Inferno

Film: Inferno

Year: 1980

Director: Dario Argento

Writer: Dario Argento

Starring: Leigh McCloskey, Irene Miracle and Eleonora Giorgi

Review:

This was a film that I learned about early on when I looked through writer/director Dario Argento’s filmography. It was one that went on my list of films to see and then went higher when I learned this is a sequel to Suspiria. There aren’t crossover characters, but we are dealing with the next witch of the Three Mothers. I’ve now given a second watch as a Journey through the Aughts and for Italian Horror Month.

Synopsis: an American student investigates the disappearance of his sister and the death of a friend, both connected from New York to Rome by an old alchemy book.

This film starts with a woman opening up a book called the Three Mothers. Her name is Rose Elliot (Irene Miracle). There is voice-over narration as the book is read. It tells of three houses built by an architect who was also an alchemist named Dr. Varelli. The Three Mothers are witches who live in Rome, New York and Freiberg, Germany.

Rose then writes a letter to her brother. Something that she read from it sticks with her where the keys are to find the Mothers. She goes out to mail the letter and stops into the neighboring antique store where she bought the book. The man running it is Kazanian (Sacha Pitoëff). She inquiries about the book and if the story is true. He’s read part of it but doesn’t believe it. She leaves and again, the line from the book comes back to her. There is a grate that she opens and climbs down. There is a peculiar smell around the place she lives which was also in the book. It is down here that she finds a hole, filled with water. She drops her keys in, forcing her to explore. It is from here that people in the shadows are following her.

We then shift to Rome. Her brother is Mark (Leigh McCloskey). He is a musicology major. In class he is joined by Sara (Eleonora Giorgi). While they’re listening to music, he starts to read the letter from his sister and he notices a mysterious woman staring at him, played by Ania Pieroni. He leaves and forgets his letter. Sara grabs it. Later she is in a cab and decides to take it to him.

She gets dropped off at a library. There she seeks out the Three Mothers book. She reads a little of it and the place is closing. She goes to leave with the book and a strange man stops her. He almost shoves her face into a pot of boiling liquid, but she gets away. She loses the book in the process though.

Once she is back to her apartment, she asks a man she meets in the elevator to keep her company, because she is scared. Inside she calls Mark. She tells him she has his letter and for him to come over. He agrees. After getting off the phone though, the power flickers. The man goes to check it out. When he doesn’t come back, she finds him with a knife in his neck. She is then murdered as well. When McCloskey arrives, they are nowhere to be found. He goes back to his place and gets a call from Rose. She wants him to come to New York. The line goes dead. He leaves at once and upon arriving, things don’t seem right. He meets Carol (Alida Valli), Professor Arnold (Feodor Chaliapin Jr.), his nurse who is played by Veronica Lazăr and Elise Stallone Van Adler (Daria Nicolodi). Mark learns more about the Three Mothers and how that could factor into what has happened.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start is that I was excited to see this film as Suspiria is one of my favorite films. This being a sequel, I wasn’t sure what to expect. This isn’t a continuation of that story, but more with fleshing out another of the Three Mothers. I do like that. This explores Mater Tenebrarum or the Mother of Darkness who lives in New York. We do get a glimpse of Mater Lachrymarum, the Mother of Tears briefly while in Rome. There is good mythology here that I appreciate.

Since this is a loose sequel, what is interesting is that this is a different type of film from Suspiria. It does bring its own creepy atmosphere, which I appreciate. It is interesting that we start in Rome and finish in New York, but odd things happen in both places. I do like the idea that being close to these covens causes issues. Now much like the earlier film, neither are gialli, but they do bring elements of the mystery to piece things together. With this second watch, I remember parts. It did come together as we approached the climax. I’ll end this part by saying we just got a wild film.

There is one last part of the story that I love and that gets introduced here is the idea that all three houses for the covens were made specially. It seems like it would be a ‘hell mouth’ or somewhere their powers would be enhanced. Suspiria was in Freiberg and if you’ve seen that film, you know what happened there. The idea that an alchemist who was also an architect designed the houses special makes sense. I like that angle and how it factors into this film.

Let’s then shift to discuss the acting performances which were good across the board. McCloskey is solid as the male lead that is constantly playing catch up. It is interesting how confused he is until it all clicks. That does feel real though. Miracle was solid at starting this investigation. I like playing with expectations there. It was also nice to see her in the swimming scene with what she was wearing. Giorgi was similar in this as well as she got caught up in what was going on. Nicolodi was solid in the little screen time that she had. It is also a shame that she didn’t get a writing credit as I read the story was hers, told to her by her grandmother who attended a dance academy that was the basis of Suspiria. I’ll also credit Pitoëff, Valli, Lazăr and Chaliapin for their roles. They help push our leads to where they end up.

All that is left then is filmmaking. Where I’ll start is with cinematography. I love exploring these older buildings and discovering the mysteries that are hidden within. There are vibes of ‘old dark house’ films of the past. The lighting also isn’t as strong as with Suspiria, but there are vibes of it. There is a surreal feel as supernatural things happen that worked for me. This does well with its effects as well. They went practically, more of the era than anything. It adds charm though that looks good. Something also that isn’t as bombastic is the soundtrack. This has more of a classical score and was done by Keith Emerson. I’m glad that this did its own thing. This isn’t as tight as the previous film in this trilogy, but still well-done overall.

In conclusion, this is a worthy follow up to a film that has massive shoes to fill. I love developing more of this ‘Three Mothers’ story. There is a creepy atmosphere that is built by these older houses and the mysteries held within. The acting is solid. I thought that McCloskey and Miracle are good as these two who get wrapped up in a mystery. The rest of the cast is solid to push them to where they end up. This is well-made from the cinematography, lighting to the effects and soundtrack. Another film in this great run from a master of horror.

My Rating: 8.5 out of 10