Susprize-ya!

Well this is surely a first on the Victoire blog, but somewhat fitting since we keep throwing the word “spooky” around as one of our key themes for our fall look & vibe. Omg it’s a horror movie review! I never thought the day would come. Horror movies and Victoire are like...oil and water? But such is not the case with Suspiria. This is a full-on fashion movie, and if you’re a super scaredy cat like Katie, just get a good friend to fast-forward the gory scenes cos the amazing sets, clothes & furniture are to DIE FOR. Ha ha, nice little horror movie pun there for ya.

Anyways, many many weeks ago I did something I probably never would have done had it not been for my good friend Jodie’s insistence that it was one of her favourite movies of all time. I went to a midnight screening of Suspiria by Dario Argento, - and man, if you were around me in the days that followed, you probably heard all about it cos I could NOT STOP talking about it.

The storyline revolves around an American dance student, named Suzy, who goes to Germany to study at a prestigious dance academy, and from the first night she arrives, strange things seem to happen. Increasingly terrified following a series of gruesome and spectacular murders, Suzy senses that something horribly evil lurks within the walls of the age-old institution and slowly begins to unravel the dark history of the academy. I mean come on – a horror movie based in a ballet school?! Things could only get better if you mixed in some witches and the occult – and hooray, there’s plenty of that too!

From the very beginning I immediately understood why Suspiria is one of Argento's most renowned and best loved films. It’s truly a feast for the eyes and ears with a kick-ass spooky score by The Goblins. Argento uses the score and pacing to create moments of unbearable unease and tension. The music alone is worth the price of admission. Though I wouldn’t listen to that soundtrack alone in my apartment if somebody paid me.

And the sets, oh my god THE SETS! This is grand 70s style at its best - vivid primary colours, over-the-top highly stylized backdrops – the extravagant excess of it all was mesmerizing! Words can’t even begin to describe it. In a nutshell, it was absolutely gorgeous to look at, and scary as heck!