Summary
- Dario Argento is known as the "master of horror" and his films have had a significant influence on the genre.
- Argento's films are part of the giallo sub-genre, which combines detective novels with horror elements.
- Some of Argento's later films, such as "Giallo" and "The Phantom of the Opera," were considered disappointing and deviated from his usual style.
Italian filmmaker Dario Argento is known for his influential horror films that were released predominately in the 1970s and 1980s. Argento has directed 18 films that are inarguably horrific on a multitude of levels. Critics for the genre have even crowned him the "master of horror". Argento participated in a wave of Italian films under the horror sub-genre known as giallo, which translates to "yellow" in English. It is based on popular detective novels, and merges them with horror elements by utilizing psychological elements, sexploitation, and slasher movie traits. Giallo films morphed into one sub-genre that veers towards art house cinema.
Even Eli Roth's many horror movies can be attributed to the influence of giallo. Undoubtedly, Argento’s movies were just as influential as the entire subgenre his works grew from. Over the years, Argento’s films have grown increasingly popular for their lighting and design but, more importantly, their otherworldly capability to capture the essence of horror’s greatest elements. In 2018, one of his most popular films from 1977, Suspiria, was remade and reintroduced his work into mainstream horror. He has an astounding filmography that includes 18 movies, all of which have something to praise.
Suspiria's Ending Explained
Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria is packed with surprises right up until the final moments of a shocking ending. Here's what happened and what it means.
Giallo (2009)
Named for the genre Argento helped create.
In 2009, Argento released the film Giallo, starring Adrien Brody as an undercover serial killer called Giallo. It pays homage to the sub-genre that made him a master of horror, but it was an overwhelming disappointment considering the film's creator and his talents. While the concept of a murderous detective who is supposedly unaware of his crime is a promising concept, it fell flat and didn't manage to entice audiences who were familiar with his work or those who weren't. This is one of the least giallo of all of Argento's horror films despite the fact that it shares a name with the sub-genre itself.
Giallo is not available on streaming currently.
The Phantom Of The Opera (1998)
An adaptation of the French novel.
The Phantom Of The Opera has undergone hundreds of adaptations and remakes, but Dario Argento's is considered one of the most disappointing by far. Due to the fact that he strays from the source material in every way possible, the original story is nearly unrecognizable. What does remain of Gaston Leroux's story is overshadowed by the sexually charged scenes between Asia Argento (Christine Daaé) and Julian Sands (The Phantom Of The Opera). It is sexploitation at its core, and one of the most forgettable adaptations of The Phantom Of The Opera to date.
The Phantom of the Opera is not currently available for streaming.
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Dracula 3D (2012)
Argento's spin on the classic horror vampire.
After receiving the offer to revitalize the story of Dracula with 3D, Argento tackled the complicated story of the most popular vampire in history. Surprisingly, the film did not do well at the box office, and its critical reviews reflected its poor quality and lack of creativity. It has been deemed one of the worst adaptations of Dracula's story, and has been called an accidentally comedic film despite its mature content and serious tone. Dracula 3D and The Phantom Of The Opera showcase why Argento's original works are so great. He is a director who cannot work in the confines of someone else's story.
Trauma (1993)
A psychologically probing violent mystery.
Argento is known for his use of confined, restrictive, and familiar places that contain an abundance of gore and horror. In Trauma, he places the main character, Aura (Asia Argento), in a psychiatric hospital where she is unable to escape a string of murders that are taking out each staff member one by one. While the film has an excellent concept, its overuse of traumatic medical conditions, disorders, botched surgeries, and motherhood makes for a confusing plot that has too many moving parts to retain a cohesive story.
The Card Player (2004)
A brutal grindhouse horror flick.
The Card Player is a new take on the giallo horror sub-genre that reflects the "torture porn" that became popular in the 2000s with the Saw franchise and Eli Roth's Hostel. It features elements familiar to people of the digital age such as webcams, cyber safety, and even internet poker. A serial killer kidnaps women and forces them into participating in online poker matches; the horror increases as their murders are then committed on screen for everyone else to see. The Card Player veers towards grindhouse cinema which commonly features low budgets, but an abundance of gore.
The Card Player is not currently available for streaming.
Mother Of Tears (2007)
The end of The Three Mothers Trilogy
Mother Of Tears is the third and final film in The Three Mothers trilogy, which includes Suspiria and Inferno. The film confronts the incredible power that the third mother holds as suicides, murders, and more inflict the entirety of Rome. It brings together all of the elements that made the first two installments so popular: alchemy, witchcraft, and giallo. Mother Of Tears completes the trilogy in the best way possible—the destruction of the final witch.
Suspiria 2018’s Biggest Change To The Original Movie
Suspiria 2018 makes one major change to the original, completely changing the context of the movie, which makes it more of an "homage" than a remake.
Regardless of the fact that Argento provided a clear end to the trilogy with this installment, it took nearly 30 years for it to come to life. At that point, fans of Suspiria and Inferno had grown away from the idea of seeing the final battle with Mater Lachrymarum. If it had been created and released during the height of giallo popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, could have been a better film than what 2007 had to offer.
Sleepless (2001)
Combines giallo and a mystery movie.
Argento's first film in the 21st century, Sleepless showcases the power behind a giallo story when its roots are in the detective qualities of the sub-genre. As Detective Ulisse Moretti (Max von Sydow) investigates a string of murders that targets a specific group of individuals, he uncovers that the killer is choosing their victims based on a nursery rhyme. As mysterious as Sleepless is, it's one of the rare films of Argento's that does giallo well, but loses the aspects of horror that go hand-in-hand with the sub-genre along the way.
Sleepless is not currently streaming.
Two Evil Eyes (1990)
A collaboration with zombie icon George Romero.
Two Evil Eyes was written and directed with the late George A. Romero in an attempt to capture the two budding sub-genres that both directors were known for: zombies and giallo. Argento worked with Romero on Dawn Of The Dead in 1978. Therefore, a second partnership wasn't entirely unexpected. The film is split into two parts and offers a blend of Edgar Allan Poe's traditional stories with a contemporary feel. It's an exciting collaboration that provides horror fans with the directorial visions of Romero and Argento together in one film. While it is not the best work from either director, Two Evil Eyes brought Italian horror to American audiences and vice-versa.
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
A deeply personal look at mental illness.
The Stendhal Syndrome was the first Italian film in history to use computer-generated imagery (CGI). It is based on a real affliction Argento suffered from as a child, which causes an individual to become dissociative when they view any form of art. When a killer discovers that a young woman named Anna (Asia Argento) suffers from the psychological disorder known as Stendhal syndrome, he uses it to his advantage to kidnap her. It is a deeply personal film for Argento, and tackles a conversation about mental illness through its exploration of dissociative disorders. The Stendhal Syndrome creates an all-new concept of the psychological horror film by introducing giallo detective elements but, more importantly, the difficulties of overcoming manipulation and dissociation.
Suspiria: The Three Mothers Explained
The trailer for Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria mentions the Three Mothers: Tenebrarum, Lachrymarum, and Suspiriorum - but who are they?
Inferno (1980)
The second film in The Three Mothers trilogy.
Inferno is the second installment in The Three Mothers trilogy and focuses specifically on Mater Tenebrarum, the Mother Of Darkness. When a student in Rome goes to visit his sister in New York following a cryptic letter about a rare alchemist's book on the three women, he discovers that her apartment building has housed the alchemist and the Mother Of Darkness for years. The film perfectly captures 1980s horror as well as giallo with its setting, design, and lighting, but falls somewhat flat in regards to its performance. Inferno could have benefited from stronger acting, but it is an undeniable Argento fan-favorite which provides an even deeper look into the popular Three Mothers trilogy.
