Audiences looking for a frightful time at the theater have already had a great year in 2018, with more testaments to the ongoing horror renaissance giving us plenty of reasons to be afraid of the dark. Fortunately, the back half of the year looks just as scary with The Nun, Halloween and Mandy still to come. However, the most terrifying film on the horizon may be the remake of Suspiria. The footage we've seen so far is deeply unsettling and that is no accident. Director Luca Guadagnino wants Suspiria to be truly disturbing, as he explained:
I hope that the movie comes across as a relentless experience that's going to go deep into your skin all the way down into your spine. I want the movie to perform as the most disturbing experience you can have. The movie is about being immersed in a world of turmoil and uncompromising darkness.
Wow, that's got to be just about the coolest thing you could ever hope for a horror director to say about his film. The R rating for Suspiria and the reasons for it already assured us that this movie would not be for the faint of heart, but what Luca Guadagnino is speaking to here is more than that. Beyond just being scary, the director is hoping that Suspiria will get under your skin and stay there as the most disturbing experience you can have. Those are quite lofty goals that really hype this movie as something that will mess with your head and haunt you long after you leave the theater.
Another comment Luca Guadagnino made to The Hollywood Reporter was that that he wants the movie to be a relentless experience. That tells me that there will be no reprieve, and few safe moments in the film to catch your breath. The disturbing nature of the film will keep you in a constant state of tension as you witness this dark tale. At least, that's Guadagnino's goal. And an ambitious one it is.
There is a stark difference between a movie just being scary and being both scary and disturbing. If there is one thing that has come across from the trailers for Suspiria so far it's that it will be very unsettling, creeping you out in an indefinable way that is hard to describe, but extremely effective. Something about the way its shot, the framing, the performances all contribute to this effect. This seems similar to Black Swan, ironically another movie about a dance company, which was unsettling throughout. Which is luckily the effect the trailers for Suspiria have had and presumably the film will also envelop you in.
Suspiria debuts next month at the Venice Film Festival before its theatrical release on November 2nd. Check out all of 2018's biggest releases still to come in our premiere guide and for all the latest in horror so disturbing it makes you nauseous, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
