As far as horror film directors go, few are more influential and prolific than Dario Argento. With over half a century of films under his belt (his first came in 1970), the Italian Argento became a popular purveyor of giallo, a subgenre of horror thriller focused more on psychological crime and mystery, usually with a slasher aspect. Several Italian directors, such as Mario Bava and Lucio Fulci helped to set the standard for giallo films, but none made more of an impact than Argento.
Now, at the age of 82, Dario Argento is back with his first new film in a decade, with the last being 2012’s Dracula 3D. His latest, Dark Glasses, releases on Shudder this month. In honor of this accomplishment and for his historic contribution to horror, here are the nine best films of his iconic career.
9. Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)
In this giallo, a man named Roberto Tobias (Michael Brandon) kills a stalker in self-defense. He is then haunted by a witness to the act who begins killing off everyone in his life. This is not one of Argento’s better known films, but it’s certainly one of the strangest. The characters are a little absurd, and the comedy is a little off, but in usual Argento style, it’s a beautiful film, rich with color and possessed by a chilling atmosphere. The great score by Ennio Morricone helps to offset the film’s flaws. While this, Argento’s third film, doesn’t get the same respect as his first two, it has the usual Argento flair that pulls you in, showing that even his misfires are still hits.
8. Inferno (1980)
This film, while mostly shot in Rome, is set in New York City. There, a woman residing in an apartment building where an ancient witch once lived has disappeared, and her brother Mark (Leigh McCloskey) is out for answers. The characters and the plot are not the most exciting, but few horror movies are as visually stunning as this second entry to Argento’s “Three Mothers Trilogy,” all of which focus on witches. The ghostly blue hues feel like its own haunting character. The odd camera angles and tricks are awe-inspiring though a little excessive. While this one is a step-down from the first in the trilogy, Suspiria, its beauty more than makes up for its errors.
7. Phenomena (1985)
This film packs more American star power than any other Argento film, with a fifteen-year-old Jennifer Connelly acting alongside Donald Pleasence, revered from his starring role as Doctor Loomis in Halloween, as its leads. We don’t have your typical slasher in this one. Yes, there is one who is killing female students at a school in Switzerland. What’s most fascinating is the protagonist out to stop the killer. Connelly plays a student, also named Jennifer, who can communicate with insects and uses this power to go after the killer. It sounds a little silly, but in Argento’s hands it works. It’s a creepy crawly slow burn, and also has one of the best performances by a chimp you’ll ever see. There’s no CGI here, like in Nope, but a real chimp, which befriends Jennifer and saves the day.
6. Tenebrae (1982)
In this slasher, an American writer named Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) is stalked by a killer who is hunting him and those involved with his latest book. Horror regular John Saxton (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Black Christmas) costars with a returning Argento fave, Daria Nicolodi, as two people working for Neal. If you want your horror film filled with blood and guts, you’ll get it here. Argento doesn’t hold back on the gore. Even without the crafty kills, it’s a great mystery, with the viewer taken along for the ride on the search for who the killer is. The heartbreak of the shocking finale is softened by yet another beautifully shot film with a fabulous score by Goblin.
5. The Cat O’ Nine Tails (1971)
Argento’s second film is also the second in his so-called “Animal Trilogy.” Argento has called it the least favorite of his films, but critics and audiences adored it. Here, two men (Karl Malden and James Franciscus) follow nine leads (hence the title) into the unsolved murder of a doctor who was pushed in front of a moving train. This is a fun mystery, with each of the nine leads leading us, along with the protagonists, down a trail filled with red herrings, and more twists and turns. This story is more straightforward, with nothing supernatural or over the top. It’s the characters who pull you in the most, especially the easy chemistry between Malden and Franciscus.
4. Opera (1987)
One image stands out more than any other in this film, one that even graced various versions of its promotional posters and has haunted the nightmares of audiences since. It’s that of a woman, her mouth taped shut, with needles fastened to her cheeks and aimed at her eyes bulging with fear. Right away you know you’re in for classic Argento. The visual hype doesn’t disappoint. Here, an actress named Betty (Cristina Marsillach) is kidnaped multiple times by a killer who restrains her and holds her eyes open with needles as he forces her to watch him commit his ghastly crimes. It’s a squeamish watch, with Argento’s signature suspense and gore, but it’s made even better by its original and beautiful setting of an opera house. For the next few decades, Argento’s films would be hit-and-miss. This was his last classic.
3. The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (1970)
Argento’s first film is also among his best. This one, while not filled with so much of the bright red blood of so many of his later works, helped to kick off the giallo movement of the 70s. The first film of his “Animal Trilogy,” this film is a classic Argento mystery focusing on a writer named Sam (Tony Musante) who witnesses a woman being murdered in an art museum. The killer, as many of Argento’s would be, is unseen, marked only by the black gloves they wear and the knife they hold. Interestingly, Argento would always play the killer’s gloved hands in his films. While more thriller than straight-up horror, the praise Argento received in his debut saw many reviewers comparing him to Alfred Hitchcock.
2. Suspiria (1977)
Argento has made two all-time horror classics. You can take your pick on whether this one or the next is his best and neither choice would be wrong. This one, the first in the “Three Mothers Trilogy,” is his most famous, with its cinematography and use of color studied by film students for decades. It even had a successful remake starring Dakota Johnson in 2018. Nothing compares to the original though. Here, one of horror’s best final girls, Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) is an American dance student who has moved to Germany to train at a dance academy. It just so happens that the studio is run by a coven of witches. Co-written by his Deep Red star, Daria Nicolodi, and featuring a creepy score by frequent collaborators, Goblin, this one is an absorbing nightmare you can’t turn away from. The razor room scene alone is one of the most disturbing things you’ll ever see.
1. Deep Red (1975)
Argento’s best film is similar to many others that he has done, but made to perfection. Here, we have the much used plot of a man (David Hemmings) witnessing a murder then becoming entangled with the killer. Everything that works for Argento in his giallo creations is top-notch, from the complex and twisting Hitchcockian mystery, to the beautiful visuals, the brutal violence, the iconic Goblin score, and the great chemistry between Hemmings and costar Daria Nicolodi. It is packed with memorable scenes, from the nightmare fuel of a puppet running right at you, to the grisly finale, where the killer is shockingly revealed and then dispatched of in the most gruesome manner. Argento moved between slashers and the supernatural in his work, but this blood filled mystery checks every box for what makes a giallo film superb.