Argento. Dario Argento is the master of Italian Giallo – a horror subgenre. His filmography (mostly on the strength of Suspiria) ranks him 98th and he’s definitely a style-plus auteur. That’s his case (and that’s why it may seem like I’m underrating him at #113 here). He has a single film that’s superior to anything made by Spielberg, The Coen Brothers, Cronenberg, Sirk, or Fincher. In fact, the only directors with a film rated higher on the all-time top 500 list than Suspiria- who I haven’t got to on my list of all-time directors- are Stanley Donen, Carol Reed, Victor Fleming and Robert Wiene. The case against Argento is there’s a steep drop-off after Suspiria. Suspiria is the only film that landed in the top 100 of its respective decade from Argento. There’s also not a lot of depth here. He only had four archiveable films. That’s obviously a weakness.
Best film: Suspiria
- Splendid Eastman Colour 35mm
- Argento’s 6th film- he never touched this level (or really was that close) before or after
- Horror sub-genre “Giallo” (gore, eroticism, emphasis on visuals over story/dialogue, dubbing, paranoia, beautiful women, elaborate deaths)
- We have the florescent lighting and the rock score by Argento and the band Goblin set it apart- apparently Argento played it full blast on the set of the film to petrify the actors and create atmosphere
- Luciano Tovoli is the DP- from Antonioni’s Passenger– apparently he and Argento were inspired by some of early Disney’s (Snow White in particular) color schemes
- Grand set pieces (the school, hallways straight from Murnau or Caligari)
- So many standout visuals—we have the neon lighting which colors the rain/storm set piece in the opening—shot reflected in a puddle
- Much of the film is Harper walking in the dark in horrifying suspense, with stupendous visuals, and that score pounding in background
- I think that score is superior to 1978’s Halloween and that’s saying something. I also see a bit of that bass in the wonderful score to Apocalypse Now particularly when Sheen arrives at Brando’s camp on the boat
- Stain glass windows and wild expressionistic wallpaper
- Reds, blues, greens, but also gaudy golds, too
- Elaborate deaths
- Red gymnasium is a standout set piece
- When Harper’s character is talking to Udo Kier its absolutely sort of a Hutch moment in Rosemary’s Baby with Maurice Evans with them looking up the history of these characters—the character in Rosemary is even called “Adrian Marcato” and this is Helena Markos
- It’s absolutely packed with some of the best visuals of the decade, horror, or Italian cinema history- it’s actually so loaded that you have to pause and appreciate them because there’s another one coming directly after
- A Masterpiece
total archiveable films: 4
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 1 (Suspiria)
top 100 films of the decade: 1 (Suspiria)
most overrated: Nothing here for Argento. He only has two films that found a spot on the consensus TSPDT top 1000 and that’s Suspiria and Deep Reed. Suspiria (see below) is underrated and Deep Red is #966 and that’s close to where I’d have it.
most underrated: I’ve got Suspiria at #110 and the consensus has it at #366 so that’s the easy and only choice here.
gem I want to spotlight: Deep Rep. It’s easy Argento’s second greatest work and I’ve already selected Suspiria here above for most underrated and best film. The visuals here speak for themselves—jaw-dropping. It’s also on the list with Carpenter’s Halloween and Powell’s Peeing Tom for films that influenced the first-person POV shot and slasher genre.
stylistic innovations/traits: Argento borrows from Bava, Hitchcock and Polanski (not to mention a whole heaping of German Expressionism) but deserves full style-plus auteur credit for making one of cinema’s most beautiful films. He’s synonymous with the horror sub-genre “Giallo” (gore, eroticism, emphasis on visuals over story/dialogue, dubbing, paranoia, beautiful women, elaborate deaths). The florescent lighting is loud, bold and stunning. He’s an expressionist and I mention the Germans before but it’s hard not to think of Murnau’s Nosferatu or Wiene’s Caligari. That’s a clear art Deco influence and Argento clearly influenced a generation after him- Lynch is probably the first that comes to mind- but how about the coloring via lighting from Peter Greenaway, Nicolas Winding Refn, Spring Breakers from Harmony Korine.
top 10
- Suspiria
- Deep Red
- Tenebre
- The Bird with Crystal Plumage
By year and grades
| 1970- The Bird With Crystal Plumage | R |
| 1975- Deep Red | HR |
| 1977- Suspiria | MP |
| 1982- Tenebre | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
I think his decline started after Sleepless. Although there was very little evidence of his talent in Trauma for example. An absolute disaster. With one out of nowhere great scene. Kind of enjoyable in a so bad it’s good way (It’s high-end camp). Even the actors in the film (Forrest, Laurie) were apparently laughing and joking about the film while making it. Gladly, he quickly recovered with The Stendhal Syndrome back in Italy. I think Asia is terrible in Trauma as well but she made a great decision to largely underplay the role in The Stendhal Syndrome. Her Opera singing is terrible in The Phantom of the Opera but otherwise she is fine there. And she is more mature and holds the film together in Mother of Tears (There is very little good about this film other than her until the last section).
I didn’t bother to watch Dracula 3D but The Card Player, Do You Like Hitchcock?, Mother of Tears, Giallo, and Dark Glasses all have their moments. Mother of Tears has the best high of them all (and probably the best shot in Argento’s whole filmography) with an around 4 minute unbroken tracking shot. But Do You Like Hitchcock? is overall probably the best one out of his later efforts. They aren’t that flawed as films the ratings may suggest but overall they aren’t that ambitious. I was quite shocked in Dark Glasses to find Argento’s trademark active camera completely missing (it was still very much there in Giallo). That film is better when it focuses as a character study (with a strong Ilenia Pastorelli performance) than as a Serial Killer movie. Although it’s cool that he finally got to do the Eclipse scene.
Dario Argento ranked:
Films:
1. Suspiria (1977) – MP
2. Tenebre (1982) – MP
3. Phenomena (1985) – MS/MP
4. Deep Red (1975) – MS/MP
5. La Sindrome di Stendhal (1996)
6. Four Flies on Gray Velvet (1971)
7. Il Fantasma dell’ Opera (1998)
8. The Black Cat [Two Evil Eyes] (1990)
9. Sleepless (2001) – HR/MS
10. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – HR/MS
11. Inferno (1980) – HR
12. The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971) – HR
13. The Five Days (1973)
14. Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005) – R
15. Giallo (2009) – R
16. Il Cartaio (2003) – R
17. Mother of Tears (2007) – R
18. Dark Glasses (2022) – R
19. Opera (1987) – WFE
20. Trauma (1993) – WFE
Performances:
1. Harvey Keitel – The Black Cat
2. Asia Argento – La Sindrome di Stendhal
3. Ilenia Pastorelli – Dark Glasses
4. Julian Sands – Il Fantasma dell’ Opera
5. Andrea Di Stefano – Il Fantasma dell’ Opera
6. Adrienne Barbeau – The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar*
7. Madeleine Potter – The Black Cat
8. Anthony Franciosa – Tenebre
9. Karl Malden – The Cat o’ Nine Tails
10. Jean-Pierre Marielle – Four Flies on Gray Velvet
11. Giuliano Gemma – Tenebre
12. Donald Pleasence – Phenomena
13. Max von Sydow – Sleepless
14. David Hemmings – Deep Red
15. Asia Argento – Mother of Tears
16. Stefania Rocca – Il Cartaio
17. Thomas Kretschmann – La Sindrome di Stendhal
18. Jennifer Connelly – Phenomena
19. Asia Argento – Il Fantasma dell’ Opera
20. Stefania Casini – Suspiria
I believe all 20 are worth watching at least once.
Favourite scene from every Argento:
*Bird with the Crystal Plumage – The Reggie Nalder chase scene
*Four Flies on Gray Velvet – The maid murder
*The Cat o’ Nine Tails – The cemetery investigation
*The Five Days – The civilian massacre
*Deep Red – Investigating the haunted house
*Suspiria – The open hall at night with red lighting
*Inferno – Underwater with Irene Miracle
*Tenebre – The lesbian house murder
*Phenomena – Going and visiting the killer house
*Opera – The Daria Nicolodi murder scene
*The Black Cat [Two Evil Eyes] – The medieval dream sequence
*Trauma – The ‘Nicholas’ scene
*La Sindrome di Stendhal – Visting the museum with the paintings
*Il Fantasma dell’ Opera – The worker couple murder
*Sleepless – The train murder
*Il Cartaio – Investigating the killer house
*Do You Like Hitchcock? – The neighbour mom murder
*Mother of Tears – Investigating the old house
*Giallo – The Elsa Pataky escape scene
*Dark Glasses – The Eclipse scene
Argento’s version of The Black Cat [65 minutes] is by far the most faithful to Edgar Allen Poe’s short story over the 1934 and 1941 Versions. It’s strong and well written material. As is The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. The Shining borrows a lot from The Black Cat.
There is a foreshadowing of upcoming events in some of Argento’s films shown via dream sequences in something like Four Flies on Gray Velvet or symbols shown through the fur of the cat in The Black Cat. The dream sequence in Four Flies is set in the Middle East while the dream sequence in The Black Cat is set in Medieval times. While these are contemporary films, The Five Days is an epic historical period film set in 1848 during the Austrian-Italian Revolutions.
Films ranked:
1. Suspiria (1977) – MP
2. Tenebre (1982) – MP
3. Phenomena (1985) – MS/MP
4. Deep Red (1975) – MS/MP
5. The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
6. Four Flies on Gray Velvet (1971)
7. Sleepless (2001) – HR/MS
8. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – HR/MS
9. Inferno (1980) – HR
10. The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971) – HR
11. The Five Days (1973)
12. Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005) – R
13. Giallo (2009) – R
14. The Card Player (2003) – R
15. Mother of Tears (2007) – R
16. Dark Glasses (2022) – R
17. Opera (1987) – WFE
18. Trauma (1993) – WFE
Performances ranked:
1. Asia Argento – The Stendhal Syndrome
2. Ilenia Pastorelli – Dark Glasses
3. Anthony Franciosa – Tenebre
4. Karl Malden – The Cat o’ Nine Tails
5. Jean-Pierre Marielle – Four Flies on Gray Velvet
6. Giuliano Gemma – Tenebre
7. Donald Pleasence – Phenomena
8. Max von Sydow – Sleepless
9. David Hemmings – Deep Red
10. Asia Argento – Mother of Tears
Do You Like Hitchcock? is quite good. It’s the last time really that Argento used the killer POV camera so effectively. And perhaps his last expressive color use as well. Also having a big Il Cartaio poster in the front of the video store (which is frequently visited) is quite funny.
“When I was thinking of Phenomena, I imagined that between 1940 and 1945 there had been a very serious incident, the war, and that the Nazis had won. After thirty-forty years, the people had wiped this dramatic event from their memories and didn’t talk about it anymore. In reality though, the Nazis won the war, and life therefore has a totally different vibe, it’s a world where the Nazi order won. If the movie is watched attentively, then it is obvious that, from that perspective, whoever made it was working from this principle.”
I think the rest of his Theatrical Films after Sleepless in the 2000’s overall outside of the opening 15 minutes in Giallo is visually flat but has strong camerawork. Especially the tracking shot in Mother of Tears (4 or so minutes) is absolutely stunning (So, I’m ignoring the stunning take in Sleepless). While Dark Glasses has strong visuals but the camerawork is hardly there. It’s definitely a work by a more limited, immobile director but at least he has quality material/story/characters to make it work. The score is not particularly good but is trying to riff off his previous works and is effective in the energetic scenes (at least there is some energy to this film unlike say Megalopolis). The Eclipse scene is very good and strong.
I was very surprised by the acting quality in these later works. You’d think given the ludicrously low ratings for these films the acting is trash. But they are not especially by the lead character. Stefania Rocca, Asia Argento, Ilenia Pastorelli and in general Adrien Brody are all very solid. Although I would have preferred a better actor in the Brody role. So, there is a solid backbone to these films. Although there are some weak acting for sure outside of that. Adam James in Mother of Tears and even though he is not bad per se Liam Cunningham in The Card Player (He just has no charisma at all).
Although the same cannot be said for Trauma and Opera. My lord. It’s bad. I think Trauma even knows it’s a bad film (especially Forrest and Laurie) which is a good thing. Otherwise this would have been pure torture. The Brad Dourif death scene in this film is hilarious. Then out of nowhere in this mess comes a truly great scene – the ‘Nicholas’ scene. Opera is a hot take given its reputation and the style is there. But I found the execution bafflingly bad. I did not expect it. It’s like a psychedelic drug trip of a movie.
Trying to make sense of the low ratings, I do think fans are comparing these films after Sleepless too harshly to his better works. If these were made by any other director these would be solidly reviewed and rated. And it doesn’t help that Argento reveals his killer midway through the film in both Giallo and Dark Glasses (What was even the point of doing that here?). I do admire him for going for something new in The Card Player. And some of his later works are very thought provoking (The Stendhal Syndrome and Giallo). I have seen this trope used many times before and after. But it’s the best use of it I have ever seen. Although it should have ended there I think not the scene after (not bad but still).
1. Suspiria (1977) – MP
2. Tenebre (1982) – MP
3. Phenomena (1985) – MS/MP
4. Deep Red (1975) – MS/MP
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
Four Flies on Gray Velvet (1971)
7. Sleepless (2001) – HR/MS
8. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – HR/MS
9. Inferno (1980) – HR
10. The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971) – HR
11. Giallo (2009) – R
12. The Card Player (2003) – R
13. Mother of Tears (2007) – R
14. Dark Glasses (2022) – R
15. Opera (1987) – WFE
16. Trauma (1993) – WFE
Malith December 2, 2025 at 4:29 pm – Reply
Favorite scene from every Argento:
*Bird with the Crystal Plumage – The Reggie Nalder chase scene
*Four Flies on Gray Velvet – The maid murder
*The Cat o’ Nine Tails – The cemetery investigation
*Deep Red – Investigating the haunted house
*Suspiria – The open hall at night with red lighting
*Inferno – Underwater with Irene Miracle
*Tenebre – The lesbian house murder
*Phenomena – Going and visiting the killer house
*Opera – The Daria Nicolodi murder scene
*Trauma – The ‘Nicholas’ scene
*The Stendhal Syndrome – Visting the museum with the paintings
*Sleepless – The train murder
*The Card Player – Investigating the killer house
*Mother of Tears – Investigating the old house
*Dark Glasses – The Eclipse scene
*Giallo – The Elsa Pataky escape scene
Dario Argento ranked:
1. Suspiria (1977) – MP
2. Tenebre (1982) – MP
3. Phenomena (1985) – MS/MP
4. Deep Red (1975) – MS/MP
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)
Four Flies on Gray Velvet (1971)
7. Sleepless (2001) – HR/MS
8. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – HR/MS
9. Inferno (1980) – HR
10. The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971) – HR
11. Mother of Tears (2007) – R
12. Dark Glasses (2022) – R
13. Opera (1987) – WFE
14. Trauma (1993) – WFE
11. The Card Player (2003) – R
There is a stunning 3 minute tracking shot in Mother of Tears. Also including a stain glass window.
La Sindrome Di Stendhal (1996)
https://imgur.com/a/XTD3Uva
The Blow-Up influence is a running theme in Argento’s filmography. Apart from the usual theme of many of his protagonists playing amateur detectives in many of his films, In some of them they are obsessed by a detail that is quite misty but seems wrong. And this becomes a nightmare for them. This is not only in The Bird With the Crystal Plumage and Deep Red but also in Trauma. Not to mention scanning photographs is included in some of his films as well and plays a key role in Four Flies on Gray Velvet.
There is strong framing in Dark Glasses (2022).
https://imgur.com/a/kJd3bwi
I don’t know if Argento is a fan of the James Caan-Howard Zieff film Slither (A fantastic film, so oddball and quirky). But going on the road, country side, vacation home chased by a van. That’s Slither!!!
RIP Udo Kier.
@Drake- What are the archivable films he has?
@Malith – he had a lot of credits so I’m probably missing some- but here’s the rough draft:
1977- Suspiria
1980- Berlin Alexanderplatz
1981- Lola
1991- My Own Private Idaho
1996- Breaking the Waves
2000- Dancer in the Dark
2000- Shadow of the Vampire
2003- Dogville
2011- Melancholia
2013- Nymphomaniac
2017- Brawl in Cell Block 99
2018- Dragged Across Concrete
2019- The Painted Bird
@Drake- I was quite surprised by his passing because he is in “Bacurau” director’s new film this year called The Secret Agent which is critically acclaimed and is generating Oscar buzz. Have you ever had a look at Swan Song in 2021? A rare lead role for him which got good reviews for the film and his performance.
Four Flies on Gray Velvet tries to do something different than rehashing The Bird with the Crystal Plumage like Deep Red did. And Morricone’s score is better for this material than it is for The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. There are some wild avant-garde location change editing in Four Flies as well as not one but two occurring dream sequences for both the protagonist (ancient Rome) and the antagonist (dystopian).
His two best shot scenes in his filmography are the two or so minute crane shot around the lesbian house in Tenebre and the one and a half minute or so tracking shot along the doorway carpet in Sleepless (Yes, Sleepless). Both are dread inducing and extremely well executed and bold. Sleepless has a terrible climax but is an exceptional film other than that. And has some of Argento’s very best scenes in his entire filmography. Not only the above scene but also the opening or opening after the opening is a 20 minute nightmare inside and out of a train with that great score (again from Goblin).
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) is some film.
@Lionel – you got an updated Argento ranking including The Stendhal Syndrome for us?
Updated Dario Argento ranking-:
Films:
1. Tenebre (1982) – MP
2. Suspiria (1977) – MS/MP
3. Phenomena (1985) – MS/MP
4. Deep Red (1975) – MS/MP
5. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – HR/MS
6. Four Flies on Gray Velvet (1971) – HR
7. Inferno (1980) – HR
8. Sleepless (2001) – HR
9. The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971) – R/HR
10. Opera (1987) – WFE
Performances:
1. Anthony Franciosa – Tenebre
2. Karl Malden – The Cat o’ Nine Tails
3. Jean-Pierre Marielle – Four Flies on Gray Velvet
4. Giuliano Gemma – Tenebre
5. Donald Pleasence – Phenomena
6. Max von Sydow – Sleepless
7. Jennifer Connelly – Phenomena
8. Alida Valli – Suspiria
9. David Hemmings – Deep Red
10. Enrico Maria Salerno – The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
Updated Dario Argento ranking:
1.Tenebre (1982) – MP
2.Suspiria (1977) – MS/MP
3.Deep Red (1975) – MS/MP
4.Phenomena (1985) – HR/MS
5.The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – HR/MS
6.Inferno (1980) – HR/MS
7.Four Flies on Gray Velvet (1971) – HR
8. The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971) – R/HR
9. Opera (1987) – AWFUL
The Antonioni influence is huge with Argento. The ending of Four Flies on Gray Velvet is a direct rip from Zabriskie Point. Both Blow Up and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage are inspired by Blow-Up. The heavy primary color use. Painting entire objects in that color. Using architecture as character. But Argento is a better interior decorator.
Dario Argento ranked:
1. Tenebre (1982) – MP
2. Suspiria (1977) – MS/MP
3. Deep Red (1975) – MS/MP
4. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – HR/MS
5. Inferno (1980) – HR
6. The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971) – R/HR
Also, this page is bugging. And only works on mobile.
@Malith – I love seeing the respect for Tenebrae (1982) makes me want to revisit soon. I had it at MS when I covered Argento’s films. Opera (1987) is worth a viewing although weaker than the 6 films you listed
@James Trapp- I think Tenebre is Argento’s most flawless film and has the single greatest scene in Argento’s filmography. The crane shot around the lesbian household. There aren’t any of these silly romantic subplots to drag the film down like some of his other works. And constant blue and light red in the mise-en-scene with stark clean backdrops and interior decoration. And even a new addition (a recurring dream sequence).
I did see Phenomena too now and have a revised ranking:
1. Tenebre (1982) – MP
2. Suspiria (1977) – MS/MP
3. Deep Red (1975) – MS/MP
4. Phenomena (1985) – HR/MS
5. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – HR/MS
6. Inferno (1980) – HR
7. The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971) – R/HR
I will try to get to Opera and Four Flies on a Gray Velvet soon. And maybe Sleepless as well.
I don’t think the score of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage film from Morricone has the impact the scores in Deep Red and Suspiria have. There is a variation of the same jazz score in The Cat O’ Nine Tails I think. And the death scenes are not as elaborately done. But it’s a superb debut film from Argento (one of the best debuts of the 1970’s?) and most of the characteristics associated with Argento starts here. The POV camera, the girl stalking, cats and also the awful romance and banter in his films. A thing that I noticed in this that is different from other Argento is his use of a colour other than red for most of the film. There is an ongoing consistent colour use of yellows and blues throughout. Maybe highlighted when the protagonist runs into a room full of people wearing yellow coats but also in a kill scene at a house the cigarette pouch is entirely yellow and in another kill scene the whole floor is blue. And there are many other uses of this. There is a great chase scene (which is different than the stalking) that leans into action and the ending is a bit different for Argento as well. It’s also the closest thing I have seen to Blow-up with the scientific help in the case and the protagonist obsessing over an image/memory.
@Malith- Thank you for the Carol vs. Oliver Reed help
@Drake-They are actually related. Oliver is Carol’s younger brother’s son. Nephew.
@Malith- I didn’t know that!