Dario Argento: Panico review.
Italian horror maestro Dario Argento looks back at his extensive career with help from friends, family and people influenced by his work.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Dario Argento: Panico
Directed by Simone Scafidi
Screenplay by Manilo Gomarasca, Davide Pulici and Simone Scafidi
Starring Dario Argento, Asia Argento, Fiore Argento, Floriana Argento, Guillermo del Toro, Lamberto Bava and Michele Soavi
Dario Argento: Panico Review
Profile documentaries are always a bit tricky. If you’re going to sit down and watch a documentary on a subject…it stands to reason that you already have an interest in said subject. Which in turn means you probably already have some knowledge about the life of the person you are going to see documented. It’s on the filmmaker (and the people interviewed) to off up new information…or, at least, deliver information in an engaging way. That is the greatest success of Dario Argento: Panico. If you are a fan of Argento’s work…you’re going to get a lot out of his documentary.
The documentary is broken into different sections. Only the first and last really do anything to differentiate themselves. The framing device of the piece involves following Argento to a hotel where he plans to write his next feature film. Argento is fairly open on every topic that he speaks about. There are, however, a couple of topics that the movie noticeably doesn’t press him on where it should. Most notably, his daughter Asia talks about the creation of Suspiria…a movie written by both her father and mother. She tells the story from her late mother’s perspective…telling us that her father tells it differently. Panico really doesn’t.
The first “act” of Dario Argento: Panico covers a pre-fame Argento. We learn about his parents, his upbringing, his first work in the entertainment industry. It delves into why women are such an important part of his work…tying into his mother’s work as a photographer. Panico briefly touches on some of the directors who influenced Argento. It works as a bridge to discussing his work with Sergio Leone…co-writing the classic Once Upon a Time in the West. The chapter finishes off with a discussion of his directorial debut. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage becomes an unexpected hit and opens doors for him quickly.
Those doors close almost as quickly when Argento’s attempt at comedy, The Five Days, bombs. That failure leads him to the genre he would master…if not outright invent. The next two “acts” of Dario Argento: Panico will likely be of the most interest to people. It’s here that the movie covers his greatest works. Deep Red, Suspiria, Inferno, Tenebrae, Phenomena (Creepers) and Opera each get their time to shine.
In addition to daughter and frequent collaborator Asia (and Dario himself) Panico lines up some great talking heads. Guillermo del Toro and Gaspar Noé are on hand to discuss the meaning and influence of his work. Dario’s sister Floriana, ex-wife Marisa Casale and daughter Fiore talk about his life outside of film…and how it factored into his work. Collaborators Luigi Cozzi and Lamberto Bava provide an inside look at Argento’s process. Even Claudio Simonetti from the band Goblin chimes in. You feel like you’re getting enough angles to form a full picture…even if the picture doesn’t always come fully into view.
Panico is at its very best when it can tie aspects of Argento’s work to his real life. It pulls this off multiple times. For his part, Argento provides as much detail as he’s going to about the why of his work. It’s always interesting to hear an artist discuss their great works. You’ll get plenty of that here. Argento is a straight-forward talker who clearly loves the work…but doesn’t seem to have much of an ego about it. Still…it’s the moments where loved ones discuss the origins of some of his stories that will stick with you the most. They help paint a picture of a passionate artist who wants to put it all on the screen.
The final “act” of Dario Argento: Panico is a bit of a strange affair. There are strong moments when discussing his relationship with daughter Asia…breaking it down both professionally and personally. She became a staple of his later works. When the movie turns to talk of Argento’s legacy it gets a bit more complicated. No one can deny the genius and influence of Argento at his peak. But they talk around a lot of time past that peak. You can almost hear the words “when he was on top” hanging at the end of people’s praise. Cinema had changed by the 90s…one person muses. The closest Panico gets to providing an answer for the sharp decline in how Argento’s work is perceived post-Opera. Post-Opera comprises almost two-thirds of his career.
Dario Argento: Panico gives us a solid look into the life and work of one of the great horror cinema directors. You can’t help but feel like it’s coming thirty years later than they’d have felt comfortable talking about it. It speeds through decades of lesser work when it can…choosing to focus on a unique relationship dynamic instead. Panico doesn’t want to dilute the genius of Argento at his best. Even if that story would make for an interesting document on its own.
Dario Argento: Panico is streaming now on Shudder. While you’re there check out a great collection of his work. Deep Red, Opera, Tenebrae, Phenomena, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Inferno, The Stendhal Syndrome, Trauma, Dracula and his latest film Dark Glasses are all streaming on the service at the time of this article. That’s a lot of Argento to dive into. With, fittingly, a heavy focus on his best.
Scare Value
If you have a deep interest in Argento’s career, you’ll find plenty to like about Panico. The final act is the most interesting…but not in a good way. It touches on the decline of quality Argento’s films suffered from following his peak…but isn’t interested in delving too far into that territory. The best stories here involve stories of how often his works connect to his real life. Thankfully, there is enough of that to make Dario Argento: Panico worth watching.
3/5
Dario Argento: Panico Link
Streaming on Shudder
