Phenomena (1985)

 

A young girl, with an amazing ability to communicate with insects, is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.

A Dario Argento joint: wildly stylish, incoherent plot with a dreamlike atmosphere and lots of imaginative shock moments, and once again another incongruous soundtrack.

Halliwell (no star): "Daft and gruesome horror that lacks style and sense; it has a plethora of murderers, it is never fully explained who did what to whom, its intentions is to disgust rather than shock, and its heavy-metal soundtrack is a frequent distraction."

Maltin***: "Typically stylish, bizarre Argento horror opus whose premise...serves as a framework for some cleverly weird goings-on...Don't say you weren't warned!" 

Suspiria (1977)

Inferno (1980)

Opera (1987)

Opera (1987)

 

A young opperata is stalked by a deranged fan bent on killing the people associated with her to claim her for himself. 

A typical Dario Argento gem that presents all the usual ingredients: wonderfully and imaginatively stylish, gory,  a rather illogical plot and an off-kilter soundtrack.

 

 

C'era una volta il West (1968)

 

 

A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.

 

A masterpiece Western that elevates the genre onto a level of pure myth; it is immaculately composed like an opera with leitmotifs for each main protagonist, beautifully photographed in John Ford territory and full of memorable scenes, both humorous and vicious - and Henry Fonda's first appearance in the movie is a genuine shock.

Halliwell***: "Immensely long and convoluted epic Western marking its director's collaboration with an American studio and his desire to make serious statements about something or other. Beautifully made and very violent."

 

Maltin***1/2: "Sergio Leone's follow-up to his "Dollars" trilogy is languid, operatic masterpiece...Fonda (brilliantly cast as one of the coldest villains in screen history). Exciting, funny, and reverent, with now-classic score by Ennio Morricone; not to be missed."

 

Suspiria (1977)

Inferno (1980)

An American college student in Rome and his sister in New York investigate a series of killings in both locations where their resident addresses are the domain of two covens of witches.

From memory: The plot is barely comprehensible, but seen as an intense, horrifying and mesmerizing dream, made with a keen eye for style, it is a quite fascinating work of art.

Halliwell (no star): "Absurdly overplotted and mainly incomprehensible shocker with some small pretensions to style."

Maltin**1/2: "Surreal, hypnotic shocker...is short on sense, but long on style."

Suspiria (1977)

An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.

Quintessential Dario Argento masterpiece is all style, atmosphere and dread over plot with a slew of set pieces often copied ever since.

Halliwell**: "Psycho meets The Exorcist, with no holds barred: a genuinely scary thriller with gaudy visuals and a screaming sound track. A pyrotechnic display for those who can take it."

Maltin***: "Terrifying tale...Often dumb plot is enriched and overcome by brilliant camerawork, atmosphere, music score and performance..."

Suspiria (2018)

A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist.

Artful re-imagination of an already highly stylish horror classic has a lot going for it (style, great sets, cast, atmosphere and a great soundtrack), but far outstays its welcome, disappoints with an over-the-top ending and generally can't hold a candle to the original.

Suspiria (1977)

Dario Argento

Bio:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dario_Argento

Profondo rosso (1975)

 

 

After witnessing the murder of a famous psychic, a musician teams up with a feisty reporter to find the killer while evading attempts on their lives by the unseen assailant bent on keeping a dark secret buried.

 

Creepy horror thriller in classic Argento style: dark atmosphere, bizarre murders and an irritating soundtrack; the original uncut Italian version is - in parts - bit too talkative.

 

Halliwell**: "Slick, stylish, decadent, suspenseful thriller, with a disquieting atmosphere that continually puts its audience, like its victims, off-balance. Hemmings's character owes much to his role in Antonioni's Blow Up." 

Maltin**1/2: "There's style to burn in senseless horror thriller...Flashy, bizarre murders set to pounding rock soundtrack."

 

 

4 mosche di velluto grigio (1971)

A musician is stalked by an unknown killer who's blackmailing him for an accidential killing of another stalker.

Early Dario Argento giallo that already reveals the director's trademarks:  atmosphere and style get preference over the logic of a convincing plot, imaginative set pieces, suspenseful and blood-curdling sequences, a pop soundtrack slightly off-kilter to the ongoings on screen - and everything highly entertaining.

Maltin**: "Unabsorbing psychological murder-mystery with performers who walk through their roles in a very disinterested fashion."

Phenomena (1985)

A young girl, with an amazing ability to communicate with insects, is transferred to an exclusive Swiss boarding school, where her unusual capability might help solve a string of murders.