Split Picks: Dario Argento Pt. 1: 'The Stendhal Syndrome' (1992)

Following last year's series talking about the American titans of horror — Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and George A. Romero — Split Picks centers in on another country renowned for its horror films: Italy. First up is Dario Argento, a master of giallo, gore, and guts. Argento has directed some of the most iconic films, scenes and shots in all of horror. His most famous works include Suspiria, Deep Red, Inferno, and Tenebre. With Bennett Glace and Steve Collins, Split Picks wrestles with Argento's 1992 film The Stendhal Syndrome, arguably his last great film and one full of controversy. [Editor's note: This episode discusses graphic sexual assault and violence presented in the film.] In the starring role is Dario's daughter Asia Argento, who plays detective Anna Manni in pursuit of a serial rapist and murderer loose in the city. But she begins to experience Stendhal Syndrome as she interacts with artwork in museums, which draws her in to paintings, all while the suspect she is chasing begins to hunt her. This is the first of a two-part episode, with Pt. 2 about Argento's The Phantom Of The Opera arriving tomorrow.