In what has already been a banner year for horror fans, the back half of 2018 offers numerous other reasons to get excited about being terrified, including Suspiria from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino. The remake of Dario Argento's 1977 horror classic not only has to succeed on its own merits, but it also carries with it the weight of legacy and expectation to live up to its name. But if Quentin Tarantino's opinion is any indication, things are looking good for Suspiria. Luca Guadagnino showed Tarantino the film and was heartened by the director's reaction, as he explained:
I showed it to Quentin Tarantino. We've been friends since our jury duty at the Venice Film Festival. I was nervous but eager to hear his advice. We saw it at his place and his reaction warmed me. He was enthusiastic about it, in the end he was crying and hugged me. Because it's a horror movie but also a melodrama, my goal was to make you look at the horror without being able to take [your eyes off the screen] because you're captivated by the characters. Amazon is very happy.
It is pretty encouraging that Quentin Tarantino had such an emotional response to the film. Saying it was good and offering praise is one thing, but an emotional reaction of tears and hugs is another. Quentin Tarantino isn't only a director, but he is also something of a historian of the medium and a voracious watcher of movies. So I imagine that he is not the easiest guy to impress, and he's going to give his honest opinion. I can see why Luca Guadagnino would be nervous, as many would be when showing a piece of personal art to someone else, even a friend. This kind of congratulatory reaction from Quentin Tarantino bodes especially well for Suspiria. Luca Guadagnino also said that Amazon is happy with the film, so perhaps the studio thinks it has something special on its hands.
Speaking to La Repubblica (via IndieWire), Luca Guadagnino also seems to be stressing that what makes his movie work and why Quentin Tarantino liked it is the strength of the drama and the characters. He makes an interesting point that he wanted to make audiences unable to look away from the horror because of how compelling the characters are. You can already begin to see this in the first trailer for the film. It is weird, unsettling and full of tension, teasing a horrific secret lurking beneath the surface. You may not know what's going on and it may be disconcerting, but you can't look away. It's magnetic. And given the R rating and the reasoning behind it for Suspiria, there will be plenty of reasons that audiences will want to look away from the screen, even if they can't help themselves but to keep their eyes locked.
Suspiria stars Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth and Chloë Grace Moretz, and it hits theaters on November 2. Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantion is currently filming his next movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, to release next summer. Check out our release calendar for all this year's biggest movies, and for all the latest in horror that makes you feel like you need a shower, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
