Damien Jalet is the mastermind who brought his astronomical dance talents to the unsettling film. The contemporary, modern dance of Jalet's imagination mirrors the brutalist architecture around the post-war city, the push-and-pull manipulations of its female characters, and the frantic terror of the movie's most sinister themes.
That commitment to making the choreography vibrant and the dance company feel real does much to make Suspiria so chilling and effective. Its stars, including Johnson and Mia Goth, trained alongside professional dancers. Johnson — who plays the movie's central character — committed a year to training before the shoot.
