Cine 2000 (Italy): 2

The Italian romantic-horror film, The Phantom of the Opera (1998), directed by Dario Argento, is an adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Le Fantôme de l’Opéra. In 1877 Paris, a group of rats rescues a baby from a river and raises him in the underground of the Opéra de Paris. This child grows up to become the Phantom of the Opera, known for his misanthropy and tendency to kill anyone who enters his underground chambers, mirroring how rats are killed when they emerge above ground. One night, while singing alone on stage, Christine Daaé captures the ...

The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) is an Italian giallo film written and directed by Dario Argento, starring his daughter Asia Argento. Detective Anna Manni travels to Florence in pursuit of Alfredo Grossi, a serial rapist and murderer. During a museum visit, Anna experiences Stendhal syndrome – a condition that causes overwhelming emotions when viewing art. Taking advantage of her vulnerability, Alfredo kidnaps and brutalizes her, leaving her deeply traumatized. Despite escaping, Anna is relentlessly pursued by Alfredo until she finally turns the tables on him. In a ...