Sightlines · reception

How Opera was received

1987 · Dario Argento · Opera on Sightlines

The arc

A box-office hit in Italy but met with mixed reviews and a butchered US release (cut and retitled 'Terror at the Opera'), it's since been canonised as Argento's last great film — the glorious final blaze of his golden run before the long decline fans still mourn.

What’s debated

The perennial fight is over the ending — the abrupt Alpine coda splits fans between 'deranged masterstroke' and 'the moment the film falls apart,' alongside the broader debate about whether Opera or Tenebre deserves the 'last great Argento' crown.

Its footprint

The needles taped under the heroine's eyes — forcing her to watch — is one of horror's most referenced images, shorthand for the genre's whole voyeurism conversation and a fixture of 'most iconic horror shots' lists.

Where it stands

A cult canon staple and Letterboxd horror-crowd favorite, widely treated as the 'you must see this' capstone of Argento's essential run.

Did you know? Vanessa Redgrave was originally cast as the imperious diva but dropped out before filming; meanwhile Argento clashed so badly with his young lead Cristina Marsillach that he later called her the most difficult actress he'd ever worked with.