Inferno

 

This week we are looking at yet another Argento film, but unlike the two previous ones, this one is not a Giallo, but a straight horror movie. Today we're looking at:

Inferno (1980).

It is worth noting that this is a follow up to Argento's probably most famous movie, Suspiria (1977). It's not a sequel, but a continuation of the theme of three witches called the Three Mothers. One character, Rose, discovers that she is living in the very building in New York that was built for the mother of darkness. She calls in her brother who is studying in Rome, and the rest of the film is his investigation into the matter. Insert some murders and gore, add some interesting visuals and you have Inferno.

If you haven't seen it, this movie is worth a look. In a discussion with a learned friend I mentioned that Inferno almost looks like a Roger Corman movie, which he confirmed was no accident as Argento was a huge fan and intended for Inferno to be a bit of a homage.

This really shows as the entire movie is drowning in rich dramatic color. So much in fact that it almost becomes distracting at times.

The plot is kind of all over the place. Some things are over-explained while other things are never explained at all. This creates a slight disconnect and it's easy to phase out and just take in the visuals and the atmosphere without really getting the story. Try to resist zoning out as the story is interesting though not ground breaking.

Unlike films like Deep Red and Bird with the Crystal Plumage, this is not a mystery movie, so the plot is not meant to be solvable by the audience, this means that if you want to watch it, sit back and enjoy and never mind the plot-holes. Like Suspiria, Inferno is designed to be dreamlike and akin to a fairy tale so things don't have to make perfect sense, no matter how much you want them to.

What struck me personally is that I didn't enjoy it as much as I used to back in the day. It was one of my favorite Argento movies, but these days I definitely enjoy his Giallo movies more. Then again I'm quite a but older than I was the last time I saw Inferno.

In conclusion, I would say that Inferno is almost essential viewing if you want to take in the best of Italian horror. How highly you rate it is completely up to you, but I urge you to see it if you liked Suspiria, or if you enjoy surreal horror. It's not a masterpiece as such but a solid nightmare horror movie and should be watched as such.

That's that. Join me again next time and until then have a great week! Oh, and wash your hands.