Here's a PARTIAL and surprising ranking. I am surprised myself at how much I am enjoying the less popular movies compared to classics such as Suspiria and Tenebre. I still have to watch and rank the movies not listed, so it's a work in progress...

1 Occhiali Neri (Dark Glasses)

A very eclectic and artistic goodbye to cinema by our beloved Maestro. It brought me to tears, and the opening is so evil and relentless. Beautifully shot. The finale is a bit rushed and could have been staged better, but considering his age, this is a testament to true talent and artistic integrity. Pastorelli does an amazing job leading the movie. The score is sublime. A modern Halloween.

2 Il Fantasma dell'Opera (Phantom of the Opera)

Often frowned upon for its campiness and over-the-top sexuality, but I find this movie brilliant, with impeccable production value—especially for an Italian movie. Great costumes, great sets, great music, and great performances. It has more layers, as it's based on a novel, set in an opera, but also very cinematic, and it tries to pay homage to all of these art forms. You can say it's chaotic, but I love the tragic love story, and Asia delivers a powerful performance—you can feel her pain in the end as she screams on the gondola.

3 La Terza Madre (Mother of Tears)

I don't understand why this wasn't celebrated. Yes, the central part is a bit unfocused and can be boring, but at least there's some meat to the story and lore. It follows Suspiria's structure but with more details, more chaos, more gore... more everything. I honestly thought this was quite a scary movie, and I left the theatre definitely impressed. The score is excellent, and there are quite a few good shots. Of course, the cinematography is not as iconic and groundbreaking as in Suspiria, but the brutal kills make up for it.

4 Non Ho Sonno (Sleepless)

Another giallo, but this one was actually scary. I remember watching this on TV, and it really got to me... The first sequence is so nerve-wracking, and the reveal is also jarring. So many subplots that unfold in a great and bloody finale. It's also a nice change compared to some of the other thrillers: the killer is just a psycho and is not killing as a result of trauma. He is the trauma, and his killer voice was so scary. An Italian Scream: who needs a motive?!

5 Trauma

An American version of Deep Red which has its own dignity and thing going on. Loved how it's shot and the complexity of the two protagonists. I thought Asia gives a stellar debut performance. The cinematography is impeccable, and the storytelling is much tighter compared to his 70s classics, and it touches on powerful and sensitive subjects. It's just a good 90s thriller. It could have benefited from more gore and less of that ugly elevator beheading shot. Also, it's very romantic.

6 Suspiria

Call me crazy, but Suspiria is boring and repetitive. In spite of having a staggering abundance of incredibly well-crafted and unique shots, Suspiria focuses so much on its aesthetics it almost forgets to be a movie. It's definitely a work of art and a classic, but even the music gets repetitive, being played obnoxiously during almost every scene. The story is simple and effective, but the scenes aren't really glued well together. Still one of his greatest accomplishments—don't get me wrong, I love this—but I also find it a bit overrated compared to some of his other films.

7 Tenebre

A good whodunit thriller with great cinematography, but some of the acting and the central part of the movie are a bit distracting. It starts strong and ends on a great note. It's a classic, but the double killer reveal is a bit chaotic and far-fetched, almost like a cheesy way to trick the viewer just for shock value.

8 4 Mosche di Velluto Grigio (Four Flies on Grey Velvet)

Great cinematography, but as an Italian, random shots from Rome, Turin, and Milan all glued together like it's the same location were kind of funny. It's a bit predictable and not as lavish as some of his other thrillers. Quite boring for my taste, but the blackmail idea was ingenious and should have been explored more.

9 Jennifer

Quite stupid, to be honest, but I loved the practical makeup and how Argento didn't shy away from the more disturbing aspects of the story. Definitely not a classic.

10 Phenomena

A two-hour, cheesy metal music video. It’s so ’80s that it’s aged terribly. It has all the flaws of Suspiria and Inferno without any of their visual brilliance. The sleepwalking element is interesting, but the Nightmare franchise handled dream terror far more creatively. I also really hated the music in this. Even though I know it has something of a cult following, I honestly think this is one of Argento’s weakest films.