Dario Argento Movies

Born in Rome, Italy on September 7 1940, Dario Argento is one of horror’s cinema most iconic directors due to his stunning and always interesting filmography along with his pioneering work in the giallo genre. Beginning his career as a screenwriter including credits on Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and Cemetery Without Crosses (1969), he made his directorial debut with the ground-breaking The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970).

With its plot filled with intrigue, murder and mystery married with stylish, tight direction, it helped to popularise the giallo genre and Argento was to complete his Animal trilogy with The Cat O’Nine Tails (1971) and Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1972). These were thrillers that kept audiences enthralled with their twists and turns and hungry for more.

In 1975, Argento went on to make one of his most highly acclaimed films yet – Deep Red (1975). Considered by many to be the definite giallo, it makes for a brilliant starting point for anybody new to Argento’s work. The image of the leather glove clad serial killer was to become one of the staples of the genre.

This kicked off an incredible run of films including Suspiria (1977), Inferno (1980), Tenebrae (1982) and Phenomena (1985). All at one time have been considered to be Argento’s masterpiece but one thing was clear - Argento’s reputation as one of Italy’s and Europe’s most exciting directors was firmly set in stone.

In the mid-80s, he collaborated with Lamberto Bava on the successful Demons series of films, a pure horror featuring deadly spirits breaking out of cinema and television screens, before returning to giallo roots in the slasher film Opera (1987).

He cast his daughter Asia Argento in the lead role of The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) which became a critical and commercial success before finishing the century with his adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera (1998).

Into the 21st century, Argento remains prolific and continues to explore the giallo genre he helped make popular. In 2022, he released Dark Glasses, the 20th film of his illustrious career, showing his ability to create daring, arresting cinema remains as strong as ever.