Luca Guadagnino has teased a potential follow-up to Suspiria, admitting that there is more to the the story and its characters that he wants to explore.
I recently had the chance to speak to the Italian director, during which time I asked him about the chances of a sequel, especially considering that the film was originally going to be call “Suspiria Part One.”
Guadagnino was rather cagey with his response, only remarking, “It all depends on how the movie goes. I am really anxious to see the movie open.”
When I asked whether there is any more to the story that he wants to explore, he simply said, “Yes.”
Thankfully he was much more open with the good folks over at The Playlist, because when they asked him about a sequel he detailed how his current hope is that it will be a prequel that explores the backstories to the characters.
“I have this image in my mind, and this is an exclusive for The Playlist. I have this image in my mind of Helena Markos in solitude in the year 1212 in Scotland or in Spain.”
“Wandering through a village and trying to find a way on how she can manipulate the women of the village. I have this image. I know she was there, I know it was six to seven hundred years before the actual storyline of this film.”
Guadagnino didn’t stop there, though, because he also explained why the film was originally gong to be entitled, “Suspiria Part One,” which then spurred him on to make even more revelations regarding the potential second film.
[WARNING: There are SPOILERS ahead for “Suspiria.” So please don’t read on if you haven’t seen it]
“This is because this is a movie layer in times and space. When Patricia (Chloë Grace Moretz) is in that undead situation she says to Sarah, ‘She shows me things.’ What? What kind of thing? Where is she? What is she saying?”
“It’s very fertile what (screenwriter David Kajganich) came up with. So I think, depending on how this movie plays out in theaters we may revisit or once to see.”
“I think this movie particularly is in a way not necessarily something that need to be progressed in advance. A companion piece this could something better deals with different layers of time. Not just the arrow that point the future.”
The interviewer then asked Guadagnino whether the sequel would still involve witches, which prompted the smiling director to respond, “Of course. It all about witches.”
“Suspiria” is now in cinemas in New York and Los Angeles.
