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Suspiria (3 Disc Limited Edition)

Suspiria (3 Disc Limited Edition)

List Price: $29.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Argento's best besides Phenomena
Review: Finally Anchor Bay is releasing Suspiria!!! I can't wait for the tin!! This is the most beautifully done horror movie you could ever see...get it on DVD...it will look so cool....this movie is for real horror fans only, and not stupid Scream fans

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A classic by barely a whisper?
Review: Saw this one in a nearly empty theater back in '77. First reel shocked me so much I had to leave. On the way out of the lobby two old folks were chewing out one of the theater's staff for showing such "trash" (what were they EXPECTING!?). Went back a week later and sat through the whole thing..... Since then, I have watched this video enough times to advise:

Well, let me warn the prospective purchaser: The first 15 minutes or so of Suspiria are truly unique, frightening, hallucinatory - like all real horror, gets burned into your subconcious. Ah, if only Dario could have maintained that uniquely manic opening montage/music rhythmn. What a classic this would have been! But... The rest of Suspiria? A terrible letdown. From a scream to a yawn. Dull, pointless, meandering - usual Euro self-indulugence.

If you enjoy sophomoric attempts at the luridly poetic: maggot closeups, sharp objects threatening to impale nervously bulging eye balls (a Giallo favorite!), then, by all means, go for it. Otherwise, save your dough. Clever camera tricks,(that bird's-eye-on-a-wire swooping over the plaza POV, for example) and lots of post-Bava gels and primary colored shadows may constitude a freaky "atmosphere". But so what? All style and no substance does not a worthwhile movie make. So, between a whisper and a scream, Suspiria only rates a gasp.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Yes, it is definitely a GREAT film
Review: I really loved this movie. It was quite possibly the scariest film I've ever seen, but at the same time it had this odd sense of beauty. The combination causes the most sublime contradiction and you can't help but be pulled into the story. After you see Suspiria, if you enjoyed it, check out another Dario Argento film entitled Phenomenon starring Jennifer Connelly.

I will say that the previous Anchor Bay releases that I've purchased have been of the highest quality. Anchor Bay seems to really love the films they release and it's clearly evident throughout each of their DVDs. -Jeff!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Horror Film?? HELL NO!!!! BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!!!!!
Review: This movie is without a doubt the most scariest movie ever made as well as being the best movie ever made. Anchor Bay has done another fine job with the transfer and also the Dolby EX 6.1 Surround Sound. I bought a home theater system with the sole intetion of watching Suspiria on it and it blew me away. BUY THIS RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: De Palma Only Wishes He Had What Argento Has!!!
Review: Although I'm partial to TENEBRE myself, this is still an excellent film. Jessica Harper is Suzy, an American girl who arrives in Europe to attend an exclusive dance school. Almost immediately, sinister things begin to happen, ranging from a "rain of maggots" (a devilishly funny sequence) to some of the most cleverly lensed and choreographed murders ever put onscreen. To be fair, there are a few unintentional laughs and most of the performances are less than profound (some of the dubbing is pretty poor, too), but this is not what Argento was concerned with. He is out to shock his viewers, and more often than not he succeeds. The plot is weak, but this only contributes to its strange, nightmarish feel. The set design is often nauseatingly colorful, and succeeds in disorienting the viewer totally... it seems that in every shadow, around every weirdly lit, deliriously angular corner lurks another delectable horror. And then of course there's that crazy, crazy music (which sounds to me alot like The Residents). Harper is a good actress and she makes us care about her character here; I'm a big fan of hers, and I think it sucks that she hasn't made it big in America. This goes double for Argento, who happens to be pretty well-respected in Europe. A truly unique experience, not as good as TENEBRE in my opinion, but still a more than adequate suspense film. Proves, to my mind, that Argento (and NOT De Palma, that hack pretender) is Hitchcock's true successor.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: not the terrifying experience I was expecting
Review: Well, I finally got up the nerve to watch "Suspiria" and I was a little underwhelmed. I thought that it had a great sense of menace and I thought the music was effective. Perhaps I might have enjoyed it more had I watched it alone (my friend hated it) but I'm not sure. I have to admit that I did find the extreme use of red color a little too much and I did find the music, although effective, to be too loud and redundant. Maybe that was the point, but I think the overuse of the music made it lose its impact. I thought the opening murder was very scary, but I don't think that the gore had anything to do with that. I found the extreme gore distracting rather than scary. The ending with the directress was very effective (I loved the freaky girl with the knife, that was scary) but when it was over I wasn't scared to turn out the light and go to bed. I'll see it again sometime, but it wasn't the heartstopping masterpiece I was expecting.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Only Thing More Scary Than The Last 5 Minutes....
Review: ...Are the first 90! Suspiria is my favorite horror film of all time, and this is why. For starters, Argento does not rely on simply dialogue and acting to tell the story. Instead, he throws all of himself into creating an atmosphere that is dreamlike, flamboyant, and wicked through use of the camera, the set, and color. The storyline is simplistic and to the point. Suzy Banyon is a young American girl, going to a German dance school. Upon her arrival it is immediately clear that she is not wanted there. The night is dark, stormy, and rain is pouring. An anonymous voice denies Suzy's placement at the school and is told to leave. A girl rushes out of the door and rasps something incoherent about flowers and a secret. From then on, the pace is quickened and through fantastic murders Suzy and her new friend and roommate, Sara, try to end the mystery of their dance school once and for all and make the connection between the administration and the murders. Argento makes brilliant use of colour here; mainly red, green, yellow. The many meanings of those colors can be for fear, tension, confusion, caution, etc. The camera makes hallways seem infinitely long, and they creep up on their characters. In addition, there is a stark contrast between the hushed dialogue of the mainly Italian cast and the loud, almost to the point of annoyance, soundtrack by none other than Goblin. The music is pulsating and fuels the tension, most noteably for Goblin's track "Witch", which plays during a murder scene witha blind man in his dog. Watch this movie - please? :)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Finally got the DVD version
Review: After purchasing 2 VHS versions of this classic horror treat my DVD version arrived from England yesterday. The widescreen format is excellent the colors vibrant and the screaming soundtrack in Hi-Fi surround. I actually jumped at one stage during a loud clap of thunder in one scene. Amazon in the UK have this item on DVD in stock if anyone is interested but will only play on Multi zone DVD players. There are no extras and scene selection can only be accessed once the film has already started.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Americans Don't Have Style That's Why...
Review: ...Argento is the best kept secret in Italy. No, jokes aside. This film can be compared as to having a fever-dream or maybe an acid trip (although I've never done that) because it's "hallucinatory" as the little film experts like to say. The plot is about a girl who goes to a Ballet School in Germany (of all places, but gives it a nice dark, Gothic feel) and finds out her school is run by...I won't say because it will RUIN the freaking plot (people, you're not supposed to give that away you know). Anyhow, if you want to see something really bizarre and strange, rent this film. I'm sure all Argentophiles started off on this film, so why should I talk about the themata or the use of "colours" and so forth. No, just watch it and you will see why the Italians do it better.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Authentic Piece of History
Review: This is an extreme nail biter. The music from this film is intensely erotic, and most likely the most frightening that the Goblin has ever produced. Despite all this though, it is nothing more than a pure atmosphere film. But the production design and the sound of the film more than make up for it. I cannot stress enough the easy-to-see hard work of the production team in this film. Jessica Harper's performance is subdued, but that seems to be the point of the whole film. Running around passage-ways with creepy lighting seems to intensify the true nature and meaning of this film, which is to scare you out of your wits. One could watch this film on all sorts of levels; with the music off you could be in awe of the lighting and set design, with the movie turned off you could listen to the music and still feel the essence of the film lingering in your nerves. This is a true, classic horror film. Perfect to watch on Halloween.


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