Hey! We're back at the movies, and this week's episode is focused on the strange and surreal taxi ride in the opening of the 1977 suspense film Suspiria. So we are driving to Escherstraße (Escher Street) in Freiuerg as the rain whips and thunder rolls (the big drum is also included but dialed back). As usual, this is ambience to relax with, so nothing frightening.
There's nothing overly frightening at the film's beginning, either. Unless you count the moment, Suzy Bannion exits the terminal, and the wind hits her in a way that makes it look like she's being attacked by a spirit.
Look, I know we're far past the scary season (far enough that my youngest has already started planning next year's costume). Yet I was reminded of this classic horror film over Thanksgiving while playing an old Batman video game.
Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) was 95% off on Steam, so I bought it. I'm not a big fan of action/ adventure games; my faves are Animal Crossing and a flight passenger simulator. Yet I got totally hooked on a $5 skull-cracking button-masher (bonus: Kevin Conroy, the voice of daytime TV Batman who fought Gotham crime throughout my childhood, plays Batman).
As I ate leftover turkey and sweet potato and fought crime in Gotham, I realized this was Suspiria-esque.
The game's vibe felt pilfered from Suspiria in all the right ways: the odd oversaturation of color and the weird framing of characters (in Suspiria, there is a point where we focus on the back of some balding old dude's head).
And so here we are, in a cab, traveling to Escherstraße.
Christmas ambience coming soon! The ballet photo used in the episode cover is from Pixabay.