Movie review
October 26, 2018 · 152 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Suspiria.
Woke representation / casting
Tilda Swinton’s prominent gender-bending role as a male character with prosthetics was done deliberately to center female power; mostly female ensemble in authority positions with minor ethnic diversity that fits the 1977 Berlin setting.
Woke political dialogue
No overt modern activist speeches or lectures; any political ideas surface through actions, horror, and historical context rather than direct dialogue.
Identity-driven story themes
Central story revolves around an all-female witch coven and matriarchal power, with explicit ties to 1970s feminist research and motherhood archetypes explored through horror; visible emphasis on women’s relationships and agency.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Explores post-war German guilt, fascist complicity, and cyclical abuses of power through a historical and supernatural lens; not framed as modern anti-Western or identity-based institutional attacks.
Review
Suspiria (2018) is a horror film remake about an ambitious young American dancer who arrives at a prestigious dance academy in divided Berlin in 1977, only to discover it is controlled by a coven of witches. The story examines intense female relationships, the archetype of the terrible mother, bodily horror, and themes of power and historical guilt during a time of political violence. Audience-visible elements include Tilda Swinton’s gender-bending performance as a male psychotherapist using heavy prosthetics to underscore female power, plus the central focus on an all-female hierarchy drawn from research into 1970s feminist ideas.
Woke character or canon changes
Loose remake that significantly relocates the story to 1977 Berlin, adds extensive political history and a new central male role played by a woman, and gives the protagonist a triumphant supernatural arc; changes expand themes rather than swap legacy characters ideologically.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Very little right-leaning criticism framing the film as pushing woke, DEI, or identity politics; most debate stayed on artistic quality and whether its feminism succeeds or fails.
Creator track record context
Director’s body of work frequently features queer and emotional themes; writer engaged 1970s feminist politics; casting director has queer and diverse credits; other key crew show low or neutral patterns.
Production
