I first became aware of Dario when I was at school, which was unfortunately a long, long time ago! Sarah, a girl I was friendly with came into class one morning jibbering away about this horror film she had seen the night before that had scared her so much she had had nightmares. About all she could tell me was that it was very loud, contained a lot of maggots and a room full of barbed wire. But despite all of this, she really loved it (very unusual for a girly!). I became interested because I was sure that no film could be THAT scary. So I vowed that this would be my very first 'X' certificate film. It was, and after watching SUSPIRIA for the first time I could see what Sarah was on about - I was stunned ... and of course hooked for life. So just what is it about Dario's films that gives them their appeal? For me, at least, this is not an easy question to answer. I find it difficult to explain why I love his films, even the lesser ones, but I do. If you start analysing any of the films you will find faults. Story line, dialogue, dubbing - all prime targets for the pedant amongst all of us. The thing is though they have a certain quality that makes these mere 'details' seem inconsequential; the whole is very much more than the sum of it's parts. Dario's films are very much like paintings; the visual composition being the most important element. The lighting, colours, camera angles and movement all combining to tell a story in the way he wants to. It does not matter that certain shots may be deemed superfluous by some; after all, artists are not questioned about their paintings. Film is just a different canvas with the director using the camera as his brush. For someone with the painterly sensibilities of Argento, this means it will be used to its utmost in an attempt at transferring his vision to the screen. The use of red, green, yellow and blue throughout Suspiria and Inferno add greatly to the surreal atmosphere. They are used very much as a painter would use them - to highlight different areas and portray specific moods. If he is dealing with death then he shows it. This is usually carried out with great relish and inventiveness and dealt with realistically, something that gets a lot of criticism from the moral minority. But that is exactly how the characters in his films deal with it so he tries to pass on the feeling. I do not know whether he feels that he achieves his aim each time but he has learnt a lot since his debut, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Masterly even though this film was, he has gradually honed his craft with each subsequent feature until watching one of them becomes very much like watching a series of moving paintings; gloriously framed, richly coloured sequences that take the viewer into the film. Of course, this is almost always accomplished to a wonderful soundtrack provided by Argento stalwarts Ennio Morricone or various incarnations of Italian rock band Goblin. Only on a few occasions have things gone awry with inappropriate Heavy Metal being used in Phenomena and Opera! You can probably tell that I love his films by now and I would just say that if you want to find out more about Argento and his films, just look around my site and if any of my enthusiasm rubs off and I convert just one person I will be happy.

Nick Dawe (Argentophile and proud of it)

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