The ‘Suspiria’ Remake Draws Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Into Its Web
Dario Argento’sSuspiriaisone of the greatest horror movies of all time, a surreal voyage into a realm of unanswerable questions, horrible mysteries, and visuals that defy reality. It’s a colorful nightmare. It’s a 98-minute fever dream. And its score, by Goblin, will melt your skin off and explode your ear drums.
While the news of aSuspiriaremake was greeted with jeers by horror fans, it’s undeniable thatsomethinginteresting is going on here. Luca Guadagnino, the director ofI Am LoveandA Bigger Splash, is behind the camera and he’s an inspired choice to take on a movie about a ballet school operated by an evil cult of witches. And now, things just got a little more interesting: Radiohead’sThom Yorkehas signed on to score the film.
The press release announcing Yorke’s hiring comes with these glowing words from Guadagnino about his new composer:
Thom’s art transcends the contemporary. To have the privilege of his music and sound forSuspiriais a dream come true. The depth of his creation and artistic vision is so unique that ourSuspiriawill sound groundbreaking and will deeply resonate with viewers. Our goal is to make a movie that will be a disturbing and transforming experience: for this ambition, we could not find a better partner than Thom.
Best known as the lead singer of Radiohead, Yorke is a multi-instrumentalist, capable of playing guitar, piano, keyboards, bass, drums, and synthesizers. He’s not the first member of the group to venture into the realm of film scores, as guitarist Jonny Greenwood has made quite the impression amongst film fans with his scores forThere Will Be Blood,The Master, andWe Need to Talk About Kevin. Radiohead may be a popular rock band, but there’s an artistry and an atmosphere to their work that feels inherently cinematic. If Yorke can operate on a similar level as Greenwood, we could be in for one hell of a score.
And itneedsto be be one hell of a score, because Goblin’sSuspiriatheme is my favorite horror theme of all time (sorry,JawsandHalloween). Listening to it makes my skin crawl in the best possible way – it’s melodic enough to invite your ears to open up…and then those demonic whispers crawl right in and chill you to your core. Honestly, I don’t even want Yorke to replicate this theme. I want him to create something entirely new that captures the mystery and terror of this score in a completely different way.
TheSuspiriaremake stars Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth, Chloë Grace Moretz, and original star Jessica Harper, a line-up feels like another reason to get really pumped for this movie. Man, I can’t believe I’m anticipating a remake of a great, singular horror movie, but here we are.
Suspiriadoesn’t have a release date yet, but Amazon Studios will release it later this year. Here’s the official synopsis:
