The Argento Syndrome
By Derek Botelho
Published by BearManor Media, 2014. 261 pages.

Do we really need another book on Dario Argento? I mean, after the great tome from Alan Jones, what more could be said? The answers to those two questions is Yes and a LOT! There are some books that are just fact based, like reading something from IMDB. Or others are just loaded with stories from the authors point of view. But the real beauty of Botelho’s book is that it is a combination of those two types, making it not only a great read, but very informative.

He covers all of Argento’s movies, but also gives us a little story behind it of how he first saw it, which gives the reader an insight to the author, but it also shows that he is a fan, just like most of us. Reading a book on a filmmaker that is basically someone’s college thesis can sometimes be a bit dry, but Botehlo gives us some great stories about the man, the movies, and the different people that worked on them.

Throughout the book, there are also interviews with people directly related to Argento and his works, like actors (Tony Musante & Leigh McCloskey), fellow directors (Stuart Gordon and John Carpenter), as well as crew that has worked with Argento (Luciano Tovoli). These interviews not only give the reader a different look inside these movies but also a different perspective to go along with what Botehlo is writing about.

While there are black and white photos of the movies throughout the book, I actually really enjoyed the illustrations created for this book by Micah Mate. They are a nice change of pace then the still shots that we see. Very cool.

If you are an Argento fan, then yes you do need to add this to your collection.  I don’t think it matters how big of an Argento fan you are or how much you know, you will still enjoy reading this book. The passion that Botehlo has for these films comes through on every page, but still gives the reader some great information about the movies and the man responsible.

It comes in both a softcover edition (pictured here) or a hardcover edition. I picked up the hardcover edition, while it is a bit more expensive, but only because I’m a sucker for them. And while I still think its a great edition, the black cover really picks up finger prints and oil from your skin. So…might want to save some cash and go with the softcover version. Either way….just buy it.