15. YOU TOO, SHALL PASS: âŠIf the gatekeeper permits.
The Beyond
At the risk of a hot take, here's something I've realized after many Halloweens spent watching giallo films: If you think you want to see an Argento flick, what you're actually looking for is Fulci.
No shade to Argentoâhe's a master of style and atmosphere. (He might've even invented bisexual lighting by accident.) But Lucio Fulci delivered giallo at its best: His films are psychological, stylish, and, most importantly, brutal. Fulci told killer stories that aren't mired in misogyny or aesthetics, and he did it all with a fraction of Argento's budget and audience. Fulci's practical effects were grotesque and imaginative. (If melting faces or eyeball-chewing spiders aren't your thing, steer clear of his 1981 film The Beyond.)
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