Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Very nice set of less known movies by Dario Argento - a real deal for the director's fans and new joiners to the clan. Pity, that the box is not more soectacular (no inside materials), but the nice steel box compensate it a bit. Good stuff!

These are not, by any means, the five essential Argento films; of them, the only ones that may make a top five list are Tenebre and Phenomena. However, all five are given first class treatment in terms of presentation, and Tenebre and Phenomena are both the special edition discs released individually at the same time as this collection. The features are acceptable, but the films speak for themselves: Argento is one of the essential progenitors of modern horror, speaking with a unique style and voice. His work is pulp, yes, but it's elegant pulp, placing him in league with Carpenter, Romero, and Craven. They're genre films, but they're good ones.

Special note: Phenomena is far and away the best of these five. It is notable as an Argento classic, as an early Jennifer Connelly film, as a non-Halloween Donald Pleasence picture, and as one of the most delightfully (and most twisted) unpredictable thrillers I've ever seen. It's a slasher flick, a supernatural fantasy, and the ending hangs it squarely in a third horror sub-genre that I wouldn't dare reveal here. If you don't buy the set, buy the Phenomena special editon. If you're interested enough to read this far, trust me: it's worth it.