The Untold Truth Of Suspiria

Daria Nicolodi's fairy tale influence became a defining element of Suspiria. Citing surreal children's stories such as Alice in Wonderland, both Nicolodi and Argento originally envisioned the dance academy's students as very young girls. The pair was intrigued by the dramatic potential of placing children in such heightened mystical danger. The film's producers, however, were nervous about the safety hazards and technical logistics of wrangling a cast of kids within the realities of a horror movie set, and convinced them to age the characters up to teens or young adults.

Despite this shift in casting, Argento and Nicolodi didn't do much to change their script, retaining the feeling of vulnerability and wide-eyed wonder they had initially intended. Because of this, Suzy seems constantly overwhelmed by her surroundings, and her rivals do bratty things like stick their tongues out and call each other snakes. To heighten the effect, the sets were constructed to tower over the actors, with doorknobs raised nearly to their heads.