Luca Guadagnino’s reimagining of Suspiria has already sent star Dakota Johnson to therapy, and now preview footage of the film is apparently sending critics and journalists reaching for vomit bags. Yes, the director, whose last film was the loving and tender Call Me by Your Name (where the only thing harmed during filming was a peach), is apparently not pulling any punches with his remake of the lauded giallo classic. One critic who saw the preview clip at this week's CinemaCon in Los Angeles called it "one of the most f—ed up things I've ever seen."
Before we get into all of that though, we should provide some backstory on what exactly this project is.
Dario Argento's original 1977 film is about an American ballet dancer who travels to Germany to take a spot at an elite dance school. As you might suspect, it turns out there are spooky things afoot at the school. There are bumps in the night; people die; maggots rain down from the ceiling. It's all very gory, with some genuine spooks for sure, but the film isn't necessarily remembered for being the scariest thing ever. The big reveal ending, in particular, is a little bit schmaltzy. Despite initial mixed reviews, what has cemented the film as a cult classic is not gore for gore's sake, but rather its overall style. As much as it's at times really, really hard to watch, it's also just really, really pretty to look at for most of the running time. The elaborate set design, scene staging, atmospheric lighting, and classic soundtrack provided by Italian prog-rock band Goblin all contribute to the film's reputation. It's the kind of movie you might see on mute at a particularly discerning hipster Halloween party—or perhaps a Swiss art dealer going through a midlife crisis might take to his interior designer and say, "Make my bedroom look like this."
Take a look at the trailer for a recent restoration of the original below:
Though other filmmakers have tried to remake the film before, Guadagnino is the first to actually get the project together (Amazon Studios is footing the bill). Though, he prefers to think of it not as a remake, but rather "a homage to the incredible, powerful emotion I felt when I saw [the original]."
For his version he's recruited two of his favorite leading ladies. Dakota Johnson will play the American dancer, while Tilda Swinton stars as the mysterious headmistress of the school. Chloë Grace Moretz and Mia Goth play fellow students, and the original film's star, Jessica Harper, also has a role. Polish model Małgosia Bela will also be making her film debut.
For her part, Johnson has said filming the project has already sent her seeking professional help. She recently told Elle that the film “no lie, f—ed me up so much that I had to go to therapy."
"We were in an abandoned hotel on top of a mountain. It had 30 telephone poles on the roof, so there was electricity pulsating through the building, and everyone was shocking each other,” she elaborated. “It was cold as shit, and so dry."
Mind you, she divulged all of this in the midst of a Q&A about her favorite beauty products, so clearly the experience has stuck with her no matter what the topic of discussion at hand (coconut oil helped with the dryness, by the way).
Which brings us to the reaction at CinemaCon to the first footage. People were losing their damn minds, if not their lunches, over the scene.
Amazon just world premiered a scene from Luca Guadagnino's 'Suspiria' remake and it's one of the most fucked up things I've ever seen at #CinemaCon. People at my table turned away from the screen. All I can say is it's beyond extreme and gross and I need to see more.
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) April 26, 2018
Amazon teasing incredibly violent and bloody scene from Luca Guadagnino's #Suspiria at #CinemaCon. Close to upchucking the quinoa salad I just ate. Perfect for lunchtime presentation!
— Brent Lang (@BrentALang) April 26, 2018
Huge understatement. Trying not to vomit. https://t.co/dmDkBefcIw
— Brent Lang (@BrentALang) April 26, 2018
Things @russfischer and I said out loud to no one in particular while watching that scene from SUSPIRIA:
“Whaaat”
“Jesus Christ”
“Holy fuck”
“Wow”— Scott Wampler™ ? (@ScottWamplerBMD) April 26, 2018
I think it’s safe to say no one at my table expected the body horror, urine, and bile served up in that Suspiria clip just now at #CinemaCon.
— mike blacklist (@mike_blacklist) April 26, 2018
Someone at my table threw their napkin down, said “uh, no”, and walked out.
— mike blacklist (@mike_blacklist) April 26, 2018
They are showing the #Suspiria clip now. I had to look away but it wasn’t enough. The sound effects alone will haunt me for the rest of my life. #CinemaCon
— Lauren Cox (@Iaurencox) April 26, 2018
Luckily, some managed to hold it together long enough to describe the actual scene. In a setup that seems reminiscent of the dance climax of Alex Garland's Annihilation, it involves a sort of violent dance scene in which one partner controls the body of the other. Except, way more violent. Perhaps the setup was still on his mind when he recently shot a W fashion spread involving two models mirroring each other's movements.
Saw a disturbing clip from the Suspiria remake. A girl trapped in a mirrored room is literally broken in connection with Dakota Johnson’s dance scene taking place in another location. Each of her movements twist this poor girl until she’s just a drooling ball of jumbled limbs.
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) April 26, 2018
Ummm I am traumatized after seeing a scene from "Suspiria" in which Dakota Johnson controls the body of another woman as she dances. The woman's body literally cracks in half. She is like, torn apart. Spitting, urinating, bleeding. It's… A lot. #CinemaCon
— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) April 26, 2018
So, don't eat lunch before seeing the film. Noted.
The real question on many a mind, however, is whether or not the remake is still pretty too look at?
Visually it seems like Luca Guadagnino is going in the opposite direction of Argento’s original. The photography was sparse, very little color. Maybe it gets crazier later but I can’t imagine remaking this particular movie and not going crazy with color.
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) April 26, 2018
Hmmm. Though, Amazon did bathe the room in red light before Guardagnino took the stage to introduce the footage, so that has to mean something.
Luca Guadagnino brought a SUSPIRIA presentation for which the Amazon luncheon is turned red. pic.twitter.com/xrn48cb0JJ
— Russ Fischer (@russfischer) April 26, 2018
Birth Movies Death also adds that "the entire sequence was beautifully shot and edited with laser precision."
Thom Yorke is doing the music, but apparently isn't taking his cues from the original score, either.
There's still a lot more information to come about the film, it seems, including a release date. Despite some speculation it may ultimately premiere at Cannes, no date has been given.
Related: Rianne van Rompaey and Adwoa Aboah Star in "Sister My Sister," Directed and Photographed by Luca Guadagnino
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