MOVIE REVIEW: Inferno (1980)

Continuing my little Dario Argento-fest has been much more of a mixed bag than I expected, not to say that I haven't been entertained, but most of the time they've raised my expectations a little high. From the stellar Tenebre to the disappointing Bird with the Crystal Plumage, I've now seen Inferno; Argento's second entry in his supernatural "Three Mothers Trilogy". I have no desire to see the third film right now, as by all accounts, I'm told it's terrible. Inferno however, shows he still has some of the stylistic edge he retained from the brilliance of Suspiria, but it lacks some momentum on its story.

Inferno starts off with a woman uncovering tomes regarding three evil witches known as The "Three Mothers", one of whom inhabits New York and threatens to terrorize the world upon her release. When the woman goes missing, her brother, a music student, goes searching for her around the city, and finds her apartment. Among her eerily-lit abode, he encounters the strange denizens, all connected in some way to some big secret, surrounding the woman's involvement with the Three Mothers.

Most of this sounds pretty compelling, and stylistically, it is. So much of the lighting and mood are almost exact duplicates of the amazing work Argento did in Suspiria. Inferno is supposed to be it's spiritual sequel, so it's no surprise it shares some stylistic qualities in common with its predecessor. The problem is, a lot of the story is bogged down by some plodding kill sequences that are meant to build suspense by showing the characters searching around for someone, or something, but up until the actual horrifically graphic murder, it's just boring. And these kind of sequences happen a lot, so there's a lot of unevenness with the plot. They didn't really bother my enjoyment of the movie, that much, and I will say Inferno is worth checking out if you're willing to maintain the patience.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon