1. Profondo Rosso
Music teacher Marcus Daly witnesses the murder of a psychic medium called Helga. He decides to investigate the killing. Helga's killing was proceeded by children's music which Marcus recognises when the killer has a go at him. He is able to foil the attack and later plays the music to a psychiatrist who says whoever is playing the music suffered significant childhood trauma. Marcus' investigations lead him onto a book that may be relevant. He goes to talk to the author but finds out she has been killed. Scared that the police will collar him for the murder, Marcus goes to a house which again might fit a piece of the puzzle. He takes a pick axe to the wall of the house and finds a corpse beside a Christmas tree. The killer knocks him out but he escapes while the house goes up in flames. There is drama involving a child's picture - which is the same as a picture in the burned down house. Marcus manages to get a copy from the school archives and he finds out it was drawn by his friend Carlo. Carlo is now number one suspect in the murders but he gets knocked down and killed by a truck. Plus Marcus remembers that Carlo was in the street with him when one of the murders occurred. Further investigation leads Marcus to Carlo's insane mother Martha who killed her husband when he threatened to put her in a mental hospital. Carlo witnessed this as a child and helped his mother conceal the body. Martha chases after Marcus with a bloody great meat cleaver but fortunately she is decapitated in an accident involving the lift. With Profondo Rosso, Argento not only provides us with amazing kill scenes but also a pretty decent and compelling story line. This is a director operating at the peak of his powers. The acting is solid and the twist in the plot is all too believable and not at all contrived (unlike the plot twist in Tenebrae which I found hard to swallow). Profondo Rosso is another amazing Giallo that those who make the genre films would bend over backwards to emulate. It is rightly regularly cited as Argento's best film. I think it is his most complete film where just everything he does makes for a fantastic movie. I would be eager to hear arguments from readers that Profondo Rosso is usurped by Suspiria in the Best Dario Argento movie stakes!