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Originally Posted by demonrail666
Wow really? The opening twenty minutes in Suspiria might be the best I've ever seen in any horror movie. My only complaint is that the remainder of the film never quite lives up to it. But then I don't think Argento has ever made a film that's great from beginning to end.
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Oh yeah, it's great! But the production foibles — though not as bad as some say — always stand out. I shouldn't say I "laugh my ass off" because that's not true. I'm usually totally wrapped up in the intensity of the scene.
But there are a few things that bug me... like, how does Tracy get from the inside of the building facing out, to that non-descript, caged-in area? And from there to the stained glass? And why, when she is hanged, does the rope tighten and suspend her twenty feet in the air, only to have her mere inches above the floor tile in the very next frame? And what's with the finger nails? Did the murderer fly off to quickly trim them between one moment and the next?
Little silly things, I know. I'm just always susprised that Argento — who painstakingly plotted every shot, even then — would not take the extra few minutes to make sure the scene went a bit smoother. Obviously Tracy's being pulled out onto a roof area, but from the outside looking in, there is no deck or widow's walk surrounding the apartment. So why not show her being transported if that's what happened? You know?
Again, it's probably among my top 10 favorite films of any genre of all time. It's fucking terrifying. And the Goblin score is one of the best and most underrated in horror history.
But you're right, from what I've seen Argento has never made a film that's consistently great all the way through. I think Suspiria actually
is great from start to finish, but that's because I'm at peace with the filming kerfuffles and I just allow the excellent sinister mood to carry me through. So it's great in spite of Argento. And the rest of his films, though there are definitely some must-see slaughterfests in there, have flaws that are too big to be ignored.
Suspiria is absolutely a great, 5-star film despite its quirks. But I'll never understand why the audio doesn't sync up. Why does the audio
never seem to sync up in Argento films, even when they're not dubbed? For such a masterful, perfectionistic and talented director, one who reliably creates thrilling and epic single shot sequences that play out like orchestras, he certainly fills his work with a lot of stupid mistakes. I'm afraid he's never going to live up to his potential again. Since Suspiria, his films have for the most part just gotten increasingly unwatchable. Have you seen Giallo? The Adrian Brody one? My God in heaven, what a fucking shitshow.
Love Suspiria though. Love love love it.