Are Suspiria & Operat *THAT* good? (1 Viewer)

[David Ruiz]

Hi Guys,
Every single time I am looking through forums, for some strange reason, *EVERYONE* seems to talk about Susperia and Opera, and how they would do anything in the universe to get them!
Are tehy really *THAT* good? I've heard from some people say that they are their favourite movies of ALL-TIME! I also heard from someone that no other movie even comes CLOSE to being as good as Susperia?
What makes these movies so good? I read somewhere that Susperia is about a music school? If that's true, what can be so special about that? That sounds pretty boring to me. I understand that a limited edition is about to be released, and from all the hype that it has gotten, I'm thinking about getting it, but there's a huge problem. I don't like to buy DVDs that I've never seen before, because I end up hating the movie, and I can't get rid of the DVD. Three examples of this are "Seven" "Lost Souls" and "Johnny Nemonic" all of which I had NOT seen before, but I felt so ripped off buying them, because those were the worst movies I have EVER seen!!! I don't want that to happen to me, if I buy Susperia. Can anyone who has seen it tell me if I might not like it??? I love horror movies, but only major ones...not like the older 80s ones. Some of my favourites:
Halloween (All of them except 3)
Friday the 13th (all of them)
Hellraiser (all of them)
Child's Play (all of them)
Nightmare On Elm Street (All Of Them)
Scream (all)
I Know What You Did/I Still Know
The Faculty
Urban Legend
Valentine
Juding by my taste of movies, do you think I'll like Susperia and/or Opera?

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I'm not a big horror nut by any stretch of the imagination, but if I had to pick the top three horror movies I like, it would be Halloween, Suspiria, and The Exorcist. I've never seen Opera, so I'll leave that to other people. The appeal of Suspiria lies in the fact that it does the thing most horror movies are supposed to do, horrify. The music, scenery, and atmosphere of the movie lead to a sense of creepiness/spookiness. The setting of the story is actually in a dance school which oddly enough is an integral part of the storyline. The scenes of horror are exremely violent and stylishly done. It's not for everybody, but I like it a lot.
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[Matt_Stevens]

A friend of mine just e-mailed me and said he received both the SE's of SUSPIRIA and OPERA today and will e-mail me later tonight with his initial comments. He's a fan and has owned every single earlier video/LD release of these films, so he'll give us the goods.
As for the films themselves, OPERA is absolutely overrated, in my opinion. I truly hated it with a passion because of how completely stupid the characters were, how implausible the twists were and because of how laughably unrealistic the final twist ending was. It was a Rock music murder movie with outstanding camera work and locations. SOme love it. I'm not one of them.
Now SUSPIRIA is easily the scariest movie ever made, despite the fact that the majority of the scares come in the first 15 minutes. About a year and a half ago I brought my Pioneer CLD-704 and widescreen SUSPIRIA LD to a friend's house. He had a 60 RPTV with a good surround sound setup and maybe ten friends over at the time, none of whom had ever heard of Dario Argento.
SUSPIRIA scared the crap out of all of them for the first 15 minutes and kept them tense for the rest of the film, before scaring the shit out of them during the last ten minutes. It was hysterical to watch them freak out. The film works because of the camera work, music and mood set by the music (not to mention the horrific murders). The film may be flawed in many areas, but it is a prime example of style over substance, which rarely works so well, or at all.

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[Gerard Priori]

I'm a longtime horror fan, and SUSPIRIA and OPERA are two of my favorites of the genre. Of the films you've listed that you like, I liked (generally) the first installment of the serials (though I also like HELLRAISER II--the rest were crap, and HALLOWEEN III--I liked Carpenter's idea of having a Halloween series that had nothing to do with Michael Myers). I hated the SCREAM sequels and both LAST SUMMER films as well as the URBAN LEGEND films. With that in mind, you just might enjoy both SUSPIRIA and OPERA.
Keep in mind that they're both Argento films; so while a film about witches running a dance academy may not be an intrinsically interesting plot, with Argento the rule is style over substance. With both SUSPIRIA and OPERA, the music that accompanies the images is vital, so a well-mastered soundtrack in addition to well-mastered video in its correct aspect ratio is vital to ones ultimate enjoyment of both of these films (and we should have nothing to worry about from Anchor Bay). From the list of films that you like, it seems to me that having a coherent story is not a prerequisite to your enjoyment of horror movies, which is yet another reason why you very well may enjoy both of these Argento films. The plot of SUSPIRIA is sheer nonsense, but with the atmosphere created with the colors in the cinematography and the score by Goblin (which influenced Carpenter's HALLOWEEN theme) along with the outstanding gore effects, you can't miss. Likewise, OPERA also has some outstanding violent set pieces, as the Diva is bound and gagged and forced to watch the murders because there are pins that are taped to her eyelids that will pierce her if she blinks. (I have to squirm just thinking about it.) I was hypnotized by OPERA for the entire length of its running time the first time I saw it.
You seem to be a horror fan. You owe it to yourself to see some Argento films. And SUSPIRIA and OPERA are good places to start.
-Jerry
[Edited last by Gerard Priori on August 30, 2001 at 07:15 PM]

 

[TomF]

Hi David,
I suggest searching for an excellent thread/discussion here on Dario Argento (I'd do it for you but the search feature is unavailable at the moment). People tend to either love or hate his films (and I have seen people post their dislike of both Suspiria and Opera). As someone just posted, Argento films are usually style over substance. Suspiria has great atmosphere and some thrills, but good luck making sense of the plot. Based on the '80s horror films you list as your favorites, I can't say whether you would enjoy it. It's very different from those. But if you're going to try a Dario Argento film, Suspiria is an excellent place to start.
Tom

 

[Carol Razavi]

Well seeing that u disliked Se7en (one of my favorites), which was a film that had a great atmosphere to it. I think suspiria is sort of the same. It's the sort of film that gives u goosbumps but not really scare u by jumping. It's deffinitly one of the creepiest films I have ever seen. My suggestion is that u give it a rent first, if u like it, then buy it.
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[Matthew Chmiel]

Suspiria is my favorite horror film of all time. Argento is a master at what he does, and Suspiria is not only his best film, but the one that shows how great of a director he is.
Now Opera on the other hand, it's a good film, but not as good as most of Argento's previous films at the time.
I also have to agree with TomF, search the forum for the thread dealing with a discussion we had on Dario Argento after someone asked if they would like Argneto's films.
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[Edited last by Matthew Chmiel on August 30, 2001 at 04:37 PM]

 

[Bob_L]

Based on the films that David lists as his favorites, I would predict he will not like Suspiria.
I don't mean this to be a comment on David's favorites -- his list includes some of MY favorites, too -- it's just that the deliberate pacing and the emphasis on atmosphere over kinetic thrills (except for the opening violence in the music school and the ending of the film) will not appeal to him, I suspect.
David, try Suspiria on a rental basis before you commit your money. If you DO like Suspiria, I will be delighted because it is on my short list of great horror films.
Enjoy!
(FYI: My favorite part of the movie ISN'T the big violent set pieces; rather, it's the opening of the film up to the arrival at the school. The use of sound and imagery is just extraordinary, one of the most visceral montages I can think of in ANY film, not just horror genre flicks.)

 

[Matt_Stevens]

(FYI: My favorite part of the movie ISN'T the big violent set pieces; rather, it's the opening of the film up to the arrival at the school. The use of sound and imagery is just extraordinary, one of the most visceral montages I can think of in ANY film, not just horror genre flicks.)

I agree 100%. The killings ar well done, but what got me first time around was the incredible opening, from the credits to taxi ride to the apartment with the wild color scheme, all the while that Goblin score and the sounds of thunder. The opening is simply outstanding and it is a shame that the rest of the film does not live up to it.
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[Eric Wickitt]

Judging by my taste of movies, do you think I'll like Susperia and/or Opera?

David, judging from your taste of horror movies (the ones you listed at least), I'd have to say "NO" you wouldn't like them.
At least, not initially.....
Gore and suspense are one thing, atmosphere and style are completely different entities....
I say "not initially" because the Italian horror tends to "grow on you" like a beautifully foul fungus. Upon my first few viewings of Argento's films I didn't "get it" either. But I was patient. Now I crave more.
BRING ON SUSPIRIA AND OPERA NOW!
and to you, David, I suggest possibly renting or borrowing one first....... OR if you're buying any, buy Suspiria.
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[Wes Ray]

Dario certainly isn't for everyone's taste. However, I've heard very few people speak badly of Suspiria and rightfully so. It's a haunting, bizarre masterpiece that truly has the power to scare.
Opera is more like Deep Red and Tenebre. A bizarre, mystery/thriller with memorable scenes of violence that's very stylish. A lot of people don't like it, and while it's not as good as Deep Red or my personal favorite, Tenebre, Opera is an excellent mystery/thriller that most Argento and horror fans should enjoy. It probably has his wildest scenes of violence of any movie he's done (although I haven't seen the uncut Suspiria yet, so that may change soon).
Spoiler:The killer tapes a girl's eyelids open with needles, and forces her to watch the killing of her boyfriend.
Spoiler:Then there's the sequence where the murderer has to retrieve a piece of incriminating evidence that was swallowed by the now-deceased victim. So, the killer has to cut it out of the person's throat. Wild stuff indeed.
And finally...
Spoiler:The sequence where Daria Nicolodi is crouching at the door, looking through a keyhole at the killer on the other side. The killer fires a gun through the keyhole...we see a close-up of the bullet, which then goes into her eye, through her head, and across the room into a telephone. One word after viewing this sequence...wow.