10 Horror Movie Characters Who Were Perfectly Cast (The Second Time)

10. Madame Blanc - Tilda Swinton (Suspiria)

The Original

One of the primary villains in Dario Argento's all-timer giallo masterwork Suspiria is Madame Blanc, the dance school's headmistress who secretly heads a coven of witches.

Blanc is played by Hollywood legend Joan Bennett in her final movie role, and while certainly cutting a striking presence throughout as the authoritarian head, she also mystifies as much as she unnerves with her bizarre, difficult-to-place choice of accent (as is true of much of the cast, admittedly).

Second Time's The Charm

But in the 2018 remake - or as director Luca Guadagnino calls it, "homage" - Madame Blanc is a considerably more fleshed-out character played in typically stunning fashion by the ever-brilliant Tilda Swinton.

Swinton plays the part with greater sensitivity but it's also fair to say that there are major storytelling differences between the two versions of the character, with this retelling reworking both her relationship with protagonist Susie/Suzy and her ultimate arc.

As written it's a more nuanced part, but Swinton's performance also feels far three-dimensional while Bennett's work, though fun, is basically always spinning on a single axis.