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Italy’s horror master, Dario Argento’s cinematic offerings abound in a dark and baroque universe, exaggerated with a ravishing visual vitality that bodes well for the poster images attached to his films. Argento has made a tremendous career following the giallo form, or murder mystery format, beautifully adapting the structure into a universe of phantasmagorical narratives with such extravagant and illogical works of art like Suspiria (1977) Inferno (1980) and Phenomena(1985). For over forty years he has been responsible for creating some of the most important and controversial horror movies in cinema history and his work has influenced a slew of filmmakers. Argento’s loyalty to the giallo form is admirable, and despite his aversion to plot development, causal logic, and continuity, Argento has maintained a notable consistency in the manner in which his stories are told on screen. His films are inimitably stylish, atmospheric and dazzlingly shot, as well as being unbelievably violent and unnerving explorations of the darker side of human nature. Drawing from an encyclopaedic array of influences such as art, philosophy, literature, cinema and cultural roots, Argento continues to experiment and forge ahead in the creation of beguiling and devastatingly violent visions to this day.

Argento’s earlier posters were original works of art, hand painted and brilliant for their use of imagery and typographical layouts. They remain as historic archetypes for the horror film poster genre today. Even though the designs are vintage, they successfully capture the essence of the films, and better yet, the invocation of fear though symbols of death accompanied by bold, large, and at times shrewd typography.

Ravish your eyes on eleven of Argento’s best early giallo features in poster form!
 
 
 
 
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) – Italian poster



Cat O’ Nine Tails (1971) – US poster



Cat O’ Nine Tails (1972) – West German poster



Deep Red (1975) – French poster



Suspiria (1977) – US poster



Inferno (1980) – Italian poster



Tenebre (1982) – Japanese poster



Phenomena (1985) – Italian poster



Two Evil Eyes (1990) – French poster



The Stendhal Syndrome (1995) – US poster


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