Dario Argento

Film director Dario Argento has often been called "the Italian Hitchcock." Having started his career in the 60's, co-authoring (with Bernardo Bertolucci) the story for Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West (1968), Argento directed several features for Italian TV before turning to film with his Hitchcock-inspired suspense features Bird With The Crystal Plumage, Cat O' Nine Tails, and Four Flies on Gray Velvet.
As successful as these were, it was the stunning Deep Red, released in 1975, that established Argento as one of the screen's premier masters of the horror/suspense genres. Deep Red‰s eye-bursting cinematography (colors appear to literally bleed off the screen), swooping camera work, and loud music played by Argento's own rock band, Goblin, set the standard for all of Argento's subsequent efforts.
Susperia (1978) and Inferno (1980) followed, both introducing supernatural elements not previously seen in Argento's work, along with Tenebre (1984), Phenomena (1985), Opera (1987), and Trauma (1992). Argento‰s output in recent years has not been prolific, perhaps because of work as producer. In addition to directing Saovi's early features, he also worked with Lamberto Bava (Demons, released in 1986, and its sequel).