Suspiria

At the center of a celebrated Berlin dance company an unseen force threads through rehearsals, shifting power and revealing secrets. Susie, a poised new recruit, arrives as a storm of talent and ambition, while the staff swirl around the studio like dancers in a ritual. The company's esteemed director Madame Blanc presides over a cloistered world where discipline masks hidden agendas, and a grieving psychotherapist Dr. Klemperer becomes entangled with the troupe through his patient care and his own losses. As Susie navigates intense lessons and cryptic backstage moments, the group confronts echoes of catastrophe from the past. What begins as a rigorous art house fantasy deepens into a labyrinth of fear and control.

Released in 2018, the film is directed by Luca Guadagnino. It reimagines Dario Argento's original Suspiria while drawing on Thomas De Quincey's writings and Daria Nicolodi's early ideas to frame a fresh take on ritual horror.

Swinton's triple role as Madame Blanc, Dr. Klemperer and Helena Markos drew attention to gender and performance in horror cinema, while Guadagnino's lush production and the film's ritualized dance sequences sharpened the tension between artistry and danger. The restrained score and the stark camera work contributed to a lasting impression.

Critical reception framed the movie as a slow burn that prioritizes mood and ideas over straightforward scares. Viewers encounter themes of grief and communal power, the costs of ambition, and the idea that art can mirror control and trauma within a female-centered world. The result is a film that lingers in memory and invites return viewings.

Worldwide the film grossed about 7.95 million on a 20 million budget, marking a modest performance yet signaling strong interest in Guadagnino's audacious interpretation of the Suspiria legacy. Released in the United States and other markets with limited expansion, it attracted a niche audience of horror cinema fans and art house followers.