New project: Dario Argento

It's time to start a new project, this time one with a rigorous schedule. I am going to watch and write about every movie directed by Dario Argento, at a rate of one per week, starting tomorrow, and in chronological order. So it's going to be Dario Argento Tuesday.



My first Dario Argento movie was Suspiria, and it changed the way that I look at movies forever. It taught me that a disregard for narrative and character does not need to be a flaw, and that all a movie need to do in order to be compelling is to present visuals and sounds in an intoxicating, thrilling manner. He has written and directed a good number of my absolute favourite movies, though his work in the last twenty years has been depressingly weak. The last few weeks of this project are likely to be quite depressing.

As well as the movies he has directed, I will be examining the movies he co-wrote and produced that were directed by his proteges. I'm also throwing in Dawn of the Dead on the grounds that he completely re-edited the movie for its European release, coming up with a version of the movie very different from the intentions of writer/director George A. Romero (though with Romero's permission and blessings).

Here is my schedule. I'll resist putting dates beside them just yet in case something dreadful happens to delay me, but there should be a new review each Tuesday. I'll put the links in here as the reviews go up.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) - 3 August 2010

The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971) - 10 August 2010

Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971)

Door Into Darkness: The Tram (1973, TV)

Door Into Darkness: Eyewitness (1973, TV)

The Five Days (1973)

Deep Red (1975)

Suspiria (1977)

Inferno (1980)

Tenebre (1982)

Phenomena (1985)

Demons (1985, producer/co-writer only)

Demons 2 (1986, producer/co-writer only)

Opera (1987)

The Church (1989, producer/co-writer only)

Two Evil Eyes: The Black Cat (1990)

The Sect (1991, producer/co-writer only)

Trauma (1993)

The Stendahl Syndrome (1996)

The Wax Mask (1997, producer/co-writer only)

The Phantom of the Opera (1998)

Sleepless (2001)

The Card Player (2004)

Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005)

Masters of Horror: Jenifer (2005, TV)

Masters of Horror: pelts (2006, TV)

The Mother of Tears (2007)

Giallo (2009)