This modern version of Suspiria is nothing like the original 1977 version directed and written by Dario Argento. The original takes a more direct approach into the horror genre whereas as 2018 will be giving hopeful fans a more artistic version. One of the main stars of the film, Tilda Swinton, refers to it as a “cover version.” The notes and lyrics are similar, but it dances to an entirely different tune. This will definitely go down as being labeled as an art house film. Most mainstream moviegoers won’t give them the time of day, and there’s nothing I saw that will warrant me going all out to change their minds. While falling into dreaded “you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it” category, there are some positives that most should agree on.

When a young American girl shows up at the Markos Dance Academy in West Berlin with the hopes of being accepted as one of their dancers, many scoffed as she is much older than the girls that are usually accepted plus she hasn’t been exposed to this intense performance structure before. Yet somehow, Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) performs exceeding well, as if she was moved by the gods themselves, and gains the favor her onlookers.

Susie is extended an invitation and aims to make the best of it. Her talents as a raw and aggressive performer do not go unnoticed. Madame Blanc (Tilda Swinton) aims to get the most out of her talented protégée while other senior members see further potential in this girl. With one true friend (Mia Goth), Suzie must follow her dream of becoming one of the greatest performers ever. Unbeknownst to her though, that dream will soon turn into a nightmare.

Starting with the acting, despite what you feel about this type of film, the performances in Suspiria are very inspired. Dakota Johnson has not been known for her acting prowess but she delivers a strong showing in the lead role. Tilda Swinton has been the Consummate Professional throughout her career of undertaking challenging roles and making them her own. Her reputation stands up to the expectations that we’ve come to expect. Mia Goth is another one that is interesting. Given some of her past works, such as Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013) and A Cure for Wellness (2016), Goth has displayed an unwavering connection the non-blockbuster types and it seems as though she’ll right in the middle of another one.

Then there’s the set. Whatever you may think about this type of film, there’s little disputing that its presentation is beautiful. Even though most of it is set in a quasi-Gothic mold, there just seems to all sorts of elegance in what you see. Combining that with the powerful score, and you’ve got something that will at least put the audiences minds in the right space. The historic European backdrops just add some well-needed authenticity.

Touching on what brings the modern version of Suspiria down, we’ll start with the looooooong runtime. I get wanting to set your vision apart from others, but coming in with a running time that’s a full hour longer than the original, well you had better have something very important to show or say. This is not the case here. While parts of the fantasy horror mystery are compelling, there are definitely some valuable minutes that could have (and should have) been trimmed off. Audiences will be restless and lose whatever valuable connection they once had with this film. This is when artistic ego overreaches and that’s what happens to director Luca Guadagnino. The story itself is hard enough to digest under normal circumstances, throwing in another hour of “whatever” won’t help your cause.

Suspiria will definitely have its supporters but detractors will rule the majority, thus sending this limited release to a lackluster theatrical performance. While beautiful to look at, most of what you’ll experience can be justly described as bland, boring and rather twisted, but not in an entertaining way. Unless you’re absolutely dying pay theater prices to this film or its cast and crew, waiting to see it in the comfort of your own home is absolutely the way to go. Either way it’s available in theaters in a limited release capacity right now.