US 'Suspiria' Remake Shooting in 2010

I don't have a gauge on whether or not David Gordon Green is the right guy to direct a remake of Suspiria, which if it's not the scariest horror movie ever made might be the freaky deakiest. For the record, Dario Argento's surreal classic probably does deserve the remake treatment, if only because it's so unapproachable to American audiences. The hope is that a remake would be a nice introduction to the original for millions of people, although nice is probably the wrong word to use. Most audiences know Green from Pineapple Express, but he got his start with some indie movies that could prepare him for something like Suspiria, especially his underrated 2004 film Undertow. But Suspiria is one of those movies you really only get one shot at, I'm thinking. If the remake blows, that's probably the end of the line. The news that Green's update would shoot next year was buried in an mostly unrelated Variety article that The Playlist carefully combed. At one point, Natalie Portman was rumored for the project, which would fit although I don't see her doing it. That rumor melted away pretty quickly, but it is worth noting that she co-stars in Green's summer 2010 comedy Your Highness. The film would need someone of Portman's ability to truly rise higher than the idea of remaking it just to remake it. In 2008, Green said updating Suspiria would be an "opportunity to take all the artistic excellence and be inspired by what was a low budget Italian '70s gore movie — where the art world meets the violent and supernatural." If you're unfamiliar with the film, it's about a ballet student who realizes that the faculty in the academy she just joined are actually witches. And man, does it ever get out there. My initial impulse is that this is a perfect outlet for Alexandre Aja, who seems to have a lot of Argento in his style, but who knows? Maybe Green will give this something it really needs and can't find any other way.

Comments

[SEAN]

Sounds interesting, Ive never heard of this, being that your giving it so much praise I definitly need to see this but right now I cant decide if its a good idea to be remade...

But I dont think Im alone in not knowing this film so maybe introducing it to American audiences aint such a bad idea

[Tjei]

SEAN, why not introduce it to American audiences by running it back in the US theaters instead of remaking it? I mean it's cheaper and risk-free.

[Get The Big Picture]

I agree with that a lot of the time, Tjei, but Suspiria does seem a little dated now. The original Halloween, for instance, holds up a lot better.

[Tjei]

Each to his own, Colin. A lot of what comes out now feels more dated because it's plain boring to follow. Exorcist was a huge success when it got back to the theatres some 10 years ago. I thought it should've started a trend. Sadly, it didn't. Maybe there were other movies that didn't prove oldies re-runs successful? The only thing that dates Suspiria is the dubbing. That's the only thing they'd have to re-make in it in order to pack a crowd.

[efro]

I love Suspria, but I really dig the idea of David Gordon Green doing this. I've always loved his style and he has proven himself both commercially and artistically versatile with films like George Washington, which has some great tension in it, to Pineapple Express. If done right, a horror film that is at times a supernatural scare-fest with Green's dreamy-realism would be totally new, even if it is a remake...I'll check the excited box!

[Get The Big Picture]

Yes, Exorcist was great in the re-release, and it made about $40 million, if you can believe it. That is a special case, though, because the movie was already one of the biggest hits of all time in its initial run, and its notoriety is so great across the board. It also doesn't feel dated, so that's a good point.

I agree that they should try the re-release in a lot of cases. Foreign movies are tougher because US audiences don't flock to the new ones as it is. And I do think some of the effects in Suspiria are way too cheesy for modern audiences. But I'm like you, I wonder why the re-release hasn't been a bigger trend.