Film Preview: Suspiria (2018)

Page Revisions:

(Jun. 10, 2018) Original
(August 26, 2018) New Trailer (#2) / New Posters (#7-#11)
(October 21, 2018) New Posters (#12-#28) / New Release Date (changed from 11/2/18)

Release Date:

October 26, 2018

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the troupe’s artistic director (Swinton), an ambitious young dancer (Johnson), and a grieving psychotherapist (Ebersdorf). Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.”

Poster Rating: C+ / D / D+ (4) / C (5) / C (2) / B- / C (6) / B- (2) / D+ (6)

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) Bloody tantalizing and that’s about it. It’s fitting for the film, but not very attractive. (#2) The “S” isn’t nearly as interesting as the designer clearly thinks. (#3-#6) These four posters differ from design #2 only in that they each have different phrases within the “S.” That makes for interesting reading, but not interesting viewing.

(#7-#11) These character posters are incredibly simple. They don’t have a lot of wonderful detail, though they do have a subtly creepy vibe, which plays well into this film’s aesthetic.

(#12-#13) This pair of posters looks to be a continuation of the prior five-poster set, so there isn’t much more to say about them. (#14) Taking the title design motif of prior posters and throwing in more detail, color, and design uniqueness makes for a more satisfying attempt. (#15-#20) It might be unusual to create posters for individual locations, but they give a sense of presence and place that hasn’t been as easily represented by the other designs. Further, they conjure up fond memories for anyone who’s seen the original film as the visual aesthetic seems fairly strong as a result.

(#21-#22) This pair of posters uses the same concept, but in different colors and that concept is distinctive and creative enough to satisfy those looking for something a little less traditional. (#23-#28) These character posters are almost identical to the previous set, except on blank backdrops, which makes them feel all the more dull as a result.

Trailer Rating: B / B+

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) If you’re a fan of the original, this won’t look too derivative, but it’s trying too hard to borrow the cachet of the previous. That said, the structure, editing, sound and visual, make for a fascinating watch regardless.

(#2) The original film is one of the all-time great horror films and while the first trailer failed to capture the palpable dread and mystery of the original, at least to the degree one could appreciate, this one does so much more in pushing that impression to outside audiences who might not be hip to the twisted nature of the original.