Dario Argento’s 2021 film, Dracula 3D, doesn’t get the respect that it deserves. I guess that’s to be expected, as people are pretty much obsessed with criticizing Dario and his later films. Personally, I think it’s an enjoyable and unique version of the legend. Thomas Kretschmann is a credible Dracula. Rutger Hauer was a great Van Helsing. The whole thing is wonderfully over-the-top and stylish.
Plus, to my knowledge, this is the only Dracula film in which the Count turns into a preying mantis and beheads someone. Don’t believe me? Here is today’s horror scene that I love:
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, let us take just a few moments to pay tribute to one of the icons of Halloween. He was born into nobility but he never let that stop him from visiting the village at night and getting a taste of the common life. I’m talking, of course, about the original royal influencer, Count Dracula! Everyone knows Dracula. Everyone wants to either be with or even be Dracula. It’s no wonder that he’s been the subject of so many biopics.
In honor of the Count’s legacy, here are….
4 Shots From 4 Dracula Films
Dracula (1931, starring Bela Lugosi as the Count, Dir by Tod Browning, DP: Karl Freund)
Horror of Dracula (1958, starring Christopher Lee as the Count, Dir by Terence Fisher, DP: Jack Asher)
Dracula (1979, starring Frank Langella as the Count, Dir by John Badham, DP: Gilbert Taylor)
Dracula 3D (2012, starring Thomas Kretschman at the Count, dir by Dario Argento, DP: Luciano Tovoli)
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.
I’ve always liked the trailer for Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond. It does a good job of capturing the dream-like amtosphere of Fulci’s classic film.
2. Raiders of Atlantis (1983)
Raiders of Atlantis is hardly my favorite Ruggero Deodato film but I do really like the trailer. Add to that, I think this might be the only Deodato trailer that’s actually safe for work. The trailer for Cannibal Holocaust features that body being found with the stake driven through it. The House on the Edge of the Park trailer features the scene with straight razor. Meanwhile, the trailer for Raiders of Atlantis has fun music and a laser-shooting statue! It also has Tony King shouting, “Come on, come on, come on!”
3. Zombie 5: Killing Birds (1987)
This movie sucks but, for some reason, I’ve always found the trailer to be very effective. I think it’s the scene with the woman smiling despite being pinned to the wall and apparently dead. That’s pure nightmare fuel.
4. Spasmo (1974)
This is from director Umberto Lenzi. I sometimes feel as if I’m the only person in the world who likes this film. As for the trailer, I just enjoy the anguished cries of “Spasmo! Spasmo!”
5. Lisa and the Devil (1973)
This is one of my favorite Mario Bava films. Yes, some of it is because the lead character is named Lisa. I’ll admit it, I like my name. However, it’s a really good film as well!
6. Tenebrae (1982)
And finally, here is the trailer for Dario Argento’s brilliant, Tenebrae!
Seriously, if you want to have a truly wonderful Halloween, watch some Italian horror! If you haven’t already discovered Bava, Fulci, Argento, Lenzi, Soavi, D’Amato, and all the rest, now is the perfect time to do so! Do it now before their work gets canceled by the online puritan mob.
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.
This October, we’ve been using 4 Shots from 4 Films to pay tribute to some of our favorite horror filmmakers! Today, we honor the one and only Dario Argento!
4 Shots From 4 Dario Argento Films
Deep Red (1975, dir by Dario Argento)
Suspiria (1977, dir by Dario Argento)
Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)
The Phantom of the Opera (1998, dir by Dario Argento)
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today, we celebrate the life and career Donald Pleasence! One of the greatest of all the horror icons, Pleasence was born 101 years ago today and that means that it’s time for….
Since today is Dario Argento’s 80th birthday, I’m going to share a scene that I love that he directed.
I love the opening of Argento’s 1971 giallo, Four Flies On Grey Velvet. This was Argento’s third film as a director and it tells the story of an American drummer who gets caught up in a gruesome murder. In the opening credits, we watch as Michael Brandon drums away and finds time to take care of a distracting fly. In just a matter of minutes, Argento tells us everything we need to know about our hero and the role that he’ll be playing in this film. Like the best drummers, he holds everything together and that’s a good skill to have because, in typical Argento fashion, his entire life is about to fall apart.
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today is not just Labor Day! Today is also Dario Argento’s birthday!
The maestro of Italian horror is 80 years old today! Needless to say, we’re going to celebrate with 4 Shots From 4 Films. It was a real struggle narrowing it down to only 4 shots. Argento is one of the most visually impressive directors of all time.
You’ll notice that, with one exception, the four shots below are from the first half of Argento’s career. Don’t read anything into that. I’m a fan of Argento’s work, period. There’s a tendency among some cultural critics to be dismissive of Argento’s post-Tenebrae films and I think that’s a bit unfair. In fact, it’s so unfair that I think I’ll devote at least a bit of our upcoming October horrorthon to defending the later works of Dario Argento.
Finally, do you remember that movie Juno? Most people were shocked when Jason Bateman’s character turned out to be a sleaze but I knew it was going to happen as soon as he said that he thought Herschell Gordon Lewis was a better director than Dario Argento. I mean, Herschell Gordon Lewis was great but c’mon …. ARGENTO!
For now, here are….
4 Shots From 4 Dario Argento Films
Suspiria (1977, dir by Dario Argento)
Inferno (1980, dir by Dario Argento)
Tenebrae (1982, dir by Dario Argento)
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996, dir by Dario Argento)
