Suspiria
Susie Bannion is a young American ballerina who travels to Berlin to study dancing at Madame Blanc's Markos Tanz Company, one of the world's most renowned schools. On her first day, one of the students who had been recently expelled from the school is murdered. As this appalling happening does not seem to be an isolated occurrence, the brilliant new student soon begins to suspect that the school might be involved in the homicide. Her mistrust heightens when Sarah, one of the girls at the school, tells her that before she was killed, Pat confided to her that she knew and guarded a terrifying secret.
The film box office disappointment against its mid-range budget of $20.0M, earning $8.0M globally (-60% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its innovative storytelling within the drama genre.
28 wins & 75 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Suspiria (2018) demonstrates precise story structure, characteristic of Luca Guadagnino's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 32 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Susie Bannion
Madame Blanc
Dr. Josef Klemperer
Sara Simms
Helena Markos
Patricia Hingle
Main Cast & Characters
Susie Bannion
Played by Dakota Johnson
A young American dancer who joins a prestigious Berlin dance company and becomes entangled in its dark secrets.
Madame Blanc
Played by Tilda Swinton
The company's mesmerizing lead choreographer who takes a special interest in Susie's raw talent.
Dr. Josef Klemperer
Played by Tilda Swinton
An elderly psychotherapist haunted by his past, investigating the disappearance of his patient Patricia.
Sara Simms
Played by Mia Goth
A talented dancer at the academy who befriends Susie and begins uncovering disturbing truths about the company.
Helena Markos
Played by Tilda Swinton
The ancient and mysterious leader of the dance company, whose true nature is hidden from most.
Patricia Hingle
Played by Chloë Grace Moretz
A dancer who flees the academy after discovering its dark secrets, setting the story in motion.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Patricia Hingle, distressed and paranoid, visits her psychotherapist Dr. Josef Klemperer in rain-soaked 1977 Berlin, desperately warning him about witches at the Markos Dance Academy. The fractured, anxious opening establishes a world where darkness hides behind respectable facades.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 18 minutes when During Susie's audition, dancer Olga witnesses the company's supernatural nature and flees to a mirrored rehearsal room, where Susie's movements mystically contort and destroy Olga's body in a horrifying parallel dance. The ordinary world of dance is revealed as a conduit for dark magic.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 38 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Susie accepts the lead role in "Volk," fully committing to the academy and Madame Blanc's tutelage. Rather than fleeing the increasingly strange environment, she actively chooses deeper involvement, crossing from observer to participant in the coven's designs., moving from reaction to action.
At 76 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat The public performance of "Volk" is a triumphant false victory—Susie commands the stage in a mesmerizing, violent dance ritual while outside, the Lufthansa hijacking crisis unfolds. The performance reveals Susie's supernatural abilities to the coven, marking her as exceptional. But this success accelerates the witches' deadly plans., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 114 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Sara is captured by the coven and mutilated—her legs broken and twisted like Olga's—to prepare her as a sacrifice. The discovery of the company's victims, kept alive in torment in the basement, reveals the full horror. Madame Blanc's attempt to protect Susie fails. All human allies are neutralized., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 122 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Susie enters the Sabbath ritual not as victim but as the true Mother Suspiriorum—one of the Three Mothers, ancient witch-goddesses. She was never prey; she came to claim her throne. This revelation recontextualizes her entire journey as a return to power, not a corruption of innocence., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Suspiria's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Suspiria against these established plot points, we can identify how Luca Guadagnino utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Suspiria within the drama genre.
Luca Guadagnino's Structural Approach
Among the 8 Luca Guadagnino films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Suspiria takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Luca Guadagnino filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include After Thomas, South Pacific and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. For more Luca Guadagnino analyses, see Queer, Challengers and Call Me by Your Name.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Patricia Hingle, distressed and paranoid, visits her psychotherapist Dr. Josef Klemperer in rain-soaked 1977 Berlin, desperately warning him about witches at the Markos Dance Academy. The fractured, anxious opening establishes a world where darkness hides behind respectable facades.
Theme
Patricia tells Dr. Klemperer: "They'll hollow me out and eat my soul." This line encapsulates the film's thematic exploration of how institutions—whether covens, political systems, or matriarchies—consume individual identity, demanding total surrender of the self.
Worldbuilding
The dual world of divided Berlin and the Markos Dance Academy is established. American dancer Susie Bannion arrives from Ohio as Patricia vanishes. The company's matriarchal hierarchy under Madame Blanc is introduced, alongside Dr. Klemperer's investigation. The RAF terrorism and German Autumn provide political backdrop.
Disruption
During Susie's audition, dancer Olga witnesses the company's supernatural nature and flees to a mirrored rehearsal room, where Susie's movements mystically contort and destroy Olga's body in a horrifying parallel dance. The ordinary world of dance is revealed as a conduit for dark magic.
Resistance
Madame Blanc takes Susie under her wing, becoming both mentor and potential threat. Susie is given Patricia's former room and role in the company's signature piece "Volk." Dr. Klemperer investigates Patricia's disappearance. The dancers bond while tension builds about the company's true nature.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Susie accepts the lead role in "Volk," fully committing to the academy and Madame Blanc's tutelage. Rather than fleeing the increasingly strange environment, she actively chooses deeper involvement, crossing from observer to participant in the coven's designs.
Mirror World
Sara, a fellow dancer and Patricia's friend, befriends Susie and confides her suspicions about the academy. Their relationship becomes the film's emotional anchor—Sara represents the human cost of the coven's machinations while offering Susie a path toward genuine connection versus power.
Premise
Susie thrives in rehearsals for "Volk" while the coven's internal politics simmer. Madame Blanc and the witches debate succession—should Mother Markos continue leading, or should new blood rise? Dreams and visions plague Susie. Dr. Klemperer continues investigating. The dance sequences deliver the promised body horror and artistic beauty.
Midpoint
The public performance of "Volk" is a triumphant false victory—Susie commands the stage in a mesmerizing, violent dance ritual while outside, the Lufthansa hijacking crisis unfolds. The performance reveals Susie's supernatural abilities to the coven, marking her as exceptional. But this success accelerates the witches' deadly plans.
Opposition
Sara investigates the academy's secrets, discovering hidden passages and Patricia's fate. The coven's factions clash over whether Susie should be vessel or sacrifice to restore Mother Markos. Madame Blanc grows protective of Susie while other witches scheme. Dr. Klemperer is lured to the academy. Sara gets too close to the truth.
Collapse
Sara is captured by the coven and mutilated—her legs broken and twisted like Olga's—to prepare her as a sacrifice. The discovery of the company's victims, kept alive in torment in the basement, reveals the full horror. Madame Blanc's attempt to protect Susie fails. All human allies are neutralized.
Crisis
The coven prepares for the Sabbath ritual. The mutilated dancers are arranged as offerings. Dr. Klemperer is brought as witness and potential vessel. Mother Markos's decaying body awaits rebirth. The darkness beneath the academy is fully exposed—centuries of consumed women, the price of the coven's power.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Susie enters the Sabbath ritual not as victim but as the true Mother Suspiriorum—one of the Three Mothers, ancient witch-goddesses. She was never prey; she came to claim her throne. This revelation recontextualizes her entire journey as a return to power, not a corruption of innocence.
Synthesis
Mother Suspiriorum judges the coven. She destroys the false Mother Markos and executes the witches who supported the pretender's cruelty. She grants merciful death to the suffering dancers, including Sara. The Sabbath becomes a bloodbath of reckoning. She spares Madame Blanc, who showed genuine love. She releases Dr. Klemperer with erased memories but gives him closure about his wife.
Transformation
Susie/Mother Suspiriorum, red-haired and serene, stands in the reformed academy. Where the opening showed Patricia fleeing in terror, the close shows the true witch-mother in possession of her kingdom. The dance company continues, but under new, perhaps kinder, leadership. The mother has come home.