I like to scare others, but I also love being scared.” With this sentence, spoken before the audience at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, Dario Argento summed up his philosophy as both a filmmaker and a viewer. The master of Italian horror was the guest of honor for the 4K restored screening of Deep Red, his 1975 film that continues to attract audiences around the world.
Seated on stage alongside Howard Berger, Oscar-winning makeup artist for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2006 and Argento’s collaborator on the Masters of Horror series, the Italian director discussed his long career through anecdotes and curiosities. “I love being in the dark theater when my film is projected. I sit in the back and watch the audience. I see every reaction, every startle. It’s an emotion unlike any other.”
