Suspiria versus The Exorcist

11-26-2001, 11:49 PM

I was watching a game show and there was a panel of experts in a given field of media. One was a music expert, another was a television expert, and the last was a movie expert. The movie expert had his time, and said something to the effect of the Exorcist was not scarey, and to watch Dario Argento's Suspiria as the scariest movie ever. This movie expert must be smoking a lot of crack to say something stupid like that. I know a lot of you are fans, but surely you are of logical mind to know that The Exorcist is a far scarier movie than Suspiria. Suspiria is a little too surreal to match the realism and truth abound in the powerful "The Exorcist." Right? Just listen to the commentary on TVYS version and it will scare you even more!

ctyner · 11-27-2001, 12:05 AM

The show was "Beat The Geeks", and I had a similar reaction. I love <i>Suspiria</i>, but scary...?

rxfiend · 11-27-2001, 12:56 AM

the Exorcist is NOT scary. it's so over-rated as being "the scariest movie of all time." if you believe in that type of shit, ya, it may be a bit scary. but the subject is laughable to me, so i don't find it very scary at all. i do like the film, don't get me wrong. it's just not scary.
i don't find Suspiria to be scary either. to be quite honest, i have YET to find a movie that scares me. i watch horror to be entertained, not scared.

11-27-2001, 01:08 AM

I too watch horror to be entertained, and I can only think of a handful that have actually frightened me.

However, these are two of them.

The Exorcist scared the SHIT out of me at the theater. I don't know how someone could NOT find this scary (but everyone has an opinion). I'm really not sure what it is, but it still creeps me out. Maybe it's cuz I've been to the locations before and they aren't far from my house. Or maybe it's because it's based on a true story (kind of).

Suspiria, however, might be scarier. I watched the old VHS in broad daylight, with my family running around, and I still felt that tingly feeling. I don't know what it was about it though. Great movie.

So I understand how he could think of Suspiria as scarier, although IMO The Exorcist was scarier.

11-27-2001, 05:26 AM

No offense to those who say it truthfully, but I think most people out there who say "The Exorcist didn't scare me at all" are just trying to sound tough

That movie is far scarier than Suspiria. Along the same line, the dude who said that on TV was probably trying to sound cool, since Exorcist is so well-known & Suspiria is far more obscure to the average TV viewer.

I do love Argento's films, & he's probably my favorite director ever, but his material is so surreal & fantastical that it doesn't frighten with the immediacy of The Exorcist.

slinker · 11-27-2001, 07:34 AM

When i first saw the `Exorcist` here in the UK it was on a real shitty grainy VHS copy( due to the fact that the movie was banned over here at that time) and it did scare me a little, possibly due to the fact that it was soo forbidden and the bad copy gave it more of a realistic feel (i was young after all!!)
Suspiria was powerful and unrelentless, i actually enjoyed the movie more than the previous and the ending was real creepy and horrifying, i couldnt say what scared me most really because if i had of seen Suspiria at the same time that i saw the Exorcist it would have probably had just the same affect on me =^,^= I think the Omen should be included in this discussion too

11-27-2001, 11:31 AM

Suspiria never scared me. But I didn't watch it until I was into my older teen years. As for the Exorcist, I just recently saw it about a year ago, around the time I first saw Suspiria. I didn't find it all that scary then, but it was creepy at the time. I remember when I was younger I had never been able to sit through the entire movie because I found it scary. So I say that The Exorcist is scarier.

rxfiend · 11-27-2001, 01:23 PM

No offense to those who say it truthfully, but I think most people out there who say "The Exorcist didn't scare me at all" are just trying to sound tough

not everyone believes in "demonic possession" so the exorcist does not come off as believeable to me. my fiancee seen it for the first time last year (when it was re-released in the theatre) and didn't find it scary at all either.

i'm not trying to sound tough, but it's just not scary.

11-27-2001, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rxfiend

not everyone believes in "demonic possession" so the exorcist does not come off as believeable to me. my fiancee seen it for the first time last year (when it was re-released in the theatre) and didn't find it scary at all either.

i'm not trying to sound tough, but it's just not scary.

I'll have to agree. Exorcist is NOT scary. The surreal atmosphere in Suspiria makes it more of a nightmare, although I didn't find it scary, either.

11-27-2001, 02:42 PM

Here are my thoughts on both movies...

I saw the Exorcist when they put it at the movies AGAIN a few years ago. It did not scare me at all. To tell you the truth, over two thirds of the movie was very boring (just my opinion).

The Exorcist tries to play on the fact that exorcisms are real, and that they will happen like that. I did not believe that at all. I'm not trying to sound tough, but it didn't scare me at all.

I bought Suspiria just a few weeks ago. It was a great movie. *In my opinion* it was scarier than the Exorcist. Suspiria was freaking me out throughout the whole movie.. I didn't know what was going on, which scares me. Even within the first 10 minutes of the movie something horrible happened, which made me feel creepy from that point on.

I believe Suspiria is scarier than The Exorcist.. I actually believe many movies are far more scarier than The Exorcist... Suspiria adds a bit of mystery to the movie, which helps give me a creepy feeling.

To sum it all up. I believe the Exorcist is not that scarey at all, and very overrated.. It is certainly not the scariest movie eve made, but neither is Suspiria. To me, Suspiria *is* scarier than the Exorcist, but we all have our own opinions.

Have a nice day.

The Chaostar · 11-27-2001, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Donuthole75
The movie expert had his time, and said something to the effect of the Exorcist was not scarey, and to watch Dario Argento's Suspiria as the scariest movie ever. This movie expert must be smoking a lot of crack to say something stupid like that. I know a lot of you are fans, but surely you are of logical mind to know that The Exorcist is a far scarier movie than Suspiria.

I don't like it at all when someone tries to impose his opinion as "truth" on others. I've never smoked crack in my life, I don't feel stupid and I was much more scared from Suspiria than The Exorcist - so according to you Donuthile75 there must be something seriously wrong with me. The Exorcist is good filmaking, no doubt about it, but Suspiria deals with Witchcraft and the occult in a more serious tone - the film has "magic" in every frame. And watching your friend becoming a cut-throated Zombie, coming to you laughing, with a knife in her hand and pins in her eyes is one of the scariest images ever captured on film. At least in my eyes.

11-27-2001, 06:03 PM

This is a moot point since it's all very subjective. Both films are great, IMO, and it's rediculous to compare them on that level.

_pi_ · 11-27-2001, 07:46 PM

Neither film scared me...

I already knew The Exorcist by heart when I saw it for the first time, thanks to an overly enthusiastic friend who just "couldn't stop himself" from telling me the entire plot of the film.

I watched Suspiria in the middle of the night with my parents asleep in the next room. I didn't want to wake them up so I had the volume really low. This meant that I couldn't hear any of the dialogue (and there were no subtitles) and also, because it was the middle of the night, I was very tired and not very focused.

But I love both movies, especially Suspiria - my favorite horror movie.

11-27-2001, 08:28 PM

Neither film scared me, but The Exorcist has the honor of being in the very exclusive group of films that has literally put me to sleep (along with 2001 and Mission Impossible) (I am being serious here).

I found the truck sized story continuity holes too frustrating, and lost interested, and just drifted off. I like the newer version of the exorcist much better.

rhett · 11-28-2001, 12:41 AM

I love Suspiria, but to me the film comes across as a surreal experience, but not really that scary at all. Argento's craft in the film is just so manipulative and obvious (the overcasts of red, the elaborate camera movements, etc.) which makes it play out more as a nightmare than reality. You can wake up from a dream, but you can't turn away from the real, and that is why I think The Exorcist is much scarrier. It is done very seriously, and although it deals with an unearthly experience, it shows it in a realistic manner, and just the thought of something that awful being plausible makes it all the more scary. Do I believe in being possessed or witchcraft? Hell no, so I have no bias here...I just feel that due to the presentation of the two films, The Exorcist comes through more in a realistic fashion with less visual obtrusion than Suspiria, and that is what made it scarier for me.

11-26-2001, 11:49 PM	#1
Donuthole75 Guest Posts: n/a	Suspiria versus The Exorcist I was watching a game show and there was a panel of experts in a given field of media. One was a music expert, another was a television expert, and the last was a movie expert. The movie expert had his time, and said something to the effect of the Exorcist was not scarey, and to watch Dario Argento's Suspiria as the scariest movie ever. This movie expert must be smoking a lot of crack to say something stupid like that. I know a lot of you are fans, but surely you are of logical mind to know that The Exorcist is a far scarier movie than Suspiria. Suspiria is a little too surreal to match the realism and truth abound in the powerful "The Exorcist." Right? Just listen to the commentary on TVYS version and it will scare you even more!

11-27-2001, 07:34 AM	#6
slinker Un-Holy Force. Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: London Posts: 914	When i first saw the `Exorcist` here in the UK it was on a real shitty grainy VHS copy( due to the fact that the movie was banned over here at that time) and it did scare me a little, possibly due to the fact that it was soo forbidden and the bad copy gave it more of a realistic feel (i was young after all!!) Suspiria was powerful and unrelentless, i actually enjoyed the movie more than the previous and the ending was real creepy and horrifying, i couldnt say what scared me most really because if i had of seen Suspiria at the same time that i saw the Exorcist it would have probably had just the same affect on me =^,^= I think the Omen should be included in this discussion too __________________ My DVD Collection

11-28-2001, 12:41 AM	#15
rhett Moderator Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Canada Posts: 8,882	I love Suspiria, but to me the film comes across as a surreal experience, but not really that scary at all. Argento's craft in the film is just so manipulative and obvious (the overcasts of red, the elaborate camera movements, etc.) which makes it play out more as a nightmare than reality. You can wake up from a dream, but you can't turn away from the real, and that is why I think The Exorcist is much scarrier. It is done very seriously, and although it deals with an unearthly experience, it shows it in a realistic manner, and just the thought of something that awful being plausible makes it all the more scary. Do I believe in being possessed or witchcraft? Hell no, so I have no bias here...I just feel that due to the presentation of the two films, The Exorcist comes through more in a realistic fashion with less visual obtrusion than Suspiria, and that is what made it scarier for me. __________________ "It's a good scream...it's a good scream..."

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

11-27-2001, 12:05 AM	#2
ctyner Stalker Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Greenville, SC, USA Posts: 269	The show was "Beat The Geeks", and I had a similar reaction. I love <i>Suspiria</i>, but scary...?

11-27-2001, 12:56 AM	#3
rxfiend Joe Six-Pack Join Date: May 2001 Location: Southern IN Posts: 4,068	the Exorcist is NOT scary. it's so over-rated as being "the scariest movie of all time." if you believe in that type of shit, ya, it may be a bit scary. but the subject is laughable to me, so i don't find it very scary at all. i do like the film, don't get me wrong. it's just not scary. i don't find Suspiria to be scary either. to be quite honest, i have YET to find a movie that scares me. i watch horror to be entertained, not scared.

11-27-2001, 01:08 AM	#4
Andrew Guest Posts: n/a	I too watch horror to be entertained, and I can only think of a handful that have actually frightened me. However, these are two of them. The Exorcist scared the SHIT out of me at the theater. I don't know how someone could NOT find this scary (but everyone has an opinion). I'm really not sure what it is, but it still creeps me out. Maybe it's cuz I've been to the locations before and they aren't far from my house. Or maybe it's because it's based on a true story (kind of). Suspiria, however, might be scarier. I watched the old VHS in broad daylight, with my family running around, and I still felt that tingly feeling. I don't know what it was about it though. Great movie. So I understand how he could think of Suspiria as scarier, although IMO The Exorcist was scarier.

11-27-2001, 05:26 AM	#5
jeffschmidt Guest Posts: n/a	No offense to those who say it truthfully, but I think most people out there who say "The Exorcist didn't scare me at all" are just trying to sound tough That movie is far scarier than Suspiria. Along the same line, the dude who said that on TV was probably trying to sound cool, since Exorcist is so well-known & Suspiria is far more obscure to the average TV viewer. I do love Argento's films, & he's probably my favorite director ever, but his material is so surreal & fantastical that it doesn't frighten with the immediacy of The Exorcist.

11-27-2001, 11:31 AM	#7
ScaryMovieFreak Guest Posts: n/a	Suspiria never scared me. But I didn't watch it until I was into my older teen years. As for the Exorcist, I just recently saw it about a year ago, around the time I first saw Suspiria. I didn't find it all that scary then, but it was creepy at the time. I remember when I was younger I had never been able to sit through the entire movie because I found it scary. So I say that The Exorcist is scarier.

11-27-2001, 01:23 PM	#8
rxfiend Joe Six-Pack Join Date: May 2001 Location: Southern IN Posts: 4,068	No offense to those who say it truthfully, but I think most people out there who say "The Exorcist didn't scare me at all" are just trying to sound tough not everyone believes in "demonic possession" so the exorcist does not come off as believeable to me. my fiancee seen it for the first time last year (when it was re-released in the theatre) and didn't find it scary at all either. i'm not trying to sound tough, but it's just not scary.

11-27-2001, 02:42 PM	#10
Vamp Guest Posts: n/a	Here are my thoughts on both movies... I saw the Exorcist when they put it at the movies AGAIN a few years ago. It did not scare me at all. To tell you the truth, over two thirds of the movie was very boring (just my opinion). The Exorcist tries to play on the fact that exorcisms are real, and that they will happen like that. I did not believe that at all. I'm not trying to sound tough, but it didn't scare me at all. I bought Suspiria just a few weeks ago. It was a great movie. In my opinion it was scarier than the Exorcist. Suspiria was freaking me out throughout the whole movie.. I didn't know what was going on, which scares me. Even within the first 10 minutes of the movie something horrible happened, which made me feel creepy from that point on. I believe Suspiria is scarier than The Exorcist.. I actually believe many movies are far more scarier than The Exorcist... Suspiria adds a bit of mystery to the movie, which helps give me a creepy feeling. To sum it all up. I believe the Exorcist is not that scarey at all, and very overrated.. It is certainly not the scariest movie eve made, but neither is Suspiria. To me, Suspiria is scarier than the Exorcist, but we all have our own opinions. Have a nice day.

11-27-2001, 06:03 PM	#12
johnmar Guest Posts: n/a	This is a moot point since it's all very subjective. Both films are great, IMO, and it's rediculous to compare them on that level.

11-27-2001, 07:46 PM	#13
_pi_ Peace, bitch Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Iceland Posts: 2,620	Neither film scared me... I already knew The Exorcist by heart when I saw it for the first time, thanks to an overly enthusiastic friend who just "couldn't stop himself" from telling me the entire plot of the film. I watched Suspiria in the middle of the night with my parents asleep in the next room. I didn't want to wake them up so I had the volume really low. This meant that I couldn't hear any of the dialogue (and there were no subtitles) and also, because it was the middle of the night, I was very tired and not very focused. But I love both movies, especially Suspiria - my favorite horror movie.

11-27-2001, 08:28 PM	#14
napalm68 Guest Posts: n/a	Neither film scared me, but The Exorcist has the honor of being in the very exclusive group of films that has literally put me to sleep (along with 2001 and Mission Impossible) (I am being serious here). I found the truck sized story continuity holes too frustrating, and lost interested, and just drifted off. I like the newer version of the exorcist much better.