Vintage original 19.7 x 27.6 in. (50 x 70 cm.) screen print "Variant" style poster for the classic 1970's horror/mystery thriller, PROFUNDO ROSSO (DEEP RED), released in Italy in 1975 and directed by Dario Argento. A jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic. The cast includes David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia, Macha Meril, Eros Pagni, Guiliana Calandra, Piero Mazzinghi, and Glauco Mauri.

The artwork was designed by Malleus (see bio below). This poster was offered in a regular style, which was a Limited Edition run of only 245 examples. The poster offered here is the more rare "variant" style poster, which had a run of only 95 examples, and is now sold-out. It is hand-signed and hand-numbered (#43 of 95) by the artist and is in very fine+ condition without any flaws. This poster will be shipped flat to protect it from damage while in transit.

Co-writer Bernardino Zapponi said the inspiration behind the murder scenes came from him and Dario Argento thinking of painful injuries that the audience could relate to. Basically, not everyone knows the pain of being shot by a gun, but everyone has at some point accidentally struck furniture or been scalded by hot water.

Malleus is an Italian three headed collective spreading its tentacles through all kind of visual art, from illustration to videos, passing through hand-pulled screen prints. The iconography at the base of their work originates from a vast scenery including figurative arts, in particular Expressionism and Symbolism, Art Nouveau and Surrealism, Pop Art and Psychedelic Art, and also comics, photography, cinema and literature. All these ingredients blend in with the main element of their poetics; that is the female form, the primordial goddess, from whom everything comes. Blackened art nouveau mixed with elements of surrealism and quotes from the school of expressionism glowing in its amber, resulting in an almost psychedelically overwhelming experience of visual magick.

All of the power trio’s works are based on hand-drawings and reflect the artists’ deep understanding and love for music. At the end of 2002, the trio of Malleus, printing their first handmade silkscreen, took the critical step towards a walk that will make them enter into the Poster Art scene of today. Through the handprinted silkscreen, a simple gigposter turns into something different and particular. Since then, Malleus have created screen prints for rock acts such as Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, Deftones, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Robert Plant, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mark Lanegan, the Melvins, Crosby Stills and Nash, Sleep, Linkin Park, The Prodigy,  Dresden Dolls, The Mars Volta, Mogwai, Motorpsycho, Monster Magnet, Muse, Sonic Youth and many others all over the world. Malleus have been featured in The New York Times, MTV, RockHard, RockSound, Rolling Stones, Sky among others. Some of their clients include Volvo, Activision, Mondadori, Feltrinelli, CF Napa Brand Design, Century Guild, Oakley , Hellfest, Roadburn, Asymmetry Festival,  Barley Arts, Secret Serpents, Dark City Gallery, MTV, Rolling Stone. 

From Tortona in Italy comes (arguably) the most imaginative and distinctive trios in the world of rock poster art. In this predominantly American world of rock posters, the work created by Poia, Lu and Urlo (Malleus) is immediately recognizable with shades so distinctively European. A Malleus rock poster not only captures the spirit of the band but they beautifully capture the spirit and traditions of their homeland. Iconography is at the forefront of their work and vast scenery including figurative arts, in particular Expressionism, Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Surrealism, Pop Art, Psychedelic Art and also comics, photography, cinema and literature. All these ingredients blend in with the main element of their poetics; the female form, the primordial goddess, from whom everything comes. 

At the centre of Malleus' art we often find beautiful, yet mysterious women. Usually this is accentuated by occult symbolism worked into arcane textures. All of their work is based on masterful hand-drawings and reflect the artists' deep understanding and love for music. Malleus' extensive catalogue of posters created to date includes works for acts such as: Beck, Blues Explosion, Brant Bjork, The Cure, Deftones, Dinosaur Jr., Eagles of Death Metal, Flaming Lips, Helmet, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, Kings of Leon, Mars Volta, Melvins, Mogwai, Mark Lanegan, Mudhoney, Muse, Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Robert Plant, Queen of the Stone age, Sonic Youth, and many more. The work of Malleus has been displayed in various collective and individual art shows. They have been included in "Art of Modern Rock", the gig poster gospel by Paul Grushkin and Dennis King, in "Art of Modern Rock: Mini #1 A-Z" and "Art of Modern Rock: Mini #2 Poster Girls" by Dennis king, in "Swag posters" by Judith Salavetz and in "A fistful of Rock'n'Roll" by Sal Canzonieri.