In the world of Horror cinema, the name Dario Argento is one that immediately raises the hair on the necks of fans. One of Italy’s most famous filmmakers, Argento filmography reaches far and wide with titles such as 1975’s Deep Red (Italian: Profondo Rosso), 1977’s Suspiria, and 1980’s Inferno. Known for his highly artistic style utilizing light, color, and less than conventional camera angles, Argento truly is a legend. A legacy which should be more widely celebrated than it really is, thankfully after all these years there is a niche audience who understand his brilliance. And that is why it is exciting for these select individuals that everything is brought to the forefront in the new documentary film Dario Argento Panico set to premiere on Shudder Friday, February 2, 2024.
A film by Italian’s Simone Scafidi, some will recognize his name from the 2019 Lucio Fulci documentary Fulci for fake. Clearly influenced by some of his home country’s biggest Horror film directors, for Dario Argento Panico, Scafidi utilizes various video recorded interviewees; including Argento’s daughters (Asia and Fiore), Michele Soavi (famed for working with Argento, but also his own such as 87’s Stage Fright), Lamberto Bava (collaborator with Argento on such films as 85’s Demons) Claudio Simonetti (consistent Argento soundtrack composer from the band Goblin). Beyond this, there are also engaging interview clips from others that include Guillermo del Toro, but also Nicolas Winding Refn (who is important to mention because it is obvious his 2016 film The Neon Demon was heavily influenced by Argento). With more interviews in-between it all, the biggest of all has to be with Dario Argento himself.
Rare to see the subject of a documentary film actually involved in it during their living years, Dario Argento comes across as a reserved man who keeps his emotions close to his chest. With that, the film follows Argento to a secluded hotel in the countryside where he is boarded to pen his latest script. An interesting wrinkle to everything, it should be noted that many of Argento’s film ideas were in fact conceived within the solitude of a hotel room. Knowing this, you are taken into this private sector of Argento’s world. Quite interesting, honestly, in dialogue he comes across as a very quiet man and skeptical about everything going on around him. This is not to say he is insincere in his interviews, but you can feel his apprehension, and honestly, this makes him even more endearing to fans.
In all, Dario Argento Panico offers you thoughtful insight into the filmmaker; and this is accomplished through accounts from those who know him the most intimately. That said, the interviews that strike the hardest are those with Asia Argento. Working closely with her dad for many of her younger years, another bold takeaway from this documentary is Asia’s conveyed love for her late mother Daria Nicolodi. Which leads us to something really lovely about his film, and this is the fact that it does not overlook Nicolodi’s importance. A large part of Dario’s life during their period married and working together, Nicolodi sadly passed away in 2020 at 70 years of age, but was an intricate part of it all. To pique your interest, she not only acted in a list of his films, but also co-writer on for scripts such as Suspiria and Inferno.
Overall, Scafidi’s Dario Argento Panico is a personal film that may not attract outsiders’ interest in Dario Argento, but will certainly appeal to those who know and appreciate his films. Furthermore, Scafidi does a fine job of covering a lot of corners, but leaves you wondering why certain aspects were overlooked. For instance, there is no mention of Argento’s collaboration with the late great George Romero. It should be known that Argento was actually responsible for the European cut of 1978’s Dawn of the Dead, and Romero actually went to Italy to write the script after accepting an invitation from Argento to do so. Compelling, right?
Not the first documentary ever made about Dario Argento, for those interested, there is also 1985’s Dario Argento’s World of Horror (directed by Michael Soavi) and 2000’s Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror. Both unique to Scafidi’s film, if anything is learned from Dario Argento Panico it is that Dario Argento is an enigmatic man who leaves you wandering in curiosity. Whatever or wherever his artistic inclinations come from, there will always and forever be only one Dario Argento. That is why Dario Argento Panico is a must watch for fans, because Cryptic Rock gives it 4 out of 5 stars.
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