Ballet is a delicate expression of beauty that has captured our most winsome of dreams across generations. And in a strange twist of fate, it’s also a favorite motif in psychological dramas and horror films. 

One reason for this unexpected development is that we as audience members know that to be breathtaking on stage you must work ceaselessly backstage, and we all wonder what toll that work behind the scenes must actually take on the dancers smiling in the spotlight. Another reason is that ballet is capable of capturing complex emotions wordlessly, something that many a filmmaker has taken advantage of as they use dance to express profound psychological torment. Whatever the reason for this enduring film trope, we cannot tear our eyes away.

American ballet dancer Claire Hamilton (Jennifer Connelly) travels to Hungary to join a prestigious ballet school haunted by the spirit of a ballerina who died the night of her Swan Lake premiere. The ghost unwilling to let her moment on the stage pass away, possesses Claire for a second chance in the spotlight. 

Despite its promising premise and winsome settings, the plot of the film becomes increasingly convoluted, leaving us more confused than satisfied. (There’s even a battle with a real black swan which this writer swears was actually an ostrich.) However, if you want to enjoy an atmospheric background and Jennifer Connelly in an often-forgotten early role, Etoile may be just the ticket. 

Young American dancer Susie Bannion arrives in 1970s Berlin to audition for a world-renowned dance company. When she vaults to the role of lead dancer, the woman she replaces breaks down and accuses the company’s female directors of witchcraft. Meanwhile, an inquisitive psychotherapist and another member of the troupe uncover dark and sinister secrets as they probe the depths of the studio’s hidden underground chambers.

While it is heavily inspired by and takes its name from an earlier film, the 2018 Suspiria stands alone as a nightmarish story in its own right. With choreography heavily inspired by the contemporary tradition, each movement highlights the profound power of dance to bind together and to break apart, to bring new life and to kill.

Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina whose passion for dance rules every facet of her life. When the company’s artistic director decides to replace his prima ballerina for their opening production of Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice, but she has competition in newcomer Lily. While Nina is perfect for the role of the White Swan, Lily personifies the Black Swan. As the rivalry between the two dancers transforms into a twisted friendship, Nina’s dark side begins to emerge.

Using ballet as a vehicle to explore psychological torment, Black Swan pushes the familiar balletic obsessions with one’s own image and the desire for perfection to terrifying new heights. The duality of the Odette and Odille characters haunts us, highlighting that in our quest for beauty we are often our own worst enemy.

In this supernatural Italian horror film, Suzy travels to Germany to attend ballet school. Arriving during a stormy night she sees another student fleeing from the school in terror. The next day, the frightened student is nowhere to be found, and an unsettled Suzy begins to have a difficult time settling in. She hears noises, and often feels ill. As more people disappear, Suzy uncovers the terrifying secret history of the place.

While the plot of the 1977 Suspiria is thin, the atmospheric design is not. Heavily stylized, the surrealist lighting and sets take you on a psychedelic journey you won’t soon forget. Little time is spent in ballet class, but based on the pointe work we do witness, it really is a mercy that we were so spared.

Vicky Page (Moira Shearer) is an aspiring ballerina torn between her dedication to dance and her desire to love. She debuts a new role in a ballet about a woman who is forced to dance to her death while her imperious artistic director urges her to forget anything in her life but ballet.  Against his wishes, Vicky begins to fall for a charming young composer. Eventually Vicky, under great emotional stress, must choose to pursue either her art or her romance, a decision that carries serious consequences.

While this film falls more neatly under the drama category, it stands apart as the first film to begin the ballet-meets-horror tropes. The first film that took viewers behind the scenes of a ballet company, it also introduces us to the complex conversation of how dedicated one must be to one’s art to succeed and one of the truest horrors of all—men attempting to control and manipulate the female dancer both on stage and off.

Alanna Love is a writer based out of Boise, Idaho. She revels in tracing the thread of beauty woven throughout daily life, especially when it is found in ballet, literature, or historical wardrobing.