It's difficult to encompass the visually lush masterpiece of dread that is Suspiria in a single piece of art, but that's exactly what the folks at Vice Press have done. Utilizing the talents of Eisner Award-winning artist and illustrator John J. Pearson (The Department of Truth, Blue In Green, Mindset), the company is issuing a gorgeous new art print from Dario Argento's 1977 masterpiece as part of a special Open House event in Sheffield, England on June 24. You can check out FANGORIA's exclusive first look at this piece below, along with an exclusive comment from the artist and more info on how you can get it… even if you're not in the UK!
Officially licensed and approved by Argento himself, the Suspiria print by John J. Pearson is a fine art lithograph measuring 24x36 inches. Printed in a very limited edition of 175, each is priced at £39.99 (approximately $50 USD). It will be available initially from the Vice Press Open House event at Trafalgar Warehouse, Sheffield (very limited tickets left), where Pearson will also be in attendance to sign copies. The remaining copies will be available online July 6, and will ship worldwide. Customers can sign up for the Vice newsletter to be notified of the release.
Pearson -whose work adapting Soren Narnia's short story "Moonkeeper" for the Knifepoint Horror Anthology is worth checking out- provided us with a brief blurb about his work on the print:
"Suspiria has always been a key influence on the approach to my artwork, from the evolving otherworldly colors through to the overwhelming sensory experience, it's a masterpiece. I've loved the film since I first watched it, so I jumped at the opportunity to create this poster for Vice Press. I wanted to take an approach that aimed to capture some of that intensity of the Argento film, and also mix in a stylistic influence of some of the painterly horror posters of the sixties and seventies from people like legendary Tom Chantrell and the often-overlooked illustrator and comics artist Gray Morrow. I wanted to use a lot of negative space to make the colors and characters more focused and intense, ripping through the middle of the poster while having a hypnotic and almost psychedelic feeling to them. It's my love letter to the film, hopefully capturing a small part of the feel of Suspiria in a way that grabs you by the throat, and then slices it clean open."
Here is more information from Vice Press about the Open House event:
On June 24, 2023 Vice Press will be hosting our very own mini-convention and social. We have invited a small group of artists and friends to Sheffield and will be opening up the doors of Trafalgar Warehouse to collectors and fans for a day of checking out prints and posters, chat, and enjoying good times with like-minded folk. Attendees include Matt Ferguson, John J Pearson, Raid71, Bella Grace, Andrew Swainson, Rogue Print Co., and more.
First released in February of 1977, Argento's Suspiria left an immediate mark on the genre for its bold color palette, baroque kills, and iconic Goblin score. It tells the story of an American ballerina named Suzy (Jessica Harper) who travels to Germany to attend a prestigious dance school only to gradually discover it is run by murderous witches. Widely considered to be the apex of Argento's career, it was followed by 1980's Inferno and 2007's Mother of Tears in the director's loose "The Three Mothers" trilogy, as well as a highly polarizing 2018 remake by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) in which Harper has a minor role.
