Inferno (1980)

Dario Argento

Italy

107 min, color, English

Review © 2005 Branislav L. Slantchev

Inferno is among my top three Argento films even though it is routinely denounced by many of his fans on account of not really being a sequel to Suspiria. This is the wrong approach to take. Even though this film is very loosely based on the same imagined Three Mothers, and even if the one from the other film is mentioned in the background story, the two films could not have been more different. Whereas Suspiria is about witches and magic, this one has the alchemic feel of The Name of the Rose more than anything else. It still has its supernatural elements, but the mood is strikingly divergent.

Gratuitous shot of Irene Miracle	Unidentified floating objects

This difference between the two is what occasions the howls from fans of the other film who, as fans are wont to do, never seem to be able to forgive a director when he does not remake his last film. Fans are almost by definition a conservative lot, and despite Argento's relatively consistent stylistic approach, he does tend to throw audiences in a loop with his imagination. As a result, his films manage to be very original while sharing the same genetic core. For Inferno, both Mario Bava and Lamberto Bava contributed, but the end result is very much Dario despite the profoundly atmospheric lighting a-la Bava.

They just don't make 'em like that any more	Mater Lacrimarum

The story of the Three Mothers who collectively represent Death continues here, when Rose Elliot (played by the superbly expressive Irene Miracle) reads a book that seems to contain the ramblings of a lunatic. It goes on and on about the Three Mothers (of Darkness, Sighs, and Tears) and how the author was forced to build them houses in New York, Rome, and Freiburg, and how one can locate these supernatural evil creatures by following certain clues. Why anyone would want to do that, however, remains totally unexplained. Rose, more out of fear than curiosity, decides to investigate when she notices that some characteristic features of the Mothers' dwelling places seem to match her NYC apartment building.

The wild and wet taxi ride	Sara at the library

Rose's descent into the cellar is among the most memorable sequences put on film, and not just because of the astonishing underwater scene where she has to swim in a completely submerged room that holds the key to the mother living in her building. It is tense, and it is so well done, one is willing to forgive to rather awful half-decomposed body that floats out of nowhere to give Rose a near heart-attack (the effect does work, as I can attest from my dear wife nearly flipping over in her papasan when we watched it tonight). Argento's knack for picking appropriate leading ladies have never failed him, and Irene here is an exemplar of what a heroine in a horror film should look and act like.

Knife seems upside down	The interior is as deadly as beautiful

Rose gets somewhat overwhelmed by the feeling of impending, although as yet unseen, doom, and she writes a letter to her brother Mark (Leigh McCloskey), who studies music in Rome, asking him to return to New York. However, Rose's activities in and around her building have not gone unnoticed, and the Mothers take a keen interest in Mark. Their purpose remains hidden although they do study him closely, as the hypnotic encounter with the strange "music student" (Ania Pieroni) shows. Mark is so distracted by her enchanting power, that he forgets to pick up his sister's letter from his desk, leaving it for his friend Sara (Eleonora Giorgi) to find.

The last moments of Rose Elliot	Mark encounters the prof and his nurse

It is at this point that the film shifts in high gear. Up to now (and we are already well into the first third), there have been a few scares, a few ominous developments, but really nothing that would make the film horror as opposed to a run of the mill thriller. But when Sara attempts to investigate the contents of the mysterious letter from Rose, things begin to unravel very quickly for everyone involved. It would appear that whereas the mothers had been content to live in seclusion, they not only will defend their cherished privacy but will also pursue some designs of their own regarding Mark. But everyone who comes close to discovering their secret must not be allowed to live and potentially threaten the fulfillment of their plans.

Daria is freaky irrespective of lighting	Mark getting all woolly and spacey

Sara does manage to escape her first encounter with the Mother in Rome that nearly ends with Sara's face becoming a delicious seasoning for some alchemist's bubbly that the Mother had been brewing in the library basement. But Sara's fate is a foregone conclusion already, for we know that she knows too much, and she knows it too. Her attempt to find some fleeting sense of safety with a man only ends with him getting his throat perforated for his chivalrous gesture. Needless to say, Sara herself is stabbed by Dario's gloved hand (starring in almost every one of his films).

Elise sees what she should not have	Obligatory ominously strange caretakers

By the time Mark arrives in New York, his sister's life is also forfeit in what has got to be one of the grizzliest sequences committed to celluloid: the Mother grabs Rose from behind, forces down her head until she is impaled on nails sticking out of a window frame, and then she pushes down the glass to slice her throat. The glass jams in the first attempt, but the Mother quite methodically pushes it back up, and makes another. This one connects but does not kill Rose, so the Mother does it again, and the third is a charm, as they say. The sequence is so well done, it is actually painful to watch. Rose's eyes bugging out from behind the Mother's gnarled fingers pressing against her face are not something one can easily forget.

Typical Italian horror mise en scene	Eyes: the windows to the inside of the skull

I will not divulge what happens next with the story even though with Argento knowledge of the culprit does not detract much from the enjoyment of watching the film. Still, the last part of the film does contain my favorite sequence: Mark crawls through secret passageways in the building to an impressive music by Keith Emerson that manages to be both modern and evoke the feeling of Orff's Carmina Burana. (Emerson's musical score is absolutely stunning in its own right. Although I am a Goblin fan and I like Argento's use of classical music and heavy metal, I have to say that Inferno is probably the best-scored film of his. Incidentally, this is a sore point with many fans who do not seem to appreciate Emerson's approach... but what do they know?)

Not administering CPR	Gratuitous shot of Veronica Lazar

The cinematography of this film is a gem. Everything is meticulously prepared: from set design with lavish attention to detail to luminous multi-color lighting that serves to disorient both the audience and the characters but that also sets the tone of the film. The garish colors is what normally attracts me to gialli and traditional Italian horror in the Bava tradition, but nobody can hold a candle to Argento, excepting perhaps the senior Bava himself. Carefully composed shots are the norm. Check out the mirror scene where the Mother disappears while her reflection remains behind the mirror only to emerge later revealing her true nature.

Mark, honey, don't you get it ALREADY?	I come to play checkers

The Anchor Bay DVD does full justice to the film. The video transfer is astonishing, with deep saturated colors and no visible compression artifacts. Presented in anamorphic widescreen at the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, it retains the full 106 minute version, not the butchered cuts that used to surface on tape. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 remix is pretty good, but the stereo is also available. The disc is light on extras, which is a shame considering the lavish attention that went into the 2-disc Special Edition of Suspiria. Only a 10 minute interview with Argento (and Lamberto Bava) is worth noting. Gallery of stills, talent files, and trailers are the fluff that just underscores how woefully underutilized the format is.

December 20, 2005