The only thing scarier than Suspiria is the idea of a remake, Dario Argento says
Italian horror maestro Dario Argento doesn’t think that his 1977 tale of witches at a dance school, Suspiria, should be remade any time soon. “The film has a specific mood,” Argento explained to Indiewire. “Either you do it exactly the same way—in which case, it’s not a remake, it’s a copy, which is pointless—or, you change things and make another movie. In that case, why call it Suspiria?”
The director also seems a bit miffed that nobody from any of the studios attached to what will probably be called Suspiria: Rise Of The Witches or something stupid like that has even asked his opinion. “I never got a call or anything, asking me about casting, locations, whatever,” Argento said. “I know nothing about this project except what I read in the papers.”
According to the 75-year-old director, he’s been waiting for the Suspiria remake to come around for years as the rights bounced around from studio to studio, including 20th Century Fox for a time. There was even talk of a television series, because as any fan of giallo knows, there need to be longer stretches of time where not much happens.
Deep down, though, Argento just would like to be acknowledged if a remake comes to fruition.“I might give some advice on the screenplay, the script, maybe the locations. When I did the film, I did a lot of research with the location scout,” he said. “I heard that this remake, if it’s ever made, will be shot again in Europe. So I might be able to provide useful advice about that. But, honestly, I do think it would be better if it wasn’t remade.”
Argento’s comments reflect the attitude many fans assume when a reboot of a beloved property comes up. Why can’t there be a movie about paranormal investigators that isn’t Ghostbusters, or a brand new slasher film that isn’t Halloween or Friday The 13th, or even a movie about black high-school students that isn’t Cooley High? The simple answer? Marketing. The name recognition is there, and so half the advertising for a brand new, more extreme Suspiria is already done.