Suspiria - overrated? (COMBINED with "Suspiria: what a dud!") (1 Viewer)

[chung_sotheby]

I think that Suspiria was not overrated, as I rank it in the top tier of horror films. But for some people who are not used to watching Italian cinema, it can come off as a bit grandiose and unnerving.

But on the other hand, I do not think Suspiria is Dario Argento's best work. That distinction would have to go to his daughters. Funky Buttlovin'! In the great words of Ray Romano on SNL:

"Sweet Sassy Molassy...... Oh Boy, she's hot. When I see her, my peeny goes whooooooop!"

 

[Randy Korstick]

Paul

The problem with your definition is it means that if a new movie comes out and every critic in the country gives it a terrible review except Roger Ebert who loves it and that movie then does poor box office based on the poor reviews you could start a post that said that movie was overrated.

I know there are people in the world who liked Heavens Gate and Ishtar so are these movies overrated?

I happened to be one of the few in this forum who liked Pearl Harbor so I could start a thread asking was Pearl Harbor overrated? Most members would be puzzled by this post just as I was by yours because Suspiria is a small, obscure movie that is loved only by cult horror fans, and something that seems the farthest from being considered overrated regardless of whether you like the movie or not.

I guess we just have very different ideas on the definition of overrated.

 

[Paul_D]

Fair enough.

 

[Randy Korstick]

I'll second your fair enough and I hope you didn't take offense to any of my postings

 

[Paul_D]

I hope you didn't take offense to any of my postings

Ditto.

 

[BarryS]

I guess compared to the fast paced MTV editing style of the 90's it can be discribed as slow but I can't see boring.

I have no problem with slow movies. I'm not one of these weaned-on-Michael-Bay people that hate any horror movie that doesn't feature any "Party of Five" cast members and depends on psychological terror rather than predictable jump scenes. And who has never scene a horror movie that was made before 1990.

I'm a big cult horror fan. Give me John Carpenter, Wes Craven (before Scream), George Romero, Sam Raimi, David Cronenberg, etc. I have seen plenty of movies from before the "fast paced style of the 90s". That's not why I found it boring. I don't know exactly why. I failed to get interested in the story. Usually, if a story is lacking, I can get into a movie if the style is good enough. Well, Suspiria's style wasn't able to captivate me enough either. I will make no judgment against Dario Argento as Suspiria is the only film of his that I have seen. Perhaps I'll try again some day, but I know of many other horror films that I find much more entertaining and worthwile.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Barry

For whats its worth all the horror directors you mentioned are fans of Dario's work and both John Carpenter and George Romero have admitted to being influenced by him. So you might want to try some more Dario Argento since your favorite horror directors see something in him. He is an aquired taste like many italian horror directors. Meaning that you can't always tell for sure if you like him or on not on your first or second viewing. I know most of his movies have improved with each viewing for me. A warning though: as with most Italian Horror movies the narative or story is the worst part. So if your problem with Suspiria was the weak story than he just may not be your cup of tea.

He is a style/mood/atmosphere first and story second director.

 

[Kevin M]

Indeed, Both Debra Hill and Carpenter himself admitted in their Criterion Halloween commentary that Halloween as a film owes a great deal to both Suspiria & Deep Red.

 

[Steve Phillips]

I think SUSPIRIA is great. But for kids brought up on Blockbuster rentals of CHILDREN OF THE CORN sequels, I guess it is too sophisticated.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Kevin

You are correct. I have the Criterion LD of Halloween also.

The famous music score of Halloween was also influenced by Goblins Suspiria score and even more so by their Deep Red score.

 

[Damin J Toell]

The famous music score of Halloween was also influenced by Goblins Suspiria score and even more so by their Deep Red score.

Personally, I think they were both ripping off "Tubular Bells," although Carpenter cites to both that and the Deep Red theme in his Halloween commentary.
DJ

 

[BarryS]

For whats its worth all the horror directors you mentioned are fans of Dario's work and both John Carpenter and George Romero have admitted to being influenced by him.

That's fine. I have nothing against Argento. I just didn't like Suspiria. That's all. I'm sure that his work is very seminal and noteworthy, after all anyone who's known as the "Italian Hitchcock" must be worth something. Perhaps I'll try again someday. It could just be mood or state of mind I was in when watching the movie.

As for George Romero being influenced by Dario Argento, I would think it would be the other way around, since Romero is basically the father of modern horror. Suspiria was made a full decade after Night of the Living Dead. Argento's first directorial gig was The Bird with the Crystal Plumage in 1970, two years after NOTLD. But perhaps that is referring to Romero's later career.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Barry

Yes it referring to Romero's later career, think anything after Martin. As you probably know he even used Dario Argento to co-direct Dawn of the Dead with him and put together his own Italian version of the film. There are many scenes in Dawn of the Dead that are very Argentoish.

 

[Damin J Toell]

As you probably know he even used Dario Argento to co-direct Dawn of the Dead with him and put together his own Italian version of the film.

Argento did indeed do his own edit of Dawn for European release, but he did not co-direct anything in the film, no matter what any credits for any version say.
DJ

 

[Randy Korstick]

Actually none of the american versions list him as a co-director but every horror book I've read states that Dario co-directed some scenes for this uncredited and then later did his own edit. George Romero confirmed this in a question and answer session at a Fangoria Convention I attended in LA back in 1989.

 

[rich_d]

When (several times a year) someone does a top 10 horror movie list ... over 80 percent of the movies mentioned are the same 30 films.

30 movies. Seems to me this genre needs all the quality horror movies we can get. Like it or not, Suspiria is one of them.

 

[DwightK]

If it matters to anyone, Tenebrea -sp is on IFC tomorrow night followed by some D'Argento documentary and then Jackson's Dead Alive. Nice saturday night.