Rating (3 out of 5)

I have not watched the original Suspiria, so my review is based purely on what the current version.  While I felt the movie could have been more compact, I enjoyed the parts of the movie but was disappointed with how it was finalized.

Plot:  In 1970’s Berlin, witches have a dance company and use the dancers to perform a ritual.  Susie (Dakota Johnson) from America recently joined the company and she becomes the center piece of a spell under the tutelage of Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton).

What I Liked:  There are three dances sequences that bring an intensity to the movie and suck you into the terror.  The first sequence is where she is auditioning and imply she generates a magic vibe felt by the witches throughout the center.

The next sequence is she tries the lead.   As she does, one girl the witches want eliminated is trapped in the mirror dance room.  As Susie dances the lead, the dance influences the young lady in the mirrored dance room.  The third dance is when they perform in front of the audience.  It was mesmerizing.

The build up was done well.  You had the dances but then Susie’s friend Sara (Mia Goth) found a book left by Patricia (Chloë Grace Moretz).  The book reveals information about the witches, and the three mothers.

What I Didn’t Like:  There is a bloody scene near the end and I was a little confused at the end about it all.  I had to look it up on the internet what it all meant.  While I don’t mind a movie that is open for interpretation, there was confusion about what had happened, which I don’t think should happen.

Further, Susie moved from being an innocent girl to something else.  That turn happened really quickly and felt there are scenes that were cut that maybe demonstrate a bit more of the evolution.  This might have helped explain a few items about the blood scene I mentioned above.

The music was great through out the film, until the big reveal scene where the music took a dramatic turn and a turn that was not consistent with the rest of the film.  The music became a distraction.

Conclusion:  There are quite a few aspects to this movie I really enjoyed and I wanted to see how the story concluded. The foundation was there, but the director failed finalize on everything, and rushed to wrap up the movie, just leaving me confused.  A for effort and C for execution.