Horror remakes and reboots are always going to be controversial affairs, especially when the original is as acclaimed and widely loved a film as Dario Argento’s Suspiria. The 1977 Italian cult classic is a mesmerizing and nightmarish immersion of the senses, one which would be tough for anybody to top, even a director as talented as Call Me by Your Name helmsman Luca Guadagnino.
And as the film’s 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes would suggest, the remake didn’t exactly win everyone over. In fact, if you ask Argento what he thinks about it, Guadagnino’s effort betrayed the sprit of the original and didn’t really do much for him.
Speaking in a recent interview, here’s what the iconic director said when asked for his thoughts on the new Suspiria:
“I saw the remake at the cinema. It did not excite me, it betrayed the spirit of the original film: there is little fear, there is no music. The film has not satisfied me so much, it’s like that, a refined film, like [director Luca] Guadagnino, who is a fine person.”
So, clearly he wasn’t too pleased then with the remake, and it seems that for the most part, 2018’s Suspiria was a love-it-or-hate-it sort of deal, with not too many people falling in the middle. Then again, it was never going to be a complete crowd pleaser given that its graphic and disturbing content is obviously not for everyone.
Still, Suspiria is a frenzied reimagining that allows Luca Guadagnino to tell a story through visual representation like no other, and his sanguine-soaked payoff is almost worth the price of admission alone. There may be a bit too much going on at times, but if you’re at all a fan of the original, we’d still suggest checking out the remake if you haven’t done so already, despite what Argento has to say about it.