Inferno-1980

Director Dario Argento

Starring Leigh McCloskey, Irene Miracle

Scott’s Review #1,372

Reviewed June 27, 2023

Grade: B+

Any fan of the famous Italian horror director Dario Argento knows to expect a visual extravaganza from his films.

They reek of color and a weird atmosphere that makes them distinguishable from other, less crafty directors, and that’s worth a lot to a cinema fan.

Inferno (1980) is no exception, but, to be fair, the plot is brutal to follow, as the visuals easily overshadow the storytelling. On the flip side, despite being set mainly in New York City, Inferno has a definitive Italian vibe.

And why shouldn’t it, since it’s shrouded in Italian creativity?

Fans of Argento will know what I’m saying and leap into the film as I did, immersed in art direction rather than a defined plot.

The film is the second in his “Three Mothers” trilogy, and Inferno focuses on a Manhattan apartment building inhabited by a deadly spirit that murders the tenants in sadistic ways.

The other two films in the collection are Suspiria (1977) and Mother of Tears (2007).

When a poet named Rose (Irene Miracle) discovers a book suggesting she’s living in a building built for one of three evil sisters to rule the world, she begs her brother, Mark (Leigh McCloskey), to visit her from Rome.

But when he arrives, she’s disappeared without a trace. Mark encounters several creepy characters as he attempts to unravel the mystery and find his sister, either dead or alive.

It takes some time to figure out who the main character is supposed to be. Is it Rose, Mark, Mark’s friend Sara, or Rose’s neighbor, Elise? Before long, three of the four are sliced into bits.

The kills are superior, with my personal favorite being the death of one character guillotined with the glass of a broken window. This is nearly usurped by a pack of snarling cats with murder on their minds, attacking another victim.

As a cat lover, I grinned with pleasure.

As alluded to earlier, the story is too hard to follow. Therefore, the showdown between the main character and the witch is a letdown, and it is uncertain what becomes of the witch.

I also desired to see the witch more.

But maybe I wasn’t paying too close attention. The gorgeous sets caught my attention more than any plot point did.

I was especially enamored by the gothic New York City apartment set, which takes center stage during most of the film. The blue velvet curtains and dimly lit corridors, combined with desolate corners and few inhabitants, made me want to stay there.

Especially appealing is a secret hole in the wall that carries sounds throughout the behemoth building.

The colors and camerawork successfully create eerie, memorable sequences. One can easily dine on a bright green wall and gush over a deep blood-red drape or shadow.

The gloomy, downright scary underwater sequence when Rose dives to grasp a secret key is a brilliant piece of camerawork.

Alida Valli, so good as one of the witches in Suspiria, makes her return in Inferno, but in a limited part. As Carol, an employee of the apartment building, she has little to do, and adding insult to injury, Valli’s voice is dubbed by an American voice.

Sure, it’s not the best in the Argento collection, and Suspiria will always remain my number one, but Inferno (1980) is for the Argento fans only. I wouldn’t suggest it to novice fans, nor stress that one needs to see the trilogy in order.

The labyrinthine settings and elaborate deaths make the film a winner.