1,4-Dien-3-ones substituted with pendant arylethyl side chains attached at C-1 were readily prepared from substituted dihydrocinnamaldehydes. Treatment with TiCl4 at low temperature effected domino Nazarov electrocyclization arene trapping within 5 min to give racemic benzohydrindenones in near-quantitative yield and with complete diastereoselectivity.Key words: domino process, electrophilic aromatic substitution, Lewis acid, Nazarov cyclization.