Is nothing sacred? Thanks to everyone supporting endless horror remakes, and the fact that most of the major classic American horror movies have already been remade, the films of dedicated horror fanatics are now schedules for redux. The most recent, and infuriating, is a remake of Suspiria, Dario Argento’s classic Italian horror film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"The original Suspiria had a unique style that we want to recapture and reinvest," First Sun chief Luca Guadagnino said. "The concept will encompass cinema, video games, fashion and music that will revive the original version and also include a psychological element to the film that was not there in the original."
What the fuck? “Video games?” “Fashion?” There wasn’t a psychological element in the original? To add more confusion and anger to the pot, First Sun is in talks with David Gordon Green to direct. That’s right, the same director who did the outstanding George Washington and All the Real Girls. One of the most promising American directors could single handedly destroy the original Suspiria and his own future.
If you are a regular Cinema Blend reader (and shouldn’t you be?), you’ve heard me talking a lot about Dario Argento and his work recently, including Suspiria. In fact, the other day we posted an exciting story about Argento’s latest film The Third Mother. This news of a Suspiria remake is devastating. No longer will Suspiria be that unknown title in your friend’s DVD library that intrigues and scares you a bit. When you first watch Suspiria it feels like a rare find – a stylistic gore horror filled with atmosphere – that is all your own. Now, not only will the remake suck, but it will spoil the mystic of the original film. When horror fans utter the title Suspiria, you’ll hear a younger generation say, “That movie sucked,” referring to the remake.
For those who are entranced by the horror genre and are eating up anything Hollywood is spewing out these days. Do everyone a favor and head to the video store instead of the theater and check out some of these original films. Start looking for the stuff between the gore – atmosphere, psychological terror and an actual plot. Don’t support remakes and don’t let your favorite unknown horror movie be spoiled by the mass market, where true horror doesn’t belong.
