Argento's masterpiece, Suspiria has, and will continue to, stand the test of time. It is a sumptuous exercise in pure style, but also stands as one of his more coherent and absorbing works in terms of story. Deep Red may have Suspiria pipped in terms of plot, but as far as the overall package is concerned, Suspiria stands head and shoulders above all others. Suspiria is filmed like some sort of twisted fairytale, emphasising vibrant primary colours (particularly red) and helped immeasurably by the imbibition technicolor process, used for the likes of The Wizard of Oz. It creates a surreal, nightmarish feeling and also helps it look like no other horror film (especially not from the seventies). Besides the incredible visual style and cinematography, Suspiria has a lot else going for it, too, including an iconic score by Goblin, a great central performance from Jessica Harper and some spectacular murder set-pieces. It was a success when it released, doing bit business in Italy and around the world. The film's reputation has only grown in the years since and it is now considered one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Rightfully so. Argento is a polarising director and this is bound to be a polarising list, so please share your comments below. But keep it clean, or else I'll send the BBFC 'round after you!
