one thing about Deep Red that is brilliant and that i've never seen in another movie is that *spoilers* they actually *show* you who the killer is at the beginning, in one quick shot, your eye is just drawn away from that part of the frame. if you go back and watch it again, sure enough, it's right there! no one i've talked to about it has caught it the first time.
So cool you guys are also into metal AND horror 👌 Here's my list: 1. Suspiria 2. Phenomena 3. Inferno 4. Deep Red 5. Tenebre BTW: The film with that scary machine/device-thingy isn't Stendahl Syndrome but the vastly superior Trauma 👊
A prized possession of mine is a mini Dawn of the Dead poster signed by George Romero and Dario Argento. Dario just signed his name. George added "Stay Scared".
Was such a fun show to watch! Chris is right, Dario is a top 3-5 horror director, is a true artist and a master of his craft. My ranking is as follows, though I have not seen all of Argento's films yet... 1. Suspiria 2. Deep Red 3. Tenebre 4. Bird With the Crystal Plumage 5. Inferno Opera, Phenomena, and Cat O' Nine Tails are all on my "to watch" list.
1. Suspiria, 2. Deep Red (Profondo Rosso - a.k.a The Hatchet Murders), 3. Tenebrae, 4. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage ( a.k.a. The Gallery Murders ), Opera .
Great show as usual, Pete and Chris. Back when Suspiria came out, it was showing in Birmingham, UK as a double bill, “supported” by the concert film Genesis Live (from the Trick Of The Tail tour). I went with a friend because we wanted to see Genesis and had no idea what Suspiria was. We decided to get our money’s worth and so stayed for the main event. To say we were petrified is an understatement! The film was terrifying, but the thing that really got me was the Goblin soundtrack. Astounding! I’m not a big horror fan, but I do own a Bluray Suspiria and a copy of the soundtrack. One of my great cinematic experiences,
5. Phenomena 4. Cat o' Nine Tails 3. Do You Like Hitchcock 2. Deep Red 1. Suspiria Dario was also 1 of 3 people who devised the story which would become the screenplay for one of my all-time favorite westerns, Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West.
Love Argento. My five, in no order: Bird With the Crystal Plumage Suspiria Deep Red Inferno Tenabrae Been fortunate enough to see both Suspiria and Deep Red with Claudio Simonetti's Goblin doing a live score. Happy days! 🤟
Cool show! I recently bought the Blu-ray set of the Argento Collection, which includes The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Tenebre, Deep Red, Phenomena, Suspiria and Opera. Awesome collection, and I love all those movies.
I just got into Argento thanks to the Bava/Argento/Fulci episode you guys did a while back. I’ve seen six films. Would love to see similar Bava and Fulci episodes like this as well as other Italian Horror stuff. You guys are knowledgeable and entertaining and I enjoyed this video. 1. Inferno - I’m an atmosphere guy and this film has it in spades - so I can live with the confusing plot. 2. Suspiria 3. Phenomena - Maiden! Motörhead! One Hell of an ending. 4. Deep Red 5. Tenebrae 6. The Bird With the Crystal Plumage Love the too 5. Plumage is OK but I had higher expectations going in. A good film, but for really kicking off the giallo cycle, I thought it would be more forward. I thought Bava’s Blood and Black Lace destroyed this film in both style and shock. Thanks again for a great episode and introducing me to Argento.
wtf??? is the only sane reaction to many of Argento's scenes. Particular favourites are the descent into the flooded basement in Inferno, the beautiful woman mouthing God knows what in the lecture theatre (same film) the razor wire scene in Suspiria and the reveal of the killer in Profundo Rosso - what? No way did I miss that!!! The plots are not the point though. It's the style. I saw Suspiria in a film club at university in 1977 and the initial kill scene is still the most stylish I have ever seen.
Good evening Pete and Chris. My favorite Argento films are 1. Suspiria - ”Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds.” - Dr. Frank Mandel, Suspiria, 2. Profondo Rosso - one of my favorite scenes is the Mad Puppet Scene - ua-cam.com/video/qbPDLv33B7M/v-deo.html, 3. Tenebrae - ""The impulse had become irresistible. There was only one answer to the fury that tortured him. And so he committed his first act of murder. He had broken the most deep-rooted taboo, and found not guilt, not anxiety or fear, but freedom. Any humiliation which stood in his way could be swept aside by the simple act of annihilation: Murder."" - Narrator, Tenabrae, 4. Phenomena and 5. Four Flies On Grey Velvet. ”The process of writing and directing drives you to such extremes that it's natural to feel an affinity with insanity. I approach that madness as something dangerous, and I'm afraid, but also I want to go to it, to see what's there, to embrace it. I don't know why, but I'm drawn.- [ Dario Argento
1. Phenomena 2. Suspiria 3. Deep Red 4. The Bird With The Crystal Plumage 5. Tenebre 6. Opera 7. Four Flies On Grey Velvet 8. Inferno 9. The Cat O Nine Tails 10. The Stendahl Syndrome.
I love Argento, including some of the giallos, but of the films I've seen from him, thus far, I prefer the supernaturally-oriented horror films. Sometimes, the lines get blurred, as with "Phenomena," which I *love* so much. These are my top five Argento movies: 1. Suspiria (This is actually in my "top five horror films" of all time, and very close to the top!) 2. Phenomena (I love insect horror, and this has some *incredible* elements of it!) 3. Inferno (One of the creepiest houses/apartment buildings in horror, period!) 4. Tenebrae (My current favorite of his straightforward giallos.) 5. Deep Red (Some great, tense, eerie atmosphere and death scenes, but I agree with Chris Alo's criticisms.)
i have one of their Tenebre Blu-ray releases, the one with the white cover that actually has a brighter picture (more to my liking) than the black cover release which is slightly darker in picture.
Great show, great choices. Need to rewatch my Argento films. Once I've finished Hitchcock, having only just seen the Hitchcock show. The third film is called The Mother of Tears.
Great to have Chris return for episode's and after him talking about Goblin soundtracks in this episode and the recent Hudson Valley Squares episode, now I have to go listen to those. Great discussion and again some films to add to the watch list. Appreciated the discussion not only of your top 5 but also some of the "stinkers". Look forward each week to The Monster's Den. Thanks, Chris and Pete.
I don't know if this has been mentioned on here before but the term Giallo is Italian for yellow. When you're in a bookshop in Italy the spines of their books are often colour coded and yellow is the colour of mystery/thriller/horror hence the name. Also, if anyone plans to go to Rome, be sure to visit Profondo Rosso the store owned by Dario Argento and Luigi Cozzi (also a director and whom manages the place day-to-day). The store is packed with horror dvds, books, props and toys and beneath the store is a museum filled with props and scenes from various giallo films including Demons and The Church.
Mentioning some of Argento's regulars gives me an idea for a future Monster's Den episode - rather than a particular director's work, a list of favourite horror actors and/or best examples of their work, either recurring character actors or the more 'cult' leading players. Ones which always liven up a movie experience, even when the film itself is slightly lacking. I'm thinking of people like Michael Gough or the brilliantly named Michael Ripper in old British/Hammer films, or Barbara Steele etc. Could be more famous or just ones where you go "I know the face..."
Cat o' Nine Tails has my favorite soundtrack of all the Argento films (with all due respect to Goblin and Keith Emerson). it's also my favorite soundtrack by Ennio Morricone (with all due respect to his iconic Sergio Leone scores). of course, it's hard for me to qualify the 2nd claim; Morricone composed over 400 soundtracks, and I have not heard them all!
LOVE Argento. Lynch, Carpenter and Argento are my favorite directors 1. Suspiria 2. Tenebrae 3. Deep Red 4. Inferno (the first Argento I saw) 5. either Phenomena or Opera; just can't decide. I also love The Bird With The Crystal Plumage John Carpenter was so impressed by Inferno he made Prince Of Darkness!
Not watched your top 5 yet just noticed this week's topic on my phone and I'll watch on t.v later but my top five Argento films 5. Deep Red 4. Tenabrie 3. Cat of Nine Tales 2 Bird Whith Crystal Plumage 1. Suspria Honrable mention Zombi but that's always been a Romero film in my eyes and because am a Spaghetti western nut the screenplay for Once upon a time in the west ( Just a idea you should do a Spaghetti western show ) . Thanks for doing this topic my brother who's a Regular watcher of your videos me and a friend have been trying to get him to watch Argento for years hopefully this video will help him come to the Dario side 😄😄
The Maestro! everything he did with Daria Nicolodi co-scripting was Gold. my choice varies from time to time but right now I'd say 1) Opera 2) Deep Red 3) Suspiria 4) Tenebrae 5) Inferno. Very Honorable mentions: 4 Flies on Grey Velvet and Phenomena. Most underrated: The Mother of Tears.
Also agree on Mother of Tears, I don't understand the hate for it either sure it's nowhere near his glory days in the '70s but it's still the closest he's come in style to his old classics, plus it's bloody as all hell and shot in 'Scope which always helps. An aspect ratio I don't understand wasn't used on Inferno and Tenebre, they both look like they'd only benefit from wider cinematography. MoT to me looks and feels like old-school Argento, I appreciate he made it in recognizable fashion right in the middle of a changing movie industry with all these nasty post-production fads everywhere, he refused to and instead stuck to basics of filmmaking visuals and vistas. I totally applaud him for that, sticking to his guns when it's so easy for directors these days to fall into all kinds of trendy traps, although he did slip a little with The Card Player. Granted, the script of MoT is awful beyond words but that's not why we watch them anyway. ;-] He's working on a new film now, his first in a decade.
Inferno used to be one of my favourite Argento movies but I was disappointed after re-watching it. Visually it has some moments but not much else. As for Mother of Tears I hadn't seen it before until a few nights ago. Frankly I thought it was a mess and very low down the list of Argento movies but each to their own. I think Phenomena might be one of his underrated movies.
@@iansharp7422 i like Inferno and Mother of Tears more for their individual nightmare scenes then as complete experiences. i wouldn't rank the latter among his very best, but i was surprised that it was much more worthwhile than its reviews would suggest, and it actually stands out among his later work. agree that Phenomena is underrated. you can show that one to just, y'know, regular people (non horror freaks) and they will have a good time.
@@iansmith8783 I always loved the opening to Inferno and the underwater scene. It was a shame that Argento went off the boil in the 90s but most of his movies had some good moments nonetheless.
My Top 5 1 Tenebrae 2 Deep Red 3 Opera 4 Inferno 5 The Bird with the Crystal Plumage And yes before anybody asks, yes I’ve seen Suspira. I wasn’t a fan, the movie looked great, but I was bored watching it
She's so underrated but always a joy to watch in movies like Autopsy (despite a silly wig), The Black Cat, Concorde Affaire '79 (with James Franciscus), The Perfume of the Lady in Black, Two Men in Town (with Alain Delon and Jean Gabin), The Master and Margaret, The Suspects, The Track and of course she was in an episode of The F.B.I. in 1966 with Charles Bronson. Alas, she hasn't acted in 30 years she paints and sculps now.
You all have a great love for European Horror! As an American living in Germany since being 8 years old it's something I can absolutly relate to 😀 How is your love and knowledge for the proto-giallos 😀 Namely the Edgar Wallace movies produced by Horst Wendlandt? 😀 They are absolute masterpieces of cinema!
It's funny how Keith said on an interview that he didn't allow his little kids to come into his studio while he was recording the soundtrack, because he thought the music would give them nightmares. He also did the soundtrack for Lucio Fulci's Murder-rock.
Richard Stanley the director/writer who made Dust Devil, Hardware, and the video movie of Marillion's Brave, supposedly also wrote a third film in the Mothers trilogy that went completely unmade. I'd be willing to bet that would have probably been better than the film that ultimately did get made.
I saw DEEP RED outdoors in Rome, with Dario present in 2016! I was getting drunk off of Italian beer and then I got lost in the streets of Rome afterward. A magical experience.
4. Suspiria. Beautifully shot. Terrific beginning. The version I saw was poorly dubbed and the colors were dulled so I will revisit. A little slow at times. 3. Deep Red Best soundtrack. More terrifying moments than in his other films. It drags a little though. 2. Bird The best storyline, fewest ridiculous moments. One of the coolest named movies. 1. Tenebrae Not really scary. There is little suspense or terror until the end. But it's the only one I have watched repeatedly. The flashback scenes and how the detective ties it all together at the end is great. I have also seen Cat, Flies, Inferno, and Phenomena. They were all really good but none deserve to be ranked next to the top 4 which are fantastic. Opera will be my next and perhaps last Argento.
Thanks, guys. I had never seen an Argento film previously. I bought and watched all of his directed films but Dracula, Phantom, Giallo, and his early comedy. Since I've only seen these once, it's hard to give a ranking yet. However, I agree with your lists - those are the best ones. Suspiria is absolutely beautifully shot. I also like some of the later films. The Mother of Tears is OK - I don't think it's a shitter. Hopefully, you guys will watch it again. Trauma was the movie with the decapitator device. I like that one, but have a hard time getting over the jailbait aspect of it. The Stendahl Syndrome is also pretty good. I like Asia, his daughter. She's beautiful and a good actress just like her mother, Daria. The Card Player has an interesting plot although there are a couple unbelievable things that happen in it. I think 4 Flies on Grey Velvet is his weakest early movie.
In Deep Red when Marcus & Gianna enter the Leonardo Da Vinci State Middle School, in a quick cut we see "Kill Your Father and Mother" written on a bathroom wall. It was written by the killer, correct? What is the significance of that phrase within the context of the film's story? I wonder if it's maybe just paying homage to the ending of Bava's 1971 film, A Bay of Blood? If it's not a deliberate reference to it, it's still a connection to that film. I haven't went through all of extras, but I've tried finding info on the net through interviews & reviews but can't find anything about this. I listened to the commentaries too & nobody talks about it either. Any thoughts on this? Chris?
Disagree on the thoughts of the Suspiria remake (and Pete's not seen it so doesn't really have a valid opinion!) - it's a VASTLY different film from the original. It takes the premise but goes to very, very different places. Almost nothing is the same. It's got the same starting point (and some amazing Argento easter eggs) but that's it. It's a true art-film. You think Tilda Swinton would sign up for some cheapo remake of a horror movie?
@@seaoftranquilityprog I initially thought the same thing too Pete. Not that it’s a sacred cow, but as an enormous fan and scholar of Argento and Suspiria in particular, some things you shouldn’t touch, but upon viewing it I feel like it’s a reimagining rather than a remake. It ticks a lot of boxes of interest for me, Divided Berlin, German New Wave Music, Baader Meinhof, beautiful girls in a ballet school and witchcraft. What’s not to like? 😉 Chris is right, it’s quite slow, but it’s got an atmosphere, just a very different one.
Long time fan of Argento. Suspiria was the gateway. I don’t hate Third Mother/Mother of Tears as much as Phantom Of The Opera which is absolute bottom tier for me. Can’t comment on Dracula 3D as I’ve not been able to see it, but by all accounts it’s worth avoiding. Argento was well past his prime by that stage, but I think Third Mother was a slight step up from a couple of others in the latter era. I think it’s safe to say Opera/Terror At The Opera was his last great film. Everything after that was terrible to fair, with the exception of Sleepless, which is in the ‘good’ territory. My top 5; 5. Phenomena 4. 4 Flies On Grey Velvet 3. Inferno 2. Suspiria 1. Deep Red There’s very little between 1 and 2, could easily swap places.
I love Italian horror but never quite understood the praise for Argento. Sure I like his movies but I've heard he claimed to have invented the whole giallo genre while everyone knows it was Mario Bava who already mastered the genre years before Dario's first movie. And Bava also used the colorful lights (mainly red/green) in the early sixties that everyone credits Argento for. But I love The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Tenebre for example. This may be a controversial opinion but I also love Fulci more than Argento.
@@PWRobinson1976 Never heard of him. What would you say was Fohrer's first movie that fits the giallo style, must definitely check it out? Of course there's never a single person and a single movie that invents a genre; Spiral Staircase had many giallo tropes already in 1946. But Mario Bava's Blood & Black Lace for me was the first one that perfected the genre with the strong colours, beautiful women, brutal murders and black-gloved killer.
@@petrilampela I'll try my best to explain. First of all. You are right. It is very true that certain tropes have been around forever. And yes, Bava did definitely put his mark on the genre in 1963/64. But looking at the developement of the giallos I would say that THAT was just one of two starting points. The other being the german Edgar Wallace adaptations of the 1960s. Those adaptations are widely considered an inspiration for giallos. But I would go further and say that those movies already set the tone and were the starting point, not only because the mere 10 years are far to near to "only" be an inspration but also because the timeline of the Edgar Wallace movies goes right into the italian giallo productions with the first giallos being german-italian co-productions (like Dario Argento's first "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage" and Massimo Dallamano's "What Have You Done to Solange?" both running in Germany under the "Edgar Wallace Label"). I'll leave a link for an englisch Wikipedia page regarding the german Edgar Wallace movies (scroll down to the section "German adaptations; the Krimis"). One fun fact. When Quentin Tarantino came to Germany to promote a movie he yelled "Alfred Vohrer is a genius!" 😉 Would love to talk more about this and other topics. Always fun 😀 en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Films_based_on_works_by_Edgar_Wallace
Btw do Mario Bava or Lucio Fulci next. Maybe continue with some more directors like Joe D Amato, Antonio Margeretti, Sergio Martino, Umberto Lenzi estra.
26:59 I think the explanation for the chef scene is that the evil is leaking out to the world. I mean, the guy trying to drown the cats is pretty evil. And the chef's actions are pretty evil...
53:30 The Suspiria remake is my favorite of 2018 along with Hereditary. I own the original Suspiria on Blu-ray, but I'm not a big fan of it. I think this is why I love the remake. I love the story much more. It actually has a plot, unlike the original.
Suspiria 2018 spoilers... I understand both of your opinions, but I am not on the band wagon to stop making remakes. I think they should slow down on them and make more original movies, but there are some that I think are better than the original. And Suspiria 2018 makes that leap in that the story is so different, that instead of Suzy being the innocent girl who has to battle the witches, she becomes Mother Suspiriorum; Markos is a fraud. And the side story with the psychiatrist might seem out of place, it has its merits. It's trying to show how real world evil can surround mythological evil. I think. I mean, I might be way off in my estimation of the remake. I didn't talk with the director, so my thoughts are my own. I simply think it's a masterpiece. And that is blasphemous, I know. I am one who finds greatness behind going away from the convention of the past. You might actually say, because I sure do, that Suspiria 2018 is an original movie despite it borrowing from the actual original. I was one of those who didn't think a remake was needed. But ended up loving it.
I would like a ranking of Fulci’s films too. The episode you guys did on Bava/Argento/and Fulci where you picked one film a piece from each helped me discover Argento and Fulci - I already knew Bava. So thank you for that. Will get to this Argento episode soon, can’t wait!
Speaking of gore. I thought Ginger from The Wildhearts might have been copying you guys, cuz he did ten videos counting down his goriest movies of all-time. Turns out it was a set-up for the band's new video, "Sleepaway". Holy shit, is that thing gory. I'd recommend it for The Monster's Den crew. High quality effects. Not to mention that it'd be interesting if you guys knew all of the movies he listed, cuz a lot of them seemed pretty obscure.
one thing about Deep Red that is brilliant and that i've never seen in another movie is that *spoilers* they actually *show* you who the killer is at the beginning, in one quick shot, your eye is just drawn away from that part of the frame. if you go back and watch it again, sure enough, it's right there! no one i've talked to about it has caught it the first time.
So cool you guys are also into metal AND horror 👌 Here's my list:
1. Suspiria
2. Phenomena
3. Inferno
4. Deep Red
5. Tenebre
BTW: The film with that scary machine/device-thingy isn't Stendahl Syndrome but the vastly superior Trauma 👊
A prized possession of mine is a mini Dawn of the Dead poster signed by George Romero and Dario Argento. Dario just signed his name. George added "Stay Scared".
1 Suspiria
2 Inferno
3 Tenebrae
4 Opera
5 Bird with the crystal plumage.
Hm
Deep red.
The master of italian horror.
Was such a fun show to watch! Chris is right, Dario is a top 3-5 horror director, is a true artist and a master of his craft. My ranking is as follows, though I have not seen all of Argento's films yet...
1. Suspiria
2. Deep Red
3. Tenebre
4. Bird With the Crystal Plumage
5. Inferno
Opera, Phenomena, and Cat O' Nine Tails are all on my "to watch" list.
5. Inferno
4. Bird with the Crystal Plumage
3. Suspiria
2. Deep Red
1. Tenebre
Suspiria remake is sooo good. I like it just as much as the original🤷🏽♂️
1. Suspiria, 2. Deep Red (Profondo Rosso - a.k.a The Hatchet Murders), 3. Tenebrae, 4. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage ( a.k.a. The Gallery Murders ), Opera .
1. suspiria
2. Deep Red
3. Tenebrae
4. Bird with the crystal plumage
5. Opera
1. Suspiria
2. Bird With the Crystal Plumage
3. Tenebrae
4. Deep Red
5. Inferno
Great ranking love Argento ❤️! Mine are
1.Deep Red
2. Suspiria
3.Phenomena
4. Tenebrae
5.Opera
Great show as usual, Pete and Chris.
Back when Suspiria came out, it was showing in Birmingham, UK as a double bill, “supported” by the concert film Genesis Live (from the Trick Of The Tail tour). I went with a friend because we wanted to see Genesis and had no idea what Suspiria was. We decided to get our money’s worth and so stayed for the main event. To say we were petrified is an understatement! The film was terrifying, but the thing that really got me was the Goblin soundtrack. Astounding!
I’m not a big horror fan, but I do own a Bluray Suspiria and a copy of the soundtrack. One of my great cinematic experiences,
1 - Suspiria
2 - Deep Red
3 - Phenomena
4 - Inferno
5 - Bird With.../Cat O’ Nine...
1. Deep Red
2. Suspiria
3. The Bird With The Crystal Plummage
4. Tenebrae
5. Sleepless
5. Phenomena
4. Cat o' Nine Tails
3. Do You Like Hitchcock
2. Deep Red
1. Suspiria
Dario was also 1 of 3 people who devised the story which would become the screenplay for one of my all-time favorite westerns, Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West.
Love Argento. My five, in no order:
Bird With the Crystal Plumage
Suspiria
Deep Red
Inferno
Tenabrae
Been fortunate enough to see both Suspiria and Deep Red with Claudio Simonetti's Goblin doing a live score. Happy days! 🤟
Dario is amazing. My favorites are....
1. Suspiria
2. Inferno
3. Phenomenon
4. Tenebrae
5. Opera
Welcome back Cris! Great subject tonight, I have a feeling I’ll be watching some good horror flicks that I’ve missed, appreciate it guys
1. Susperia
2. Deep Red
3. Tenebrae
4. Inferno
5. Phenomena
Opera is my favourite Argento, then Inferno - that underwater scene... and Dario's segment of Two Evil Eyes.
Cool show! I recently bought the Blu-ray set of the Argento Collection, which includes The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Tenebre, Deep Red, Phenomena, Suspiria and Opera. Awesome collection, and I love all those movies.
My favorite horror director, nobody quite like him.
1. Suspiria
2. Deep Red
3. Tenebrae
4. Bird with the crystal plumage
5. Opera
My top 5 Dario Argento movies are
1 - Inferno
2 - Suspiria
3 - Sleepless
4 - Four flies on Gray Velvet
5 - Tenebrae
I just got into Argento thanks to the Bava/Argento/Fulci episode you guys did a while back. I’ve seen six films. Would love to see similar Bava and Fulci episodes like this as well as other Italian Horror stuff. You guys are knowledgeable and entertaining and I enjoyed this video.
1. Inferno - I’m an atmosphere guy and this film has it in spades - so I can live with the confusing plot.
2. Suspiria
3. Phenomena - Maiden! Motörhead! One Hell of an ending.
4. Deep Red
5. Tenebrae
6. The Bird With the Crystal Plumage
Love the too 5. Plumage is OK but I had higher expectations going in. A good film, but for really kicking off the giallo cycle, I thought it would be more forward. I thought Bava’s Blood and Black Lace destroyed this film in both style and shock.
Thanks again for a great episode and introducing me to Argento.
Love that Near Dark shirt!
Tangerine Dream
wtf??? is the only sane reaction to many of Argento's scenes. Particular favourites are the descent into the flooded basement in Inferno, the beautiful woman mouthing God knows what in the lecture theatre (same film) the razor wire scene in Suspiria and the reveal of the killer in Profundo Rosso - what? No way did I miss that!!! The plots are not the point though. It's the style. I saw Suspiria in a film club at university in 1977 and the initial kill scene is still the most stylish I have ever seen.
Suspiria in top 5 scariest movies and soundtracks. Fantastic colours.
1. Suspiria
2. Profondo Rosso
3. Inferno
4. Tenebre
5. Phenomena
6. Opera
Good evening Pete and Chris. My favorite Argento films are 1. Suspiria - ”Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds.” - Dr. Frank Mandel, Suspiria, 2. Profondo Rosso - one of my favorite scenes is the Mad Puppet Scene - ua-cam.com/video/qbPDLv33B7M/v-deo.html, 3. Tenebrae - ""The impulse had become irresistible. There was only one answer to the fury that tortured him. And so he committed his first act of murder. He had broken the most deep-rooted taboo, and found not guilt, not anxiety or fear, but freedom. Any humiliation which stood in his way could be swept aside by the simple act of annihilation: Murder."" - Narrator, Tenabrae, 4. Phenomena and 5. Four Flies On Grey Velvet. ”The process of writing and directing drives you to such extremes that it's natural to feel an affinity with insanity. I approach that madness as something dangerous, and I'm afraid, but also I want to go to it, to see what's there, to embrace it. I don't know why, but I'm drawn.- [ Dario Argento
Been waiting for this episode great job. My picks
1. Suspiria
2. Inferno
3. Deep Red
4. Tenebrae
5. Opera
Chris Alo is back baby! (Costanza voice)
I remember that commercial,too,and it scared the hell outta me!The trailers for It's Alive and Magic frightened me,too.
Trauma was terrible too. His first stinker.
1- Deep Red
2- Tenebre
3- Inferno
4- Suspiria
5- Opera
FANTASTIC! Thank you lads, I could never miss the Monster's Den.
1. Phenomena
2. Suspiria
3. Deep Red
4. The Bird With The Crystal Plumage
5. Tenebre
6. Opera
7. Four Flies On Grey Velvet
8. Inferno
9. The Cat O Nine Tails
10. The Stendahl Syndrome.
Love the episode!
For me, it's:
5. Deep Red
4. The Bird With The Crystal Plumage.
3. Suspiria
2. Opera
1. Tenebrae
good show guys looking for something to wacth I think a couple of them are on shudder.
Great episode and glad Chris is back :)
I love Argento, including some of the giallos, but of the films I've seen from him, thus far, I prefer the supernaturally-oriented horror films. Sometimes, the lines get blurred, as with "Phenomena," which I *love* so much. These are my top five Argento movies:
1. Suspiria (This is actually in my "top five horror films" of all time, and very close to the top!)
2. Phenomena (I love insect horror, and this has some *incredible* elements of it!)
3. Inferno (One of the creepiest houses/apartment buildings in horror, period!)
4. Tenebrae (My current favorite of his straightforward giallos.)
5. Deep Red (Some great, tense, eerie atmosphere and death scenes, but I agree with Chris Alo's criticisms.)
For Argento fans, Arrow's reissues have been amazing. Not just their big box sets but the UHDs they're doing now.
i have one of their Tenebre Blu-ray releases, the one with the white cover that actually has a brighter picture (more to my liking) than the black cover release which is slightly darker in picture.
Great show, great choices. Need to rewatch my Argento films. Once I've finished Hitchcock, having only just seen the Hitchcock show. The third film is called The Mother of Tears.
Great to have Chris return for episode's and after him talking about Goblin soundtracks in this episode and the recent Hudson Valley Squares episode, now I have to go listen to those. Great discussion and again some films to add to the watch list. Appreciated the discussion not only of your top 5 but also some of the "stinkers". Look forward each week to The Monster's Den. Thanks, Chris and Pete.
And there is always the brilliant Cinematography in his films. As well as the framing and set-up of the scenes unlike any other director.
Hey, Pete here's a future video idea. Ranking The Top 5 Walther Hill films.
I don't know if this has been mentioned on here before but the term Giallo is Italian for yellow. When you're in a bookshop in Italy the spines of their books are often colour coded and yellow is the colour of mystery/thriller/horror hence the name. Also, if anyone plans to go to Rome, be sure to visit Profondo Rosso the store owned by Dario Argento and Luigi Cozzi (also a director and whom manages the place day-to-day). The store is packed with horror dvds, books, props and toys and beneath the store is a museum filled with props and scenes from various giallo films including Demons and The Church.
Mentioning some of Argento's regulars gives me an idea for a future Monster's Den episode - rather than a particular director's work, a list of favourite horror actors and/or best examples of their work, either recurring character actors or the more 'cult' leading players. Ones which always liven up a movie experience, even when the film itself is slightly lacking.
I'm thinking of people like Michael Gough or the brilliantly named Michael Ripper in old British/Hammer films, or Barbara Steele etc.
Could be more famous or just ones where you go "I know the face..."
Yep we already have that on our to-do list!
1. Tenebrae
2. Deep red
3. Susperia
4. Phenomena
5. Opera
Opera is my favourite easily. Or as its known in Australia Terror at the Opera
Cat o' Nine Tails has my favorite soundtrack of all the Argento films (with all due respect to Goblin and Keith Emerson). it's also my favorite soundtrack by Ennio Morricone (with all due respect to his iconic Sergio Leone scores). of course, it's hard for me to qualify the 2nd claim; Morricone composed over 400 soundtracks, and I have not heard them all!
Same here, that soundtrack is wonderful music for sure.
LOVE Argento. Lynch, Carpenter and Argento are my favorite directors
1. Suspiria
2. Tenebrae
3. Deep Red
4. Inferno (the first Argento I saw)
5. either Phenomena or Opera; just can't decide. I also love The Bird With The Crystal Plumage
John Carpenter was so impressed by Inferno he made Prince Of Darkness!
The movie with the “noose-o-matic” (which Tom Savini created) was Trauma, one of his 2 filmed in America movies, the other being Two evil eyes.
I read Argento’s autobiography Fear a few months ago good read.
Not watched your top 5 yet just noticed this week's topic on my phone and I'll watch on t.v later but my top five Argento films
5. Deep Red
4. Tenabrie
3. Cat of Nine Tales
2 Bird Whith Crystal Plumage
1. Suspria
Honrable mention Zombi but that's always been a Romero film in my eyes and because am a Spaghetti western nut the screenplay for Once upon a time in the west ( Just a idea you should do a Spaghetti western show ) .
Thanks for doing this topic my brother who's a Regular watcher of your videos me and a friend have been trying to get him to watch Argento for years hopefully this video will help him come to the Dario side 😄😄
Deep Red
Tenebrae
Suspiria
Bird With The Crystal Plumage
Cat O' Nine Tails
The Maestro! everything he did with Daria Nicolodi co-scripting was Gold. my choice varies from time to time but right now I'd say 1) Opera 2) Deep Red 3) Suspiria 4) Tenebrae 5) Inferno. Very Honorable mentions: 4 Flies on Grey Velvet and Phenomena. Most underrated: The Mother of Tears.
Totally agree about Mother of Tears.
Also agree on Mother of Tears, I don't understand the hate for it either sure it's nowhere near his glory days in the '70s but it's still the closest he's come in style to his old classics, plus it's bloody as all hell and shot in 'Scope which always helps. An aspect ratio I don't understand wasn't used on Inferno and Tenebre, they both look like they'd only benefit from wider cinematography. MoT to me looks and feels like old-school Argento, I appreciate he made it in recognizable fashion right in the middle of a changing movie industry with all these nasty post-production fads everywhere, he refused to and instead stuck to basics of filmmaking visuals and vistas. I totally applaud him for that, sticking to his guns when it's so easy for directors these days to fall into all kinds of trendy traps, although he did slip a little with The Card Player. Granted, the script of MoT is awful beyond words but that's not why we watch them anyway. ;-] He's working on a new film now, his first in a decade.
Inferno used to be one of my favourite Argento movies but I was disappointed after re-watching it. Visually it has some moments but not much else. As for Mother of Tears I hadn't seen it before until a few nights ago. Frankly I thought it was a mess and very low down the list of Argento movies but each to their own. I think Phenomena might be one of his underrated movies.
@@iansharp7422 i like Inferno and Mother of Tears more for their individual nightmare scenes then as complete experiences. i wouldn't rank the latter among his very best, but i was surprised that it was much more worthwhile than its reviews would suggest, and it actually stands out among his later work. agree that Phenomena is underrated. you can show that one to just, y'know, regular people (non horror freaks) and they will have a good time.
@@iansmith8783 I always loved the opening to Inferno and the underwater scene. It was a shame that Argento went off the boil in the 90s but most of his movies had some good moments nonetheless.
The Cat O’Nine Tails
Deep Red
Tenebre
Suspiria
The Stendahl Syndrome
Honorable mentions:
Do You Like Hitchcock
Sleepless
Mother of Tears
My Top 5
1 Tenebrae
2 Deep Red
3 Opera
4 Inferno
5 The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
And yes before anybody asks, yes I’ve seen Suspira. I wasn’t a fan, the movie looked great, but I was bored watching it
4 Flies on Grey Velvet I love, Mimsy Farmer is always charming.
She's so underrated but always a joy to watch in movies like Autopsy (despite a silly wig), The Black Cat, Concorde Affaire '79 (with James Franciscus), The Perfume of the Lady in Black, Two Men in Town (with Alain Delon and Jean Gabin), The Master and Margaret, The Suspects, The Track and of course she was in an episode of The F.B.I. in 1966 with Charles Bronson. Alas, she hasn't acted in 30 years she paints and sculps now.
She's been in a lot of great movies, including More (famous for the Pink Floyd OST)
Four Flies on Grey Velvet is so damn underrated
You all have a great love for European Horror! As an American living in Germany since being 8 years old it's something I can absolutly relate to 😀 How is your love and knowledge for the proto-giallos 😀 Namely the Edgar Wallace movies produced by Horst Wendlandt? 😀 They are absolute masterpieces of cinema!
Tangerine Dream = Near Dark Soundtrack = Cool shirt!
I never watched any of these movies. I did however buy Keith Emerson-Inferno on Italian lp in 1980 though. I think I will watch it finally.
It's funny how Keith said on an interview that he didn't allow his little kids to come into his studio while he was recording the soundtrack, because he thought the music would give them nightmares. He also did the soundtrack for Lucio Fulci's Murder-rock.
@@hellojimmypage I have that as well as Best Revenge.
An an animal lover, I have a hard time watching some of his films in particular Inferno and Bird with the Crystal Plumage.
Demons is directed by Lamberto Bava not Michele Soavi. But Soavi is in the film.
Lamberto is also the son of Mario Bava.
Richard Stanley the director/writer who made Dust Devil, Hardware, and the video movie of Marillion's Brave, supposedly also wrote a third film in the Mothers trilogy that went completely unmade. I'd be willing to bet that would have probably been better than the film that ultimately did get made.
Hi Pete. Have you reviewed Phantom of the Paradise ? Great movie...thanks
Chiller theater, creature feature, the dark side. All great intro's
I saw DEEP RED outdoors in Rome, with Dario present in 2016!
I was getting drunk off of Italian beer and then I got lost in the streets of Rome afterward. A magical experience.
1) Suspiria
2) Deep Red
3) Tenebrae
4) Inferno
5)The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
4. Suspiria.
Beautifully shot. Terrific beginning. The version I saw was poorly dubbed and the colors were dulled so I will revisit. A little slow at times.
3. Deep Red
Best soundtrack. More terrifying moments than in his other films. It drags a little though.
2. Bird
The best storyline, fewest ridiculous moments. One of the coolest named movies.
1. Tenebrae
Not really scary. There is little suspense or terror until the end. But it's the only one I have watched repeatedly. The flashback scenes and how the detective ties it all together at the end is great.
I have also seen Cat, Flies, Inferno, and Phenomena. They were all really good but none deserve to be ranked next to the top 4 which are fantastic. Opera will be my next and perhaps last Argento.
The stendhal syndrome is my favorite movie by him. :)
It's Asia's best work for her father, I think.
@@LarryFleetwood8675 I agree.
Thanks, guys. I had never seen an Argento film previously. I bought and watched all of his directed films but Dracula, Phantom, Giallo, and his early comedy. Since I've only seen these once, it's hard to give a ranking yet. However, I agree with your lists - those are the best ones. Suspiria is absolutely beautifully shot. I also like some of the later films. The Mother of Tears is OK - I don't think it's a shitter. Hopefully, you guys will watch it again. Trauma was the movie with the decapitator device. I like that one, but have a hard time getting over the jailbait aspect of it. The Stendahl Syndrome is also pretty good. I like Asia, his daughter. She's beautiful and a good actress just like her mother, Daria. The Card Player has an interesting plot although there are a couple unbelievable things that happen in it. I think 4 Flies on Grey Velvet is his weakest early movie.
In Deep Red when Marcus & Gianna enter the Leonardo Da Vinci State Middle School, in a quick cut we see "Kill Your Father and Mother" written on a bathroom wall. It was written by the killer, correct? What is the significance of that phrase within the context of the film's story? I wonder if it's maybe just paying homage to the ending of Bava's 1971 film, A Bay of Blood? If it's not a deliberate reference to it, it's still a connection to that film.
I haven't went through all of extras, but I've tried finding info on the net through interviews & reviews but can't find anything about this. I listened to the commentaries too & nobody talks about it either. Any thoughts on this? Chris?
Chris is the best!!
With Chris back you should've had the candle lit...
Disagree on the thoughts of the Suspiria remake (and Pete's not seen it so doesn't really have a valid opinion!) - it's a VASTLY different film from the original. It takes the premise but goes to very, very different places. Almost nothing is the same. It's got the same starting point (and some amazing Argento easter eggs) but that's it. It's a true art-film. You think Tilda Swinton would sign up for some cheapo remake of a horror movie?
My only opinion on it is that I have no desire to see it. Some films need to be left alone and not remade. For me, this is one of them.
@@seaoftranquilityprog I initially thought the same thing too Pete. Not that it’s a sacred cow, but as an enormous fan and scholar of Argento and Suspiria in particular, some things you shouldn’t touch, but upon viewing it I feel like it’s a reimagining rather than a remake. It ticks a lot of boxes of interest for me, Divided Berlin, German New Wave Music, Baader Meinhof, beautiful girls in a ballet school and witchcraft. What’s not to like? 😉
Chris is right, it’s quite slow, but it’s got an atmosphere, just a very different one.
Scooby Doo clues.......classic
Sergio Mortino episode would be Epic also
1 susperia
2 Tenebrae
3 deep red
4 Phenomena
5 opera
all seen in cinema only place to see argentos work
Long time fan of Argento. Suspiria was the gateway. I don’t hate Third Mother/Mother of Tears as much as Phantom Of The Opera which is absolute bottom tier for me. Can’t comment on Dracula 3D as I’ve not been able to see it, but by all accounts it’s worth avoiding. Argento was well past his prime by that stage, but I think Third Mother was a slight step up from a couple of others in the latter era. I think it’s safe to say Opera/Terror At The Opera was his last great film. Everything after that was terrible to fair, with the exception of Sleepless, which is in the ‘good’ territory.
My top 5;
5. Phenomena
4. 4 Flies On Grey Velvet
3. Inferno
2. Suspiria
1. Deep Red
There’s very little between 1 and 2, could easily swap places.
I love Italian horror but never quite understood the praise for Argento. Sure I like his movies but I've heard he claimed to have invented the whole giallo genre while everyone knows it was Mario Bava who already mastered the genre years before Dario's first movie. And Bava also used the colorful lights (mainly red/green) in the early sixties that everyone credits Argento for. But I love The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Tenebre for example. This may be a controversial opinion but I also love Fulci more than Argento.
I wouldn't say that either Bava nor Argento invented the Giallo but rather German Director genius Alfred Vohrer.
@@PWRobinson1976 Never heard of him. What would you say was Fohrer's first movie that fits the giallo style, must definitely check it out? Of course there's never a single person and a single movie that invents a genre; Spiral Staircase had many giallo tropes already in 1946. But Mario Bava's Blood & Black Lace for me was the first one that perfected the genre with the strong colours, beautiful women, brutal murders and black-gloved killer.
@@petrilampela I'll try my best to explain. First of all. You are right. It is very true that certain tropes have been around forever. And yes, Bava did definitely put his mark on the genre in 1963/64. But looking at the developement of the giallos I would say that THAT was just one of two starting points. The other being the german Edgar Wallace adaptations of the 1960s. Those adaptations are widely considered an inspiration for giallos. But I would go further and say that those movies already set the tone and were the starting point, not only because the mere 10 years are far to near to "only" be an inspration but also because the timeline of the Edgar Wallace movies goes right into the italian giallo productions with the first giallos being german-italian co-productions (like Dario Argento's first "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage" and Massimo Dallamano's "What Have You Done to Solange?" both running in Germany under the "Edgar Wallace Label"). I'll leave a link for an englisch Wikipedia page regarding the german Edgar Wallace movies (scroll down to the section "German adaptations; the Krimis"). One fun fact. When Quentin Tarantino came to Germany to promote a movie he yelled "Alfred Vohrer is a genius!" 😉 Would love to talk more about this and other topics. Always fun 😀
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Films_based_on_works_by_Edgar_Wallace
Btw do Mario Bava or Lucio Fulci next.
Maybe continue with some more directors like Joe D Amato, Antonio Margeretti, Sergio Martino, Umberto Lenzi estra.
Seconded Bava and Fulci! or just best of giallo in general.
The woman who gets hung in Suspiria is incredibly beautiful
ALL OF HIS FILMS ARE GREAT!!!!!!
HE AND ROMERO ARE THE ONLY TWO CONSISTENT MASTERS OF HORROR.
Top 5 Mario Bava would be awesome.
No Phenomena?
Great show…..loved it……Hail….💀
1.Deep Red
7:19
Lamberto Bava directed Demons, not Michele Soavi.
26:59
I think the explanation for the chef scene is that the evil is leaking out to the world. I mean, the guy trying to drown the cats is pretty evil. And the chef's actions are pretty evil...
51:10
Chris is not talking about Stendhal Syndrome; that device is in Trauma. Another with Dario's daughter.
53:30
The Suspiria remake is my favorite of 2018 along with Hereditary. I own the original Suspiria on Blu-ray, but I'm not a big fan of it. I think this is why I love the remake. I love the story much more. It actually has a plot, unlike the original.
Suspiria 2018 spoilers...
I understand both of your opinions, but I am not on the band wagon to stop making remakes. I think they should slow down on them and make more original movies, but there are some that I think are better than the original. And Suspiria 2018 makes that leap in that the story is so different, that instead of Suzy being the innocent girl who has to battle the witches, she becomes Mother Suspiriorum; Markos is a fraud. And the side story with the psychiatrist might seem out of place, it has its merits. It's trying to show how real world evil can surround mythological evil. I think. I mean, I might be way off in my estimation of the remake. I didn't talk with the director, so my thoughts are my own. I simply think it's a masterpiece. And that is blasphemous, I know. I am one who finds greatness behind going away from the convention of the past. You might actually say, because I sure do, that Suspiria 2018 is an original movie despite it borrowing from the actual original.
I was one of those who didn't think a remake was needed. But ended up loving it.
Have you talked about any Lucio Fulci films on Monster's Den yet?
Yes, we have!
though we haven't done a proper ranking
@@seaoftranquilityprog Can you do a ranking of Fulci's films?
I would like a ranking of Fulci’s films too.
The episode you guys did on Bava/Argento/and Fulci where you picked one film a piece from each helped me discover Argento and Fulci - I already knew Bava. So thank you for that.
Will get to this Argento episode soon, can’t wait!
The Synapse release of Suspiria is the absolute shit!!!!
Speaking of gore. I thought Ginger from The Wildhearts might have been copying you guys, cuz he did ten videos counting down his goriest movies of all-time. Turns out it was a set-up for the band's new video, "Sleepaway". Holy shit, is that thing gory.
I'd recommend it for The Monster's Den crew. High quality effects. Not to mention that it'd be interesting if you guys knew all of the movies he listed, cuz a lot of them seemed pretty obscure.
Really? Cool, I will have to look into that.
Definitely no animal cruelty groups on his movie sets. Some pretty sketchy stuff going on. Peckinpah was bad about that too.
No Demons "You are wrong Sir" 🙄
Not directed by Argento, so not included here.
@@sotdude7 Pete do some horror films with the best soundtracks. (not sure if you have covered this) 👍
1.Suspiria
2.Tenebrae
3.Bird with crystal plumage
4.Inferno
5.Deep Red
5. Phantom of the Opera
4.Deep Red
3. Phenomena
2. Opera
1.Suspiria
1. Suspiria
2. Deep Red
3. Bird Crystal
4. Inferno
5. Phenomenon
1. Deep Red
2. Tenebre
3. Bird with the Crystal Plumage
4. Phenomena
5. Inferno