ok, i just rented the italian horror flick SUSPIRIA, filmed in the 70s and possessing a cult following even in america. i have decided to review it for the hell of it, and i know there are some horror buffs here, so here it goes........
THE GOOD
*THE SOUNDTRACK -- VERY creepy and very suspenseful. one of the best scores i've ever heard in any movie. it goes right along with the movie. hell, there were times when just the music gave me chills, even though there wasn't much going on in terms of action. the music was done by the synth band Goblin, famous for their work on george romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD, even though the score on this movie is even better.
*THE GORE -- although there could have been more, the few gore scenes were very well-done. for instance: a woman gets stabbed in the heart WHILE IT IS STILL BEATING, a dog rips a guy's throat out, and there is a close-up view of a woman's throat being slit. if there had been more scenes like this, it would have been DAMN good.
*THE CAMERA WORK -- very unorthodox, yet it works. there are various unnecessary closeups of irrelevant objects (such as a gargoyle on a building, a forest scene in rain, etc.) but it helps to build the creepy atmosphere. very well done.
THE BAD
*THE SCRIPT -- maybe it is just the american in me, but the pacing and dialogue in this movie didn't do it for me. the ending seemed WAY too abrupt, and there were parts in the flick where i was bored to tears.
*THE ACTING -- mediocore at best. i understand it was a relatively small budget, but DAMN, some of these roles are pretty damn unconvincing. fuckin' italian girls! and the overdubbed english of the old doctor guy's speech on witches was laughable. and those dancers suck! you call that dancing school?!?
*IT IS OUTDATED -- some movies are old, but are still viewable by a younger generation without any lameness (ex: ROSEMARY'S BABY). this isn't one of them. some of the parts in SUSPIRIA are downright cheesy (ex: the irish jig thingy). DAMN that was comical (unintentionally). there are times when the movie almost takes itself too seriously, almost always a big flaw in splatter flicks. maybe if i was an italian in the 70s...... nah, it would still be lame.
so, my final verdict?
i'd say a good 6/10. worth seeing if you're a horror fan, but if you're not....... avoid avoid avoid! maybe worth renting if you are tired of watching EVIL DEAD over and over, but overall pretty forgettable -- you can get along just fine not even watching it at all. still, if you like this kind of stuff......
oh well, i'm a little let down after all the praise i've heard, but eh..... there's much more out there to see!
THE GOOD
*THE SOUNDTRACK -- VERY creepy and very suspenseful. one of the best scores i've ever heard in any movie. it goes right along with the movie. hell, there were times when just the music gave me chills, even though there wasn't much going on in terms of action. the music was done by the synth band Goblin, famous for their work on george romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD, even though the score on this movie is even better.
*THE GORE -- although there could have been more, the few gore scenes were very well-done. for instance: a woman gets stabbed in the heart WHILE IT IS STILL BEATING, a dog rips a guy's throat out, and there is a close-up view of a woman's throat being slit. if there had been more scenes like this, it would have been DAMN good.
*THE CAMERA WORK -- very unorthodox, yet it works. there are various unnecessary closeups of irrelevant objects (such as a gargoyle on a building, a forest scene in rain, etc.) but it helps to build the creepy atmosphere. very well done.
THE BAD
*THE SCRIPT -- maybe it is just the american in me, but the pacing and dialogue in this movie didn't do it for me. the ending seemed WAY too abrupt, and there were parts in the flick where i was bored to tears.
*THE ACTING -- mediocore at best. i understand it was a relatively small budget, but DAMN, some of these roles are pretty damn unconvincing. fuckin' italian girls! and the overdubbed english of the old doctor guy's speech on witches was laughable. and those dancers suck! you call that dancing school?!?
*IT IS OUTDATED -- some movies are old, but are still viewable by a younger generation without any lameness (ex: ROSEMARY'S BABY). this isn't one of them. some of the parts in SUSPIRIA are downright cheesy (ex: the irish jig thingy). DAMN that was comical (unintentionally). there are times when the movie almost takes itself too seriously, almost always a big flaw in splatter flicks. maybe if i was an italian in the 70s...... nah, it would still be lame.
so, my final verdict?
i'd say a good 6/10. worth seeing if you're a horror fan, but if you're not....... avoid avoid avoid! maybe worth renting if you are tired of watching EVIL DEAD over and over, but overall pretty forgettable -- you can get along just fine not even watching it at all. still, if you like this kind of stuff......
oh well, i'm a little let down after all the praise i've heard, but eh..... there's much more out there to see!
so the question stands..SHOULD i rent it or not? 
