Suspiria: Why Guadagnino’s Sequel Plan Would’ve Been Better Than The Remake

Luca Guadagnino had an impeccable idea for a sequel to Dario Argento’s Suspiria that would’ve been much better than the remake he produced. It isn’t common for remakes to do well in comparison to their original source material. In the case of Guadagnino’s Suspiria, it was largely overlooked and critiqued for not holding the same giallo essence that is so crucial to Argento’s movies. While he originally planned to make a sequel to his remake, it would’ve boded well in his favor to have done the sequel without remaking Suspiria. 

Dario Argento is known for popularizing the giallo horror sub-genre during the 1970s. Giallo is commonly defined by its detective mystery elements alongside rich colors, usually red and yellow. The term itself translates in English to “yellow” from the Italian root word. During the 21st century, the sub-genre’s popularity drastically decreased to the point that there is little to no representation of giallo horror in recent years. However, Blumhouse Productions’ Welcome To The Blumhouse included one movie that takes influence from it – Nocturne. It features several elements such as the use of reds and yellows, music, mysterious deaths, and the supernatural. Each theme in Welcome To The Blumhouse’s giallo influenced movie reflects those present in Suspiria, which is often regarded as one of Argento’s most popular movies.

The 2018 movie is set in 1977, the same year as the original, and follows Susanna “Susie” Bannon (Dakota Johnson) as she moves to Berlin to join the Markos Dance Academy. As it progresses, the supernatural dances performed by the academy showcase their ability to contort and harm the bodies of others. It is the first movie in Argento’s The Three Mothers trilogy which is followed by Inferno (1980) and The Mother Of Tears (2007). They all feature a specific witch and their coven. In the case of Suspiria, the witch’s name is Mater Suspiriorum (Mother of Sighs) who is the most powerful of the three. While Guadagnino doesn’t directly adapt the movie’s ending with the intentions of producing a sequel, his idea for one would’ve been far more powerful than his rendition of Argento’s original — here’s why.

Guadagnino’s sequel plan was set to take place during several different time periods in order to outline the ascension of Helena Markos—the primary witch of Suspiria—whose powers are granted to her by Mater Suspiriorum/Susie. He anticipated beginning in Scotland during the year 1200 when she acquired her powers. From there, it is likely it would’ve shown how the three witches of The Three Mothers trilogy intertwine with one another in a more cohesive and compelling way while also highlighting the wrongs Markos did that led to her death by the witch who anointed her. It had the potential to further the series of movies and even craft a much better depiction of Mater Lachrymarum, the Mother of Tears. The third movie is often critiqued for its delay of 27 years after Inferno. The filmmakers excused this as the Mother of Tears going into hibernation in fear after discovering that her two sisters have died.

If Guadagnino would’ve done a sequel to Suspiria rather than a remake, he could’ve strengthened the reasoning for her hibernation. Mother of Tears, the third and final installment in the trilogy, is a largely disappointing conclusion to the overarching story. Guadagnino had the opportunity to establish a stronger bond between the sisters that may have offered an instance where they proposed a plan to hibernate if anything were to happen to one or more of them. The sequel’s plot doesn’t even require a remake or reboot of The Three Mothers trilogy. It didn’t necessarily bring anything new to the storyline beyond Suzie taking Helena Markos’s powers.

Due to the fact that 2018’s Suspiria is largely overlooked and didn’t produce enough money, the sequel never went into development, and likely won’t in the near future. However, if Guadagnino had chosen to do a sequel about The Three Mothers rather than a remake of Suspiria, it’s more likely that it would’ve received greater attention and acclaim. Furthermore, it wouldn’t have had to live up to the expectations of the original movie.

About The Author