Here are ten movies that every Dario Argento fan should own…

THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE
Whilst staying in Rome, American writer Sam Dalmas (Musante) is witness to an attempted murder in an art gallery by an unidentified assailant. Arousing the suspicion of the police, his passport is confiscated by Inspector Morosini (Salerno), who is leading the investigation. Certain that something about what he saw was amiss, Sam attempts to put the pieces together, much to the dismay of his girlfriend Giulia (Kendall). But as he comes closer to discovering the truth, the more his life is in danger, as the killer is determined to silence him for good. Having spent several years working as a journalist as screenwriter for hire (including developing the story for Sergio Leone’s much acclaimed spaghetti western C’era una volta il West/Once Upon a Time in the West), Argento eventually made his directorial debut under the supervision of his father, renowned producer Salvatore Argento, with 1970’s L’uccello dalle piume di cristallo (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage). Loosely inspired by the novel The Screaming Mimi by Fredric Brown, the movie was an unexpected success and helped launch the giallo genre (which had in effect been created by Mario Bava almost a decade earlier with 1963’s La ragazza che sapeva troppo/The Girl Who Knew Too Much) into the mainstream. Argento suddenly became an in-demand director and the movie helped launch his career.

FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET
When Roberto Tobias (Brandon) begins to suspect that he is being followed by a strange man he eventually confronts him, accidentally killing him in the process. But the incident was photographed from a balcony above by what appeared to be a puppet, and soon afterwards he receives a parcel which proves that he was responsible for the death. Eventually confessing to his wife, Nina (Farmer), Roberto is desperate to discover the identity of his blackmailer and what they want from him. Referred to by critics as the final part of his ‘Animal Trilogy’ (following on from The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Il gatto a nove code/The Cat o’ Nine Tails), 4 mosche di velluto grigio (Four Flies on Grey Velvet) would spend over thirty years lost in obscurity and unseen by many of Argento’s fans. Despite being concerned about being pigeonholed in the thriller genre, Argento had followed The Bird with the Crystal Plumage with 1971’s Il gatto a nove code/The Cat o’ Nine Tails. Once again employing the giallo template but with the unusual concept of a killer’s image being identified from the retina of its victim, the movie would see the director working alongside acclaimed composer Ennio Morricone after failing to secure the services of Deep Purple, although two would suffer a difference of opinion and that would result in them not working together again until 1996’s La sindrome di Stendhal (The Stendhal Syndrome).

DEEP RED
Attending a seminar in Rome, psychic Helga Ulmann (Méril) senses that a member of the audience has committed a violent act, forcing the unseen figure to exit the room. Later that night, the perpetrator breaks into her apartment and stabs her to death with a knife, forcing her head to smash through the window. Returning home, music teacher Marcus Daly (Hemmings) sees his neighbour being attacked and rushes to her apartment. Unable to save the woman, Marcus is convinced that he saw a vital clue during the murder. Ambitious reporter Gianna Brezzi (Nicolodi) is also curious about the truth and the two are immediately attracted to each other. Whilst the police attempt to find the killer, Marcus and Gianna launch their own investigation. Having attempted to distance himself from the giallo genre for fear of being typecast, Argento eventually returned with Profondo rosso (Deep Red) which would become his most successful movie to date. The movie would mark the first collaboration between Argento and Nicolodi, who would not only work together on a further six films but would enjoy a turbulent relationship that would result in a daughter, Asia Argento. Deep Red would also mark Argento’s first collaboration with prog rock group Goblin, who would go on to score several of his movies.

SUSPIRIA
Arriving in Freiburg to attend a renowned dance school, American student Suzy Bannion (Harper) immediately senses that there is something unusual about the academy. After the brutal murder of one of her fellow students, she becomes suspicious of the owner, Madame Blanc (Bennett), and her assistant, Miss Tanner (Valli). Suzy’s roommate, Sarah (Stefania Casini), is also unsure about their tutors and so one night wanders the house investigating, when she becomes trapped in a room filled with barbwire. Eventually, Suzi begins to entertain the possibility that the school is run by witches and visits psychologist Dr. Mandel (Udo Kier), who informs her about the academy’s unusual history. Following on from a series of successful thrillers, Suspiria was Argento’s first foray into the supernatural, which was co-written by Nicolodi (who had initially been in line for the lead role). Originally, the central characters were supposed to have been young children but Argento eventually decided to have them as teenagers, although the dialogue would not be altered, resulting in the students sounding and acting childish. The movie would become a phenomenal success and many fans consider it his masterpiece. It would later be followed by two sequels, Inferno and La Terza madre (Mother of Tears).

INFERNO
When Rose Elliot (Miracle) finds an old book entitled The Three Mothers, she is pursued and murdered. A letter she had sent containing information on the book arrives in Rome for her brother Mark (McCloskey). Concerned that she may be in trouble, he makes his way to New York and searches her apartment for more clues. When Rose’s neighbour, Countess Elise (Nicolodi), informs him that she has disappeared and he discovers blood outside her room, Mark attempts to find her but soon afterwards the Countess is murdered and he finds himself alone and facing an ancient evil. Under pressure from both critics and fans, Argento commenced work on a sequel to Suspiria, which would become a difficult process from the writing until its disappointing release. With Goblin unavailable to provide the score (having previously worked on Suspiria), Argento brought in renowned musician and Emerson, Lake & Palmer keyboardist Keith Emerson. Acclaimed filmmaker Mario Bava worked on some of the special effects, specifically matte paintings, whilst his son, Lamberto Bava (who would later achieve cult status with 1985’s Dèmoni/Demons), provided assistant director duties. The movie would fail to achieve the same acclaim as its predecessor, partially due to lack of support from its distributor, Twentieth-Century Fox.

TENEBRAE
Popular American author Peter Neal (Franciosa) arrives in Rome to promote his latest novel, Tenebrae, shortly after a young woman was murdered and pages of his book forced down her throat. Detective Giermani (Gemma) is placed in charge of the investigation, being a fan himself, but soon Neal begins to receive menacing phone calls and letters hinting as to both his crimes and identity. Unsure of who could be responsible, Neal discovers that his obsessed ex-wife (Veronica Lario) has followed him. But after a journalist and her lover are killed, Neal suspects eccentric TV host Christiano Berti (John Steiner). Having directed two supernatural horror flicks back-to-back, Tenebrae marked Argento’s return to the giallo genre, which was released at the height of the American slasher boom. Having repeatedly been targeted for the violent nature of his work, Argento used Tenebrae as a statement against those critics that had attacked him, with one journalist accusing the protagonist that ‘Tenebrae is a sexist novel. Why do you despise women so much?’. The movie would perform well at the Italian box office but would receive censorship problems in various other countries. Much like Inferno, Tenebrae would find its way onto the ‘video nasty’ list in the United Kingdom during the 1980s. Arguably his most sleazy and misunderstood offering.

PHENOMENA
After a student tourist (Fiore Argento) is beheaded in the countryside, the recovered head is taken to entomologist John McGregor (Pleasance), whose work with insects has helped solve several cases. Meanwhile, Jennifer Corvino (Connelly) arrives at a Swiss boarding school, the daughter of a renowned actor with the ability to communicate with insects. Having become lost in the woods whilst sleepwalking, Jennifer finds herself at McGregor’s home and the two discover that they have a common affection for insects. But her erratic behaviour begins to arouse the suspicion of her classmates and facility. Following on from his straight giallo/slasher Tenebrae, Argento decided to mix the genre with the supernatural, casting Labyrinth star Connelly and screen veteran Pleasance (The Great Escape, Halloween). Unfortunately, the usual atmospheric score had been replaced by a rock soundtrack (in much the same was as Lamberto Bava would do in the Argento-produce splatter flick Demons), often used at inappropriate moments such as during murder sequences. The movie failed to impress both fans and critics, with The New York Times‘ Jon Pareles describing it as a ‘dim-witted horror movie,’ , before stating that ‘The best acting is by an expressive, resourceful chimpanzee – definitely the year’s Best Supporting Primate.’

OPERA
When the temperamental star of an acclaimed Macbeth production is run over by a car, understudy Betty (Marsillach) is given the chance of a lifetime and takes the lead role. But various cast and crew members begin to die mysteriously, until Betty is eventually kidnapped by the murderer and forced to watch him carry out his sick games, with pins taped to her eyelids so she is unable to close them or look away. Inspector Alan Santini (Barberini) is brought in to investigate but is unable to find any clues, but Betty knows it is only a matter of time before she becomes the next victim. The appeal of Argento could be summed up with one image from Opera, the famous shot of Betty watching the shocking violence without looking away for fear of what could happen. To many of Argento’s fans, Opera represents the end of his classic era, with much of his subsequent work being considered disappointing. It would also mark his last collaboration with Nicolodi (until 2007’s Mother of Tears), who had been involved in each of his productions as either actress or writer since Deep Red in 1975. Opera won acclaim for its impressive camerawork, most notably the sequence in which the crow flies in circles around the theatre.

TRAUMA
Driving across a bridge, David Parsons (Rydell) notices a young woman, Aura Petrescu (Argento), preparing to jump. Rushing to the rescue, he manages to bring her back to his car and return her home. But soon afterwards, during a séance, both of her parents (Laurie, Dominique Serrand) are murdered and Captain Travis (James Russo) is sent to investigate. Aura approaches David for help, who helps the teenager discover the truth about why her parents were killed. Following on from the critically mauled Edgar Allan Poe double bill Due occhi diabolici (Two Evil Eyes), which was co-directed by George A. Romero, Argento decided to return to the thriller genre once again. With Argento and Nicolodi having parted ways, his new star came in the form of his sixteen-year old daughter, Asia Argento, who had previously appeared in 1986’s Dèmoni 2, which was produced by her father. With the help of special effects artist Tom Savini, Argento made a rare trip to America to shoot Trauma, but the movie would fail to convince critics and performed poorly at the box office. This would mark the first of many collaborations between Dario and Asia Argento, which would be followed by La sindrome di Stendhal (The Stendhal Syndrome), Il fantasma dell’opera (The Phantom of the Opera) and Mother of Tears.

SLEEPLESS
Detective Ulisse Moretti (Von Sydow) arrives at the scene of the latest of what has been dubbed The Dwarf Murders. A woman has been killed and the child looks on helpless. Moretti makes a promise to the boy that he will find the person responsible, no matter what. Two decades later, Moretti has long since retired but is approached by the son of the victim, Giacomo (Dionisi), who informs him that a new spree of violent murders has begun and he suspects that the same killer is responsible. Following several critical and commercial failures, 2001’s Non ho Sonno (Sleepless) marked Argento’s return to the giallo after almost fifteen years. Boasting graphic violence and nudity, fans were impressed by the movie and Sleepless would prove to be his most successful film since the 1980s. The presence of screen legend Von Sydow also proved to be an inspired move, prompting many fans to consider the movie a return to form. The BBC warned their readers to ’steel yourself for an opening 20 minutes that really are the stuff of nightmares. His ability to turn an ordinary commuter train into a sinister lair for a serial killer sits disturbingly in the subconscious.’ As sleazy as Tenebrae and as stylish as his earlier work.

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The 1980s would see the director becoming one of the most respected and sought-after filmmakers in Hollywood, producing both mainstream features (Starman, Christine) and low budget flicks (They Live). Although the following decade would see Carpenter struggle to remain relevant to horror fans, the cult status of his earlier movies continued to grow.

With Carpenter having disappeared from the big screen for almost a decade and his glory sadly long behind him, here’s a look back at the highlights of his long and impressive career…

THE THING
Having been inspired by The Thing from Another World as a child and constantly referenced various films of Howard Hawks throughout his career, it was perhaps inevitable that Carpenter would eventually direct a remake of one of his films. Originally directed by Christian Nyby in 1951, Carpenter chose instead to draw inspiration from John W. Campbell Jr.’s original short story Who Goes There? and teamed up with special effect artist Rob Bottin (whom he had previously worked with on The Fog) for Universal’s 1981 science fiction horror The Thing. An American outpost in an isolated region of Antarctica is invaded by an alien force that is able to to take the form of anything it comes into contact with, forcing the survivors to eventually turn on each other.

HALLOWEEN
Initially conceived as low budget thriller The Babysitter Murders by independent producer Irwin Yablans, the surprise success of Halloween would prompt every major studio in Hollywood to jump on the serial killer slasher bandwagon two short years later. It would also introduce horror fans to the iconic boogeyman Michael Myers. Having murdered his sister as a child, twenty-one year Myers escapes from a mental institution and returns to his hometown, whilst his erratic psychiatrist (Donald Pleasence) attempts to stop him before he kills anyone else.

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
Having already created one cult figure with Michael Myers, Carpenter managed it once again in 1981 with rugged antihero Snake Plissken (played as a Clint Eastwood-type outlaw by Kurt Russell). Having originally conceived Escape from New York during the mid-1970s, it would take the box office success of both Halloween and The Fog to convince studios that he was capable of bringing the ambitious project to the big screen. When Air Force one crash lands behind the walls of Manhattan Island (now a maximum security prison), the government send in shamed war hero Plissken to bring back both the president and a sensitive audio cassette.

THEY LIVE
Inspired in part by the commercialism of American television and newspapers, Carpenter decided to adapt a short story by science fiction author Ray Nelson and, in a surprise move, cast wrestler ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper in the central role. In a poverty-stricken neighbourhood of Los Angeles, a drifter (Piper) struggles to find manual labour at a construction site and comes to befriend a fellow grafter (Keith David). But, after discovering a pair of mysterious sunglasses, he comes to realise that all is not what it seems: aliens have taken over the world and have brainwashed the human race with promises of Capitalism.

ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13
Carpenter’s obsession with Howard Hawks was first evident with his studio debut Assault on Precinct 13. Originally shot under the title Siege, the movie took its basic premise from Hawks’ western classic Rio Bravo and transported it to an urban setting, with Darwin Joston’s Napoleon Wilson becoming the archetypal Carpenter antihero. Inexperienced cop Ethan Bishop (Austin Stoker) is sent to a near empty police station to oversee its closure, but the building is soon invaded by a lethal street gang, forcing Bishop to reluctantly join forces with convict Wilson.

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA
Following several successful collaborations, 1986’s Big Trouble in Little China would mark his last teaming with Russell (although they would later work together on the disappointing sequel Escape from L.A. in 1996). Blending action, humour, fantasy and martial arts, the movie failed to be the success the studio had predicted and faced rivalry from the Eddie Murphy flick The Golden Child, prompting Carpenter to retreat to low budget productions for the remainder of his career. The elusive David Lo Pan (James Hong) has re-emerged in San Francisco’s China Town after the abduction of an Asian girl with green eyes, prompting trucker Jack Burton (Russell, once again doing a John Wayne impression) to help attempt a rescue mission before Lo Pan completes an ancient ritual which will make him young again.

DARK STAR
Developed whilst studying at the University of Southern California (USC) with classmate Dan O’Bannon, Carpenter adapted what was to have been a fifty-minute graduation piece into a feature film with the assistance of various investors. The crew on board deep space vessel Dark Star have been travelling for several years, destroying unstable planets in an attempt to help mankind colonize other galaxies. But the isolation and boredom is taking its toll on the four men and they are gradually beginning to lose their grip on reality.

IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS
Horror filmmakers had long since been obsessed with the fantasy worlds created by fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft, with Italian director Lucio Fulci and producers Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna being the most obvious examples, and Carpenter would also explore similar worlds with his 1994 flick In the Mouth of Madness. Private Investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) is hired by publisher Jackson Harglow (Charlton Heston) after his most successful client, horror author Sutter Cane (Jürgen Prochnow), has mysteriously disappeared. Desperate to get his hands on the manuscript of Cane’s latest novel, Harglow sends Trent out to the town of Hobb’s End to find the missing writer and uncover the truth.

STARMAN
Proving that Carpenter was able to deal with emotional subjects, as well as injecting subtle humour into his work, Starman was his most commercial feature-to-date when it was released in December 1984. After the financial failure of his previous science fiction outing, 1981’s The Thing (which had bombed due to the success of Steven Spielberg’s more family-orientated E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial), Starman proved to be the hit that Carpenter needed in order to save his flagging career. When an alien lifeform lands on Earth and takes the form of a recently deceased man (Jeff Bridges), his widow (Karen Allen) struggles to come to terms with the experience, whilst slowly developing emotions for the strange being that is slowly learning what it is to be human.

PRINCE OF DARKNESS
Following the disappointing experience of making Big Trouble in Little China for a major studio, Carpenter instead struck a deal with Alive Pictures to develop three features, the first of which was Prince of Darkness. A strange fluid containing what could be the Antichrist has been discovered by the church and an elderly priest (Pleasence) recruits the help of a scientist (Victor Wong) and his students to uncover the truth behind the phenomenon.

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CHRIS CUNNINGHAM
British visual artist Chris Cunningham has yet to make a movie into movie making, but his commercials and music videos contain a mixture of horror and beauty, through his collaborations with artists as diverse as The Aphex Twin, Portishead and Madonna.
Watch: The Aphex Twin: Come to Daddy (1997), Björk: All is Full of Love (1998)

RICHARD LINKLATER
An intelligent and highly respected filmmaker who, along with Steven Soderberg and Kevin Smith, helped usher in the independent cinema movement of the early 1990’s. With efforts ranging from science fiction (A Scanner Darkly) and coming-of-age drama (Dazed and Confused) to comedy (School of Rock) and consumerist satire (Fast Food Nation), Richard Linklater remains in a league of his own.
Watch: Slacker (1991), Waking Life (2001)

DARREN ARONOFSKY
Surreal filmmaker Darren Aronofsky whose first two features, Pi and Requiem for a Dream, are disturbing dramas that study the evils of obsession, is one of the most unique storytellers in mainstream cinema. The fast-cut montage that closes Requiem for a Dream is one of the most harrowing sequences in recent years.
Watch: Pi (1998) and Requiem for a Dream (2000)

DAVID LYNCH
Perhaps the most original, if uneven, director working today, from his nightmarish debut Eraserhead, though the picket fence monstrocities of Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks to the neon sleaze of Lost Highway, David Lynch has remained an intelligent and thought provoking filmmaker.
Watch: The Elephant Man (1980), Twin Peaks (1989-90)

CHRIS GORAK
Chris Gorak’s 2006 thriller Right at Your Door was the logical extension of the themes explored in the hit show 24. Analysing America’s fear of terrorism as a major US city is under siege by the fallout of a chemical attack, Right at Your Door one of the most impressive debuts in years.
Watch: Right at Your Door (2006)

TERRY SWIGOFF
Oddball filmmaker Terry Swigoff has delivered a mix bag of bizarre oddities, from the adult Christmas comedy Bad Santa to the coming-of-age comic book adaptation Ghost World. Visual and often littered with dark humour, Swigoff’s work is an acquired taste but worth discovering.
Watch: Ghost World (2001)

MARK ROMANEK
Another veteran of the music video scene, Mark Romanek has producer an array of dark and haunting promo videos for such artists as Nine Inch Nails, Janet Jackson and the award-winning tribute video for Hurt by Johnny Cash. After his feature debut, One Hour Photo, Romanek’s sophomore effort was intended to have been the upcoming remake of The Wolf Man, though he was eventually replaced by Jurassic Park III’s Joe Johnston.
Watch: Nine Inch Nails: Closer (1995), Johnny Cash: Hurt (2003)

MICHEL GONDRY
French director Michel Gondry was responsible for some of the most childish and surreal music videos of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, before eventually moving to Hollywood and directing the Jim Carrey hit Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Refusing to obey to the logic of mainstream cinema, Gondry’s work often has a dreamlike quality that would appeal to the inner child in all of us.
Watch: Foo Fighters: Everlong (1998), The Science of Sleep (2006)

ADAM JONES
Tool are one of the most respected rock bands in the industry, with their 2001 classic Lateralus reaching the top of many magazine’s ‘top ten’ lists. Their guitarist, Adam Jones, directed many of their horrific and haunting music videos, utilising his talents as a sculptor to great effect.
Watch: Tool: Stinkfist (1996), Tool: Ænima (1997)

LUC BESSON
After several hits in France, Luc Besson eventually made the transition to Hollywood for the 1994 classic Leon and the science fiction comedy The Fifth Element, before returning home to direct the bittersweet fantasy Angel-A.
Watch: Leon (1994), Angel-A (2005)

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