Claudio Argento
Production
Biography
Claudio Argento, the second born son of famed Italian producer Salvatore Argento, was born in 1943 and, after finishing grade school and college studies in the late 1960s, started his film career as an employee with a few Italian film distribution companies. Within a short time, he was made chief of the Press and Publicity department of the CIC (Cinema International Corporation), a USA company on whose behalf he organized the release of films such as Love Story (1970) and The Godfather (1972) in Italy. Claudio first worked with his older brother, Dario Argento, and their father, Salvatore Argento, on the film The Five Days (1973) as an executive producer, which turned out to be a box office flop. The next films Deep Red (1975) (aka Deep Red), Suspiria (1977), and Inferno (1980) required a huge effort to achieve their success. Both Claudio and Dario tracked down American director George A. Romero and offered to finance and produce a sequel to the famed Night of the Living Dead (1968) movie as well as working on the screenplay, editing and producing the soundtrack for the film, and financing the bulk of the $2 million budget. The film, Dawn of the Dead (1978), first released in Italy and then in the USA seven months later, was a worldwide success and brought much recognition to both Claudio and Dario. In the 1980s, Claudio continued producing films such as Little Flames (1985) and the low-budget thriller Distant Lights (1987). Claudio's production masterpiece was the crime thriller Santa Sangre (1989), which was shot in Mexico City under troublesome circumstances. He currently produces for mostly television productions as well as occasional cinema movies.
Known For
During an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter, and his television-executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
Dawn of the Dead
An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.
Suspiria
An English pianist living in Rome witnesses the brutal murder of his psychic neighbor. With the help of a tenacious young reporter, he tries to discover the killer using very unconventional methods. The two are soon drawn into a shocking web of dementia and violence.
Deep Red
A former circus artist escapes from a mental hospital to rejoin his armless, cult leader mother, and is forced to enact brutal murders in her name.
Santa Sangre
A young man returns from Rome to his sister's satanic New York apartment house.
Inferno
A young Italian actress embarks on a self-destructive spree of sex, drugs and other excess while doing some soul searching to find the path for redemption.
Scarlet Diva
A razor-wielding serial killer is on the loose, murdering those around Peter Neal, an American mystery author in Italy to promote his newest novel.
Tenebre
A duo of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations about a greedy wife's attempt to embezzle her dying husband's fortune, and a sleazy reporter's adoption of a strange black cat.
Two Evil Eyes
An elderly and retired police detective and a young amateur sleuth team up to find a serial killer whom has resumed a killing spree in Turin, Italy after a 17-year hiatus.
Sleepless
A series of terrifying accidents and brutal murders leave a bloody trail into the subterranean caverns of an Opera house. Below the theatre stalks a man raised by creatures of the underworld.
The Phantom of the Opera
An ancient urn is found in a cemetery outside Rome. Once opened, it triggers a series of violent incidents: robberies, rapes and murders increase dramatically, while several mysterious, evil-looking young women coming from all over the world are gathering in the city. All these events are caused by the return of Mater Lacrimarum, the last of three powerful witches who have been spreading terror and death for centuries. Alone against an army of psychos and demons, Sarah Mandy, an art student who seems to have supernatural abilities of her own, is the only person left to prevent the Mother of Tears from destroying Rome.
The Mother of Tears
In Italy, a woman fears her sister has been kidnapped; Inspector Enzo Avolfi fears it's worse. They team up to rescue her from a sadistic killer known only as Yellow.
Giallo
Policewoman Anna Mari is forced to play a dangerous game with the title serial killer. If she loses, she witnesses the maniac's tortured victims having their throats cut in explicit close-up detail via webcam. She teams up with British cop John Brennan to find out the identity of the murderer.
The Card Player
In 1848 Milan, a thief and a baker witness the chaotic final days of the Italian Revolution.
The Five Days
Alien spirits from outer space land on earth and take over the bodies of the recently deceased--but their purpose isn't what it would appear to be.
Distant Lights
Documentary that explores Argento's film career.
Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror
Tommaso, a quiet, thoughtful child of five, lives in a world of his own, conversing daily with three imaginary friends. Seemingly loved by his parents, Tommaso senses that their affections are superficial and he yearns for something more.
Little Flames
Little Marco suffers from his parents' divorce. He runs away from home and is hit by a car. He drags on but eventually dies under a tree with pink leaves, remembering a story his grandmother told him.
The Tree with Pink Leaves
A nerdy film student and lifelong voyeur begins to believe that two lovely young strangers may have conspired to commit a brutal murder.
Do You Like Hitchcock?
Right after she moves in with him, Frederico's new girlfriend Francesca sends him back to her former boyfriend's apartment to fetch her something she forgot - but he's surprised to find him lying there - dead. Assuming that Francesca killed him and sent him for cleaning up, he cuts him up in pieces, puts him in a suitcase and tries to get rid of it... but he has a hard time finding a suitably quiet place. Unfortunately there's a witness, who comes back on him. One thing leads to another, and the normally shy and overly fearful Frederico has to rid himself of more and more corpses until this black comedy ends.