The Dario Argento Collection (Box Set) (DVD)

...of his movies, contributes to the musical styling, and often acts as a stuntman for more challenging stunts. To celebrate his five decades as a horror movie legend this 5 movie box set celebrates some of Argento's greatest movies.

Suspiria

Susy Banyon travels from America to the Black Forest to become a professional ballet dancer; upon arrival she witnesses a woman acting erratically outside the dance academy, this same ...
...a nearby town; the owner of the apartment has met with a similar fate. Susy finds herself the key witness in the death of her woman who would have been a fellow student. As Susy's interest is aroused by the murder she finds herself the target of an unrelenting evil.

Special Features:

'Dario Argento's World of Horror' documentary by Michele Soavi: features an in-depth interview with director Dario Argento and comments ... more

When it comes to horror one name stands tall as a horror director above all others, Dario Argento is about to enter his fifth decade as a Horror movie maker, on top of being a fantastic director he also writes many of his movies, contributes to the musical styling, and often acts as a stuntman for more challenging stunts. To celebrate his five decades as a horror movie legend this 5 movie box set celebrates some of Argento's greatest movies.

Suspiria

Susy Banyon travels from America to the Black Forest to become a professional ballet dancer; upon arrival she witnesses a woman acting erratically outside the dance academy, this same woman is later found brutally murdered in an apartment in a nearby town; the owner of the apartment has met with a similar fate. Susy finds herself the key witness in the death of her woman who would have been a fellow student. As Susy's interest is aroused by the murder she finds herself the target of an unrelenting evil.

Special Features:

'Dario Argento's World of Horror' documentary by Michele Soavi: features an in-depth interview with director Dario Argento and comments from the likes of Jessica Harper, Jennifer Connelly, Tom Savini, Donald Pleasence and Daria Nicolodi (71 mins)
Theatrical trailers
TV spots
Radio spots
Talent biographies

Suspiria is a legendary movie that's greatest horror lies within the musical score that accompanies the movie, while I wont deny the movie has other chilling aspects anyone who has seen the movie will agree that the score is by far the most memorable part of the movie. It's difficult to describe the music, but to put it in layman's terms its as if Hell has unleashed; the score is loud and thumping and the accompanying chants of "WITCH" will put a shiver up the strongest horror fans spine. Moving beyond the music at the time nobody had ever seen anything like Suspiria, the tension was stronger than any other movie. The gore was pushed to its most extreme, throats are ripped out, people are decapitated, and impaled on large metal structures all in the bloodiest and most extreme ways you can imagine.
Now nearly 30 years old I'm the first to confess the movie is a little dated, however I assure you that Suspiria is a movie like no other, and a movie you'll find incredibly difficult to forget.


Tenebrae

An American novelist travels to Rome to promote his latest novel, but upon arrival discovers that he has become the star suspect in a murder enquiry. Peter Neal writes about bloody and vicious murders and no sooner has he arrived in Rome than people are turning up dead all over Rome killed in the same way that victims are killed in Peter Neal's books. It's not long before Peter Neal is put in the clear, and another prime suspect is put in the frame. Once the evidence is secured on the new suspect he too turns up dead, with no clues and nowhere to turn the police must join forces with Peter the only person who can help them.

Special Features

Audio commentary from director Dario Argento with music composer Claudio Simonetti and journalist Loris Curci
Dario Argento film analysis from lecturer Xavier Mendik
Special camera effects featurette
Sound effects featurette
Biographies
Alternative end credits
Theatrical trailer

Tenebrae does not have the impact that Suspiria has in respect of staying with you, however it's a substantially better movie; and furthermore it's a movie that gets better with repeat viewing. Tenebrae has much more structure its kind of like an Agatha Christie story with blood and gore. When you reach the end of the movie the killers identity is quite a big surprise. The movie has a real three dimensional feel to it, giving focus to all the major characters and the lives they lead. This factor helps you to make a bond with the characters as the danger gets closer and closer to home.

Again the musical score is important as it was with Suspiria, but the most impressive part of this movie lies in the camerawork. Argento utilised a revolutionary crane arrangement that takes the camera a full 360 degrees around a building in one single seamless take. Rather annoyingly for Argento he never patented the design and it was stolen from him, make the thief a small fortune. Argento was also denied a place in the Guinness book of records due to events surrounding the same theft. One thing is for sure it's the earliest movie to feature such camerawork.

Other issues worth a mention are the astoundingly violent deaths, a bit of kinky Sado Masochism, and a script that's so shocking it will have you in both awe and in stitches. Tenebrae is despite how it sounds an excellent horror movie, with a few erratic twists and turns.


Terror At The Opera

When a legendary opera star has an unpleasant accident her understudy gets the opportunity to be star of a lavish presentation of Macbeth. But this reward comes at a price as it transpires that the accident might not have been as it seems. Now this young starlet is being visited by an admirer who visits at the most unexpected times, the admirer leaves a wake of dead bodies in their path and his visits become more and more menacing for the object of his desires.

Special Features

Dario Argento biography
Dario Argento filmography
Photo gallery

Every box set has one week link, and Terror At The Opera is the weak link in this set. The movie is hollow after a very promising start. The end of the movie is too filled with action and horror, however the centre part of the movie is a real turn off. In fact I struggle to stay awake during the middle part of the movie, which is robbed of both storyline and horror. Around the time the movie was made Argento was separating from his long time partner; this trauma is blatantly visible in the movie. The only plus side of the movie is the soundtrack, which is a heady mix of Black Sabbath meets Songs Of Praise.

The Stendhal Syndrome

A detective called Anna suffers from a series of bizarre blackouts; each time she awakes she has been submitted to a horrific sexual assault, each assault grows in intensity. Each time the assault is carried out by the same man, who unleashes his built up sexual tension in killing anyone close to Anna. In order to overcome this terrible series of attacks Anna must get to grips with this syndrome that dominates her life.

Argento cast his own daughter Asia in the lead role as Anna, the movie far improved from Terror At The Opera, but still not up to Argento's usual standard. This time Argento experiments more in the psychological that the physical aspects of horror. And as a psychological thriller it has a standard to equal if not excel most Hollywood offerings. Being an Italian movie its seldom seen and not given such a high profile as many other similar movies.

The only real downer for this movie is that the musical score is more subdued than other Argento pictures and seems off balance from the normal.


The Card Player

Argento delves deep into a modern horror, this time the killer uses the internet to exact a rather bloody revenge. Our killer a keen poker player contacts the police through the internet for a game of poker. The twist being rather than playing with money the card shark has kidnapped people from the street, for each hand the police lose the kidnapped person loses a limb; three loses however and the victim loses their life. Into the frey comes a British police officer (played by Prime Suspect's Liam Cunningham) who has faced a similar style of killer in the past.

Argento was firmly back on track with The Card Player, a new millennium bought about the return of the highly successful Argento trademark horror; or Giallo as its referred to in Italy. The storyline is very strong, the musical score is stunning and the gore is the most grotesque from Argento in over 10 years. The Card Player is an addictive movie that has you glued to the movie from the first to the last minute. Fully aware that he is well received overseas Argento focuses on the Italian lifestyle showing those unfamiliar with Italian life what the real Italy (in particular Rome) is all about, from museums, to bars, to incredibly busy nightclubs Argento invites us to 'embrace the glories of Italy. The Card Player is not just a movie, it's a motion travel brochure that will have you tearing off to the travel agent in a heartbeat.



The Dario Argento boxset is a value purchase, although I would have replaced Terror At The Opera for either Deep Red, or Bird With A Crystal Plumage both of which I consider to be some of Argento's best works. But this weakness is rewarded by the inclusion of Suspiria, Tenebrae and The Card Player all of which make this box set a must have purchase for any true horror movie fan. The presentation of this box set is just great, it literally makes you want to touch it. You can purchase the box set from Play.com for just £23.99.
 

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