotly debated topic even if it is a great film. This is what
makes the multi-award nominated director Luca Guadagnino’s version of this
horror classic such a fascinating remake. It’s a very good film. It’s shies of
being great, for some reasons that will be further explained below, but 2018’s Suspiria is a massively fascinating and
true reinterpretation of the original film. This is not Argento’s version
simply modernized and watered down for mainstream consumption that traps so
many horror films. This is truly a unique spin on the classic, incorporating
its own key elements, loosely following the core plotting of the original, and
developing some fantastically disturbing and refreshing themes. Even for fans
of the original, if you’re a cinephile, you’re going to find plenty of things
to respect about the film, even if you have a full-hearted love for the
original.