I love what Deep Red represents in Argento’s filmography. After shooting three gialli practically back-to-back he tried to branch out into new territory with The Five Days of Milan but a box-office and critical battering sent the filmmaker back with his tail between his legs. Instead of throwing in the towel, however, Argento observed the slew of imitators who had emerged in his absence and decided to show them all how it was done. The result, of-course, is Profondo Rosso (Deep Red benefits from having a great title in both English and Italian) which may just be the quintessential giallo. Argento’s filmmaking is so great here. He owns every set piece and the addition of a Goblin score ensures the film doesn’t sound like anything that came before it. This is when Argento was completely in sync with his material, ambitions and his audience and snugly bridges the gap between his realist thrillers from the early seventies and his nightmare fantasias kicked off by Suspiria. Those two films showcase Argento kicking ass and taking names. I’m now ecstatic to report that Deep Red is every bit as good the second time around.