By Eric Polk-
Welcome to my special presentation for Italian Horror Week where I take a look at the four films directed by what many people consider the Italian Alfred Hitchcock:one Dario Argento who just happens to be my favorite movie director.
Over the next four days, I'll be revisiting two of his classic films(Deep Red, Suspiria) and two movies new to me(The Stendhall Syndrome, Giallo). Today, however, I'd like to kick off this article with what Dario Argento means to me as both a fan of horror and active participant in its art form. Growing up, I was raised on a steady, basic horror diet every horror fans has fed themselves. I went through the Myers, the Jasons, the Freddys, the zombies, the mid-90s horror revival, etc. As I grew, the impact of these movies began to fade. I was starting to lose my appreciation for the art form, just beginning to see horror as only a product. However, a viewing of Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments changed all of that. Lo and behold at #24, I was taking back by something out the Technicolor past. There was a grand room, a woman running for her life inside this beautifully lit atmosphere. It were as though she were being stalked in an elegantly drawn comic book. As I listened to the commentators speak of this film, I wanted to cry out, "Oh hell yeah!" Needless to say, I wanted to see this movie. I wasn't disappointed at all.
That's what Argento means to me. His films changed the way I looked at horror. While there will always be a place for dark grit in horror, Argento gave it an appealing beauty that makes you appreciate the craft of filmmaking. Essentially, he demonstrated that horror, as a visual medium, can be a feast for the eyes, all the while, scare and play with your head. For a jaded fan such as myself, it means alot.
Tomorrow, we'll take a look at a film which blends a rape/revenge style of movie and crime drama with his artistry.
4 comments:
This is a great post. People need to do posts like this more often. Well spoken and from the heart, opinionated, but not egotistical. Good job.
Argento is a legend and his work will echo off of the walls of horror forever.
uuuum how can ya be a jaded horror fan if ya haven't bothered to watch any horror? maybe quit wastin' yer time wit' U!S!A!U!S!A!U!S!A! 'n' check out what th' rest o' th' world has gots to offer! there's 'ORROR all around ya......
Well Anonymous, I really like sticking with great American horror films such as Tombs of the Blind Dead, Demons, Zombi 2, Nightmare City, Ringu, Raw Meat, Re-Cycle, City of the Walking Dead,etc. I mean Dario Argento is the best movie director to come from the state of Michigan. In addition, Lucio Fulci's home state of Idaho has a day named after him. God Bless the U.S.A.!
heeeeeeey waitaminute,,,,are ya tryin' to pull a fast one...?
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