Suspiria
A young American ballerina uncovers a witches’ coven inside a sinister German dance academy rendered as a chromatic nightmare.
Overview
A ballet academy hides dark secrets beneath its graceful facade, where every dance could be deadly.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- oppressive
- dreamy
- late night horror marathon
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a visually extraordinary and suspenseful cult horror work whose maximalist style can overwhelm its thin or uneven narrative.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Argento builds the academy and its violent set-pieces around intense red, blue, and green lighting.
The prestigious ballet academy is revealed to operate as a surviving witches' coven.
The film is widely identified as an exemplar of Eurohorror and foregrounds shock cuts, color, sound, and set-pieces.
Suzy researches Pat's death and the academy's history while accumulating clues about the coven.
Films like Suspiria, and why
The Masque of the Red Death
stylized supernatural horror, occult investigation, and heightened visual design
The Exorcist
gothic horror atmosphere, supernatural menace, and elaborate color-driven production design
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
italian horror tradition, mystery structure, graphic set-pieces, and expressionistic suspense
Phenomena
boarding-school setting, occult conspiracy, and dreamlike supernatural dread
Movie Details
- Director
- Dario Argento
- Release Date
- 1977-02-01
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (3274)
Cast
- Jessica Harper
- Stefania Casini
- Flavio Bucci
- Miguel Bosé
- Barbara Magnolfi
- Susanna Javicoli
- Eva Axén
- Rudolf Schündler
- Udo Kier
- Alida Valli
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Suspiria about?
- A young American ballerina uncovers a witches’ coven inside a sinister German dance academy rendered as a chromatic nightmare.
- What is Suspiria like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Suspiria as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Suspiria violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Suspiria as graphic.
- What did critics think of Suspiria?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a visually extraordinary and suspenseful cult horror work whose maximalist style can overwhelm its thin or uneven narrative.
- Which films are like Suspiria?
- Films with a similar feel include The Masque of the Red Death, The Exorcist, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, and Phenomena.
- How long is Suspiria?
- Suspiria runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch Suspiria?
- In United States, Suspiria streams on Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel.
