"Suspiria" (77) A bloody Snow White colored in the three primary colors of light

The Goblin soundtrack wears down the audience's spirits.

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear ``Suspiria'' is that creepy soundtrack. The famous melody played by the music box is accompanied by the unique rhythm of the tabla, a folk instrument, and the deep roar of ``ra-ra-ra.'' This is a masterpiece by progressive rock band Goblin . There is an anecdote that Argento played this song at full blast on set, eliciting frightened performances from the actors, but it was so scary that it made me cringe for three days and nights.

Moreover, Argento uses this song throughout the movie. In horror movies, theme songs are often used as a kind of foreshadowing. It makes the audience brace themselves for something to happen. In fact, this song is used as a foreshadowing in the airport scene at the beginning of Suspiria. The film cuts to subjective shots of Susie carrying her luggage and gradually approaching the automatic airport doors, but music only plays during the shots of the airport doors (perhaps a metaphor for the entrance to the outside world).

“Suspiria” (C) VIDEA SPA

However, the moment she leaves the airport, Argento says, "I've been waiting for you," and continues to play Goblin's music endlessly. Even after the initial tragedy is over, they continue to insert songs at random to wear down the spirits of the audience. In my opinion, this is the biggest frightening point of Suspiria. The length of time that forces you to be in a state of tension is simply too long. I have no idea when to take a breather, and as a result, my fear continues. As if we were gagged, we are made to witness the tragedy of the ballet school.

By the way, in 2019, an event called "Suspiria" encore screening live was held at CLUB CITTA in Kawasaki. Goblin actually came to Japan and performed a live performance reproducing the soundtrack with a large screen in the background. If I heard it live, my fear would reach its peak and I might faint.

Color design inspired by “Snow White”