The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

In his first film as writer/director, Dario Argento (Suspiria, Deep Red) single-handedly created the giallo genre and instantly emerged as the filmmaker critics worldwide hailed as 'The Italian Hitchcock.'

Visiting Rome with his supermodel girlfriend, Sam Dalmas (Tony Musante), an American writer, witnesses a grisly attack on a gallery owner one night. Were it not for his presence the attack probably would have ended in murder. Held in Italy by the police as a key witness and being chased by the murderer, Sam attempts to unveil the identity of the maniac before it's too late.

Argento's stylized use of bright color, innovative camera movement, and narrative twists are already well established in this film, and it's a killer.