TMR 030 – Suspiria (1977‪)‬ Total Movie Recall

Suspiria (1977)

d. Dario Argento
written by: Dario Argento, Daria Nicolodi 

Starring:
Jessica Harper 
Stefania Casini
Flavio Bucci
Udo Kier
Joan Bennett

This week on Total Movie Recall, we test our feminist bona fides and flex our rigorous academic muscles dissecting the precise and not-at-all haphazard imagery of Dario Argento's giallo horror film, Suspiria. Ryan fantasizes about disappearing into a Black Forest fairytale world where there are no problems and noted ballerina enthusiast Steve remains unimpressed with the technical rigors of this film. Cool colors, though.

Suzy (Jessica Harper) travels to Germany to attend ballet school. When she arrives, late on a stormy night, no one lets her in, and she sees Pat (Eva Axén), another student, fleeing from the school. When Pat reaches her apartment, she is murdered. The next day, Suzy is admitted to her new school, but has a difficult time settling in. She hears noises, and often feels ill. As more people die, Suzy uncovers the terrifying secret history of the place.


Things discussed in the show:

The Three Mothers

Red Dead Redemption 2

Suspiria (2018, Luca Guadagnino, Chloë Grace Moretz, Tilda Swinton, Doris Hick)

Anthony Bourdain and Asia Argento

The Crow (1994, Alex Proyas, Brandon Lee, Michael Wincott, Rochelle Davis)

'80s & '90s sitcoms: Wings, Frasier, Step by Step, Family Matters, Dinosaurs and Cheers

South Park

The Simpsons

Community (Dan Harmon, Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Donald Glover, Gillian Jacobs, Alison Brie, Ken Jeong, Yvette Nicole Brown, Jim Rash, Chevy Chase)

The Russo Brothers

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015, Joss Whedon, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo)

Igmar Bergman

Chopping Mall (1986, Killbots, Jim Wynorski, Kelli Maroney, Tony O'Dell, Russell Todd)

Dr. Killbot

Always Sunny in Philadelphia / Pepe Silvia

Zack Snyder: Sucker Punch, Dawn of the Dead, 300, Justice League, The Snyder Cut, Snow Steam Iron

George Romero

Return to Oz (1985, Walter Murch, Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh)

John Milius

The old snail mail DVD days of Netflix

Letterboxd app

Alamo Drafthouse DTLA's DVD library

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1935, Disney)

The Suspiria soundtrack by Goblin

Phantom of the Paradise (1974, Brian De Palma, Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper)

Farrah Fawcett hair

Psychedelic horror

Mandy (2018, Panos Cosmatos, Casper Kelly, Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache)

Color Out of Space (2019, Richard Stanley, Scarlett Amaris, H.P. Lovecraft, Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine Arthur)

Rosemary's Baby (1968, Roman Polanski, Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon)

Giallo films

American Movie (1999, Coven, Chris Smith, Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank, Tom Schimmels)

The Undershorts Film Festival Chicago

The Lost Boys (1987, Joel Schumacher

Thomas De Quincy, occult writer: Confessions of an English Opium Eater, Suspiria De Profundis

Santa Muerte

Inferno (1980, Leigh McCloskey, Irene Miracle, Eleonora Giorgi)

Yazidi culture and the icon of the Peacock angel

Supernatural - The French Mistake episode

Next week: Naked Gun 33 1/3