Dario Argento: Master of Horror (1993)

Dario Argento: Master of Horror (1993). 1h

“This is a somewhat half-arsed documentary about the great Italian director. I remember owning this on VHS back in the day and by luck of its release date it is perfectly poised to capture the whole of the directoru0026#39;s golden period before his output started dropping down a level. Unfortunately, there is too much time dedicated to minor interest stuff. Surely it must discuss how Argento codified the giallo genre with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and then perfected it with Deep Red? No but thereu0026#39;s stuff about how they achieved the sound of knife attacks by recording a man stabbing bits of meat. There must, though, be coverage of his most famous film, the assault on the senses that is Suspiria? Actually no, but, then again, they show us that those famous panoramic camera shots were achieved with, like EQUIPMENT! Good lord, I always assumed it was with trained pigeons with attached camera helmets – elaborate equipment you say? Well, that is interesting! In fact, there is no chronology and no discussion on the movies themselves at all, just random chat and film clips. There are some interesting bits and bobs though and it is still good enough for a watch if you are a fan but it feels like a DVD extra as opposed to a properly released film (which it was). Its okay but a missed opportunity for sure.”