Every horror fan knows who Dario Argento is and more than likely has seen what is called his best work Suspiria. I would say probably the other film that so many have seen is Deep Red. This new box set contains neither of those films which in a way is perfect because more than likely you already own those titles if you are just a passing fan of Argento and his work. This set includes some of his less celebrated titles, Do You Like Hitchcock?, Phenomena, Tenebre, The Card Player and Trauma. Rather than spending a whole lot of time on each film I will give you a little taste of each and then some of my thoughts on each DVD.

Do You Like Hitchcock? is the first title in this set and I would say it is one of his under appreciated films as well. It was a TV movie just a couple years ago and was released here in the states on its own not long after and not much was made of it. However I found it to be a rather good film in the vein of Rear Window. Of course the title does give away a little bit of what the film would be like. In the film a young man is obsessed with Hitchcock and begins watching people from his balcony. One day he sees a murder and suspects he knows who committed it based on another film by Hitchcock.

Phenomena comes up next and is one of Argento's better known films. This time though this is a brand new disc and not just a re-release. You can also buy this film on its own if you would rather not invest in this box set. The DVD itself is pretty impressive with an all new retrospective documentary that is well worth the purchase.

It is interesting to see Jennifer Connelly in this film at such a young age. She is of course surrounded by many other talented actors including Donald Pleasence and Daria Nocolodi. The special effects and set pieces are really amazing and I think this is another film that is not mentioned very much when people talk about Argento. Some of the things he is able to do in this film are simply put, amazing. I wasn't sure how much I would really like this film but it really was very entertaining and well worth a blind buy if you must.

For those of you not familiar with the movie Jennifer Connelly stars as a young girl who is going through fits of sleepwalking. This odd occurrence is also something that leads her to learn that she has the ability to control bugs of all kinds. She discovers these while be cooped up in a Swiss boarding school where murders are being reported. With the help of a friend on the outside she tries to figure out who is committing the murders.

Tenebre is the one title in this set that a lot of fans may already have as well. This film can be argued to be Argento's best giallo so it is not surprising if you have already seen it before. This again though is a DVD that has been given a new release separately that contains a new retrospective featurette. Whether or not you want to upgrade on this one or not all depends on how much you appreciate those extra featurettes. Personally I love those things and the presentation of this title is very nice.

The film itself is Argentos return to giallo after he took a break with Suspiria and Inferno. Personally I think the movie is a little over hyped but by the time you get to the end it becomes bloody brilliant. The last set piece will stick with you for some time and it is what I would call a must see for horror fans. Especially for those of you who consider yourself gorehounds. Argento always seems to deliver a scene or two for us gorehounds at heart.

The story takes place in Rome when a novelist is touring with his novel Tenebre. Upon his arrival he learns that someone is killing people and stuffing pages of his novel into their mouths. They also begin sending him messages and phone calls taunting him. The police quickly get involved and from there the story takes some insane twists and turns all the way to the bloody finale.

Now the next film up is The Card Player which is by far what I feel is the worst in the set. If they could have only replaced this film with something else by the man this box set would have been a perfect collection of great Argento films. I think this was that short span in time when Argento was totally off his game. I'm not sure what possessed him to make this film other than the fact that he didn't want to be inactive for too long.

The Card Player plays out like a much worse version of this years Untraceable. A serial killer is playing with the police by making them play a game of poker to save a victims life. Unfortunately for the police they all suck at poker and a couple innocent civilians die before they reach out and get a pro. Can this young gun win a hand at poker before another person dies?

Trauma is next up and in my opinion is another hidden gem by Argento. It is quite often over looked by fans and swept to the side as one of his lesser American made films. This is actually Asia Argento first time in a leading role and does a really good job in playing a suffering anorexic. The logic behind the film is a little flawed and some of the aspects of the story require you to really suspend belief but it is an enjoyable film nonetheless.

In the film a journalist finds Asia's character Aura and decides to help her out with her anorexia. Quickly he learns that the police are looking for her in an attempt to figure out what happened in a murder.  Before she is taken in by the police they must figure out who the real murderer is. The final twist is something you will never see coming. Besides the lovely Asia Argento we also get to see some rather fine performances from Piper Laurie and Brad Dourif.

If you know anything about Dario Argento this review probably isn't necessary for you. The man is simply a maestro and is considered by many to be the Master of Italian horror. I still feel Mario Bava claims that title but Argento is not far behind. If you don't own any of these titles this is really a must buy set. If you already own a couple in here then you also have the option of buying Tenebre or Phenomena separately as part of the Anchor Bay Collection. I should also mention that all 5 discs come in a very nice steelbook. So be on the look out for this set because it is one you are definitely going to want to check out.

- Luke Franklin