Dario Argento was born on September 7, 1940, in Rome, Italy, the first-born son of famed Italian producer Salvatore Argento and Brazilian fashion model Elda Luxardo. Argento recalls getting his ideas for filmmaking from his close-knit family from Italian folk tales told by his parents and other family members, including an aunt who told him frighting bedtime stories. Argento based most of his thriller movies on childhood trauma, yet his own--according to him--was a normal one. Along with tales spun by his aunt, Argento was impressed by stories from The Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen and Edgar Allan Poe. Argento started his career writing for various film journal magazines while still in his teens attending a Catholic high school. After graduation, instead of going to college, Argento took a job as a columnist for the Rome daily newspaper "Paese Sera". Inspired by the movies, he later found work as a screenwriter and wrote several screenplays for a number of films, but the most important were his western collaborations, which included Cimitero senza croci (1969) and the Sergio Leone masterpiece C'era una volta il West (1968). He is known in italy as Master of Horror.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 7, 1940 (86)
- Rome, Lazio, Italy
- Writer, director, actor, producer and editor, also composer
- 40 on MovieCove · 82 credits in all
What are Dario Argento's films like?
Across their 41 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 4 · Earnest 35
Light 7 · Serious 7 · Dark 27
A split, not a type: Grounded 10 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 21
Gentle 6 · Charged 2 · Intense 33
Steady 12 · Shifting 23 · Whiplash 6
Straight-faced 32 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 1
Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 24 · Relentless 4
Casual 8 · Engaged 23 · Full focus 10
Easy watch 8 · Affecting 17 · Heavy 16
Resolved 24 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 8
Roles they play
- Shadowas Lui in Vortex (2021)
Moods and endings
- Happy6
- Bittersweet18
- Tragic5
- Ambiguous10
- Cyclical2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Dario Argento's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 31 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (25).
- Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) · writer · free
- Deep Red (1975) · actor, director, writer · free
- Suspiria (1977) · actor, director, writer, composer · free
- The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) · director, writer · free
- Tenebrae (1982) · actor, director, writer · free
- Phenomena (1985) · director, writer, producer · free
- Demons (1985) · writer, producer · free
- The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971) · director, writer · free
- Masters of Horror (2005) · director · free
- Inferno (1980) · actor, director, writer · free
- The Church (1989) · writer, producer · free
- Sleepless (2001) · director, writer, producer · free
- All their movies on Tubi
- Tenebrae (1982) · actor, director, writer
- Suspiria (2018) · writer
- Masters of Horror (2005) · director
- Inferno (1980) · actor, director, writer
- Two Evil Eyes (1990) · director, writer, producer
- The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) · director, writer, producer
- Trauma (1993) · director, writer, producer, editor
- Battle of the Commandos (1969) · writer
- Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) · writer · free
- Phenomena (1985) · director, writer, producer · free
- Masters of Horror (2005) · director · free
- Inferno (1980) · actor, director, writer · free
- The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) · director, writer, producer · free
- Demons 2 (1986) · writer, producer · free
- The Phantom of the Opera (1998) · director, writer · free
- Screambox, show their 10 titles on Screambox
- Midnight Pulp, show their 8 titles on Midnight Pulp
- Cineverse, show their 3 titles on Cineverse
- IndiePix Unlimited, show their 3 titles on IndiePix Unlimited
- Howdy, show their 2 titles on Howdy
- MovieSphere+, show their 2 titles on MovieSphere+
- BFI Player, show their title on BFI Player
- IndieFlix, show their title on IndieFlix
- Shout! TV, show their title on Shout! TV
Subscription and free streaming for Dario Argento's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
82 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 55 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
La nostra magnifica ossessione - Bernardo Bertolucci e la sua generazione (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Deep Argento (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
CVLT (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Dario Argento in conversation at the DFF (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Call My Agent: Italy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
She Will(2021)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Dark Glasses(2022)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Vortex(2021)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all filmsLui è peggio di me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Dario Argento : soupirs dans un corridor lointain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Suspiria(2018)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
BowieNext - Nascita di una galassia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Dogman's Rabies(2018)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Of Flies and Maggots (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Viaggio nel cinema in 3D: Una storia vintage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Macbeth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Dracula 3D(2012)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films
Masks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
The Other Mother: Making 'The Black Cat' (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Giallo(2009)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Fear at 400 Degrees: The Cine-Excess of Suspiria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Mother of Tears(2007)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all filmsDirector: Dario Argento (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Pelts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Tempus fugit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Jenifer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Masters of Horror(2005)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all showsOut of the Shadows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Do You Like Hitchcock? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
When There's no More Room in Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
The Card Player(2003)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all filmsWestern all'italiana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Two Masters' Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Sleepless(2001)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Scarlet Diva(2000)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
The Phantom of the Opera(1998)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
The Wax Mask(1997)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
The Stendhal Syndrome(1996)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
DeGenerazione (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Trauma(1993)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Innocent Blood(1992)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The King of Ads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
The Sect (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Two Evil Eyes(1990)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
The Church(1989)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Opera(1987)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Night Shift (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Dario Argento’s Nightmares (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Demons 2(1986)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Demons(1985)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Phenomena(1985)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Tenebrae(1982)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Inferno(1980)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Dawn of the Dead(1978)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Suspiria(1977)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Deep Red(1975)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Door Into Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
The Five Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Man Called Amen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Cat o' Nine Tails(1971)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Season of the Senses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The 5-Man Army(1969)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Battle of the Commandos(1969)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films
Probabilità zero(1969)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Love Circle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Cemetery Without Crosses(1969)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Sexual Revolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Commandos(1968)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Commandments for a Gangster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Every Man Is My Enemy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all filmsBetween the Living and the Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Carne della mia carne (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Black Velvet Mask (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Girl with Crystal Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Sandman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Untitled Dario Argento / Isabelle Huppert Project (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 82 titles, 76 of them dated from 1966 to 2025.
Biggest box office
Suspiria (2018)
Highest rated
Ennio (2021)
Most popular right now
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Film career
Top draw in 1 MovieCove title.
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Dario Argento's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of all 39; across their 41 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th11
- 25th to 49th11
- Below 25th10
Shape of the crowd
15 of their 40 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved3
- Universally Panned2
- Crowd Pleaser14
- Broadly Agreed6
- Mixed15
Reviewers score the dialogue 37/100 and the plot and story 42/100 in their films, across 38 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Dario Argento's work okay for kids?
Across up to 27 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Dario Argento work with?
People who share at least 2 of Dario Argento's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Franco Ferrini shares the most, 12.
Directors
- Lamberto BavaShared titles: Blood on Méliès' Moon (2016), The Church (1989), Demons 2 (1986), Demons (1985)See all 4 shared titles with Lamberto Bava
- Giuseppe TornatoreShared titles: Ennio (2021), L'ultimo gattopardo: Ritratto di Goffredo Lombardo (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Giuseppe Tornatore
- George A. RomeroShared titles: Two Evil Eyes (1990), Dawn of the Dead (1978)See all 2 shared titles with George A. Romero
Writers
- Franco FerriniShared titles: Dario Argento: Panico (2023), Dark Glasses (2022), The Card Player (2003), Sleepless (2001), The Stendhal Syndrome (1996), Trauma (1993), Two Evil Eyes (1990), The Church (1989), Opera (1987), Demons 2 (1986), Demons (1985), Phenomena (1985)See all 12 shared titles with Franco Ferrini
- Dardano SacchettiShared titles: The Church (1989), Demons 2 (1986), Demons (1985), Inferno (1980), The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)See all 5 shared titles with Dardano Sacchetti
- Daria NicolodiShared titles: Suspiria (2018), Mother of Tears (2007), Scarlet Diva (2000), Opera (1987), Phenomena (1985), Tenebrae (1982), Inferno (1980), Suspiria (1977), Deep Red (1975)See all 9 shared titles with Daria Nicolodi
- Luigi CozziShared titles: Blood on Méliès' Moon (2016), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)See all 3 shared titles with Luigi Cozzi
Actors
- Asia ArgentoShared titles: Dario Argento: Panico (2023), Dark Glasses (2022), Dracula 3D (2012), Mother of Tears (2007), Scarlet Diva (2000), The Phantom of the Opera (1998), The Stendhal Syndrome (1996), Trauma (1993), The Church (1989), Demons 2 (1986)See all 10 shared titles with Asia Argento
- Fiore ArgentoShared titles: Dario Argento: Panico (2023), The Card Player (2003), Demons (1985), Phenomena (1985)See all 4 shared titles with Fiore Argento
- Coralina Cataldi-TassoniShared titles: Mother of Tears (2007), The Phantom of the Opera (1998), Opera (1987), Demons 2 (1986)See all 4 shared titles with Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni
- Gabriele LaviaShared titles: Sleepless (2001), Inferno (1980), Deep Red (1975)See all 3 shared titles with Gabriele Lavia
Composers and editors
- Franco FraticelliShared titles: The Church (1989), Opera (1987), Demons 2 (1986), Demons (1985), Phenomena (1985), Tenebrae (1982), Inferno (1980), Suspiria (1977), Deep Red (1975), The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971), The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)See all 11 shared titles with Franco Fraticelli
- Claudio SimonettiShared titles: Dracula 3D (2012), Mother of Tears (2007), The Card Player (2003), Sleepless (2001), Opera (1987), Demons (1985), Tenebrae (1982), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Suspiria (1977)See all 9 shared titles with Claudio Simonetti
- Ennio MorriconeShared titles: Ennio (2021), The Phantom of the Opera (1998), The Stendhal Syndrome (1996), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971), The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), The 5-Man Army (1969), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)See all 8 shared titles with Ennio Morricone
- Fabio PignatelliShared titles: Sleepless (2001), The Church (1989), Tenebrae (1982), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Suspiria (1977)See all 5 shared titles with Fabio Pignatelli
Producers
- Claudio ArgentoShared titles: Giallo (2009), Mother of Tears (2007), The Card Player (2003), Sleepless (2001), Scarlet Diva (2000), The Phantom of the Opera (1998), Two Evil Eyes (1990), Tenebrae (1982), Inferno (1980), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Suspiria (1977), Deep Red (1975)See all 12 shared titles with Claudio Argento
- Salvatore ArgentoShared titles: Tenebrae (1982), Inferno (1980), Suspiria (1977), Deep Red (1975), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971), The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), Probabilità zero (1969)See all 8 shared titles with Salvatore Argento
- Giuseppe ColomboShared titles: The Phantom of the Opera (1998), The Wax Mask (1997), The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)See all 3 shared titles with Giuseppe Colombo
- Vittorio Cecchi GoriShared titles: Dario Argento: Panico (2023), The Church (1989), Opera (1987)See all 3 shared titles with Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Mixed roles
- Gaspar NoéShared titles: Dario Argento: Panico (2023), Vortex (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Gaspar Noé
- Michele SoaviShared titles: Dario Argento: Panico (2023), The Church (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Michele Soavi
- Bernardo BertolucciShared titles: Ennio (2021), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Bernardo Bertolucci
- Antonio TentoriShared titles: Blood on Méliès' Moon (2016), Dracula 3D (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Antonio Tentori