Italian director Luca Guadagnino, famed for "I Am Love" (2010) and "A Bigger Splash" (2015), has said that securing Thom Yorke as the composer for his take on "Suspiria" is "a dream come true." Guadagnino, whose upcoming film "Call Me By Your Name" won significant praise at the Sundance Festival earlier this year, expects the Radiohead singer to help achieve his goal of making the movie a "disturbing and transforming experience."
What is 'Suspiria'?
"Suspiria" is a classic horror movie from the Giallo genre (Italian Horror) directed by Dario Argento in the 1970s.
It received critical acclaim at the time and went on to be one of Argento's most revered movies and a cult classic — which led fans of "Suspiria," and even Argento, to be at odds with any remake.
The original movie stars Jessica Harper (also in the 2017 remake) as an American ballet dancer who transfers to a dance school in Germany, where she finds a series of mysterious and horrific murders that reveal all is not as it seems. "Suspiria" is also rated for its visual style and unique soundtrack — by Italian prog rock band Goblin — which Guadagino is hoping to replicate through his collaboration with Yorke.
Have Radiohead scored movies before?
Radiohead members are no strangers when it comes to scoring films, as Yorke's right-hand man and the band's guitarist Jonny Greenwood has proven.
Greenwood has already worked his way up the industry ladder as a renowned composer, establishing a working relationship with director Paul Thomas Anderson — scoring "There Will Be Blood," "The Master," "Inherent Vice," and their next untitled project starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Radiohead even asked Anderson to direct two music videos for stripped down versions of tracks from their latest album, to which he agreed.
This will be the first time Thom Yorke has scored a film — but not the first time he has been involved with composing a soundtrack for movie purposes. Who can forget his and Jonnie's sublime contribution to the glam rock biopic "Velvet Goldmine," performing Roxy Music's covers as the film's fictional band, Venus In Furs. Or the inclusion of "Exit Music" on the credits of Baz Lurhmann's "Romeo & Juliet," and "Fake Plastic Trees" on the soundtrack of "Clueless."
Radiohead are widely known for creating tension and unnerving sonic landscapes with their music — and if you managed to hear his latest solo album, you'd definitely understand why he's been asked to score a horror movie.
