Small Screen Screams! – DOOR INTO DARKNESS: “The Neighbor” (1973)

Yes, Dario Argento had a TV show! 

Somehow, the news of Dario Argento having a television show in the early 1970s fell outside the range of my horror radar. I may have heard about it many years ago in passing, but availability for the series here in the US was scant at best until after the turn of the 21st century. 

DOOR INTO DARKNESS (or “La Porta sul Buio” for you purists) was a four-episode lark produced by Argetno for RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana back in September 1973. Chronologically, it filled the horror maestro’s genre sabbatical that fell between FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET (1971) and his magnum opus, DEEP RED (1975). 

The show aligned perfectly with Argento’s giallo sensibilities but, because of the limitations put on small-screen violence, the show leaned heavier on crime drama aspects. That’s not to say the show wasn’t suspenseful, as evidenced by “The Tram”, the first episode filmed (and second broadcast), which sports an efficient, nail-biting conclusion to a murder mystery set on the titular form of public transport. 

However, the series’ premier offering, “The Neighbor”, injects an even higher dose of terror. The audience willingly tags along as we watch a young couple slowly realize their new neighbor is a murderer. Sure, there are egregious mistakes made by stalker and victims alike–we gotta wrap this up in under an hour, folks!–but it all leads to a nicely understated ending that seemed perfect for a bite-sized, prime-time giallo. Naturally, Argento’s fingerprints are all over the production, but this episode was actually helmed by Luigi Cozzi, fellow countryman responsible for the noted ALIEN rip CONTAMINATION (1980), and who also worked on later Argento flicks such as PHENOMENA, TWO EVIL EYES, and THE STENDHAL SYNDROME. Cozzi turns in some of his most disciplined writing and directorial work here, anchored by a windy seaside setting and serviceable performances all around. 

After languishing in the grey-market shadows for years, MYA Communications issued a DVD release for DOOR INTO DARKNESS back in 2009. However, Severin Films is queuing up to include the entire series as part of its DARIO ARGENTO’S DEEP CUTS release slated for the second half of 2024. If you’re an Argento completist, or just want to dive a little deeper into the giallo pool, this ain’t a bad place to start.

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