SUSPIRIA
1977,
20th Century Fox,
100 min,
Italy,
Dir: Dario Argento
Jessica Harper, Joan Bennett and Udo Kier star in this landmark giallo inspired by an essay by 19th-century opium eater Thomas De Quincey. Argento’s magnum opus (the first of his “Three Mothers” trilogy) mixes witchcraft, nubile young flesh and expressionist set design into a truly hellish brew. SUSPIRIA is as visually ravishing as it is violent; its director explained the film’s distinctive look as “trying to reproduce the color of Walt Disney’s SNOW WHITE.” Goblin’s eerie prog-rock soundtrack envelopes listeners in a web of Moog, Mellotron and guitar, and has been sampled in everything from Hong Kong action films to hip-hop songs.