Last year’s Suspiria, one of the biggest horror releases of the year, was a remake of a classic 1977 horror flick by the legendary Dario Argento. As for Argento’s thoughts on the remake, directed by Luca Guadagnino? Well. Uh.
“It did not excite me,” Argento told an interviewer recently, via The Film Stage. “It betrayed the spirit of the original film: there is no fear, there is no music. The film has not satisfied me so much.”
Though, in fairness, he did add that it was “a refined film, like Guadagnino, who is a fine person.” At least it’s not personal.
Still, though. Ouch. Remakes like Suspiria are often labors of love, so that can’t be a criticism that’s comforting to the film’s creators. It does show, though, that Guadagnino managed to create a movie that’s very different from its predecessor. In that light, disappointing the original’s creator might be a success.
Either way, you can check out our review of Suspiria, watch both movies yourself, and see if you agree with Argento.