Susy Benner, a young American student, moves to Freiburg, Germany to attend Europe's most prestigious dance academy. Upon leaving the airport, she finds herself caught in a series of disturbing events and brutal murders that claim the lives of academy members. Is this the work of a deranged killer, or something beyond human comprehension? Will poor Susy uncover the dark secrets of this cursed place and escape, or will it already be too late? Helena Markos is waiting for her...
With this film, Argento transitions from the thriller of Deep Red into pure fantasy. At the outset, viewers will think they're watching another typical Argento giallo, given the stunning opening featuring two women murdered by a mysterious figure whose hand we only glimpse—but appearances deceive.
Upon its release, the film was well-received abroad, though largely dismissed in Italy and only reassessed years later. From a directorial standpoint, there's nothing to fault: no two shots are identical. Argento treated it as a challenge and succeeded brilliantly. The cinematography is genuinely terrifying: through Technicolor, Dario Argento (with Luciano Tovoli's help) creates unique images, rendered even more unreal and frightening by the combination of red, green, and blue hues that evoke a dark fairy tale atmosphere. Indeed, the fairy tales that inspired Argento and co-writer Daria Nicolodi were Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bluebeard, and Hansel and Gretel.
The special effects, as was typical for the era, were crafted by hand and filmed live. The screenplay, while not exceptional, flows smoothly. The only weakness is the ending—lacking the twist everyone expects—which leaves a bitter taste. However, the film's true power lies not in its plot, but in its atmosphere and the savagery of its murders. Every death is a masterpiece in itself, especially the opening kill where two girls are brutally slaughtered in one fell swoop. Many consider this scene one of the most beautiful moments horror cinema has ever given us.
Then there's the magnificent score by Goblin: the music composed for this film proves perfectly suited and more haunting than ever—truly a masterpiece within a masterpiece. The setting, the vivid and surreal colors, work in perfect harmony with the sound, which constantly heightens tension throughout: there are precious few moments of respite for our nerves!
In the lead role, Jessica Harper delivers an inspired performance, extraordinarily inhabiting the role of "Snow White" in this dark fairy tale. Excellent too are the performances of Alida Valli as the instructor and Joan Bennett as the vice-director.
Originally, the film was meant to star children, but due to unforeseen circumstances, Argento had to abandon that plan and cast young women instead. Yet attentive viewers will notice that throughout the academy, door handles are positioned unusually high—exactly where an 8 or 9-year-old would encounter them—and in certain scenes, the students behave quite childishly when quarreling with each other. All this maintains a connection to Argento's original vision.
There's only one thing left to say: an absolute masterpiece of Italian horror! Warmly recommended to every generation of genre fans, because a film like this had never been seen before and may never be seen again! "The only thing more terrifying than the first 12 minutes are the last 92" (as one poster proclaimed at the time).
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