The original 1977 horror "Suspiria" was directed by Dario Argento, with a score composed by the Italian rock band Goblin. The 2018 remake also takes place in the 1970s.
Yorke talked about composing the film's music: “It was an odd process from the beginning. When Luca [Guadagnino] first came to see me, with the producers and [editor] Walter [Fasano], I just thought they were mad, because I’ve never done a soundtrack before. And ‘Suspiria’ is one of those legendary soundtracks. It took a few months to even contemplate the idea. It was one of those moments in your life where you kind want to run away, but you know you'll regret it if you do."
"I watched the original film several times, and I loved it because it was of that time, an incredibly intense soundtrack. Obviously, Goblin and Dario [Argento] worked incredibly closely when they did it together. But it was of its time and there was no way I could reference it in any way. There was no point, other than what I found interesting was they used repetition of motifs, again and again and again. Part of your mind is saying, ‘Please, I don’t want to hear this anymore.' That was really great. That's sort of hooked me into the whole process."
Yorke added, "There’s a way of repeating in music that can hypnotize. I kept thinking to myself that it’s a form of making spells. So when I was working in my studio, I was making spells. I know it sounds really stupid, but that’s how I was thinking about it. It was a sort of freedom I’ve not had before. I’m not working in the format of song arrangement. I’m just exploring ... It was a really cool way to totally immerse myself in an area that I normally wouldn't go, with full permission."