Hey, I'm Tired...

[Cena's Little Helper]

Someone give me the start of a transition sentence to move into a discussion of the visual tropes/motifs I mention in the last sentence of this:

If you have ever heard the name Dario Argento, then you have undoubtedly also heard of him being referred to by his most popular moniker, “The Italian Hitchcock.” Although Alfred Hitchcock inspired the type of film Argento is most known for (i.e., the giallo), this nickname is nonetheless erroneous (and also quite belittling of Argento’s uniqueness as a director). On the surface of things, both Argento and Hitchcock are similar in that their marquee films are suspenseful murder-mysteries with many twists and turns. But, while Hitchcock’s films are lauded primarily for their substance, Argento’s are lauded mainly for their style. However, before I touch upon Argento’s artistic merits, I would first like to discuss his significance as the preeminent director of the aforementioned giallo, one of three sub-genres that were important in establishing Italy as the premier purveyor of ultra-violent horror in the 1970s and 1980s (the other two being the cannibal and zombie film).

Finishing What Bava Started: Argento As Giallo Master

Opinions on what film marked the beginning of the giallo horror sub-genre differ somewhat. Although some people see Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom (1960) as this sub-genre’s initial entry, a majority see the first giallo as either one of two films directed by Mario Bava: The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) or Blood and Black Lace (1964). While I would argue that the giallo sub-genre did come into existence with the former, the giallo as popularized by Argento came into existence with the latter, as it was from Blood and Black Lace that Argento co-opted many of the visual tropes/motifs that came to be associated with his films, and thus with the giallo sub-genre in general.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Seriously, don't we have a shit load of grammar nazis in the Bar Room now? If I didn't say it before, please and thank you .

 

[FromTheSouth]

Too often we reward substance over style, however Argento's particular style tells much of the story.