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

MOVIE REVIEW: The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage continues my enjoyable high off of Dario Argento films. This one, being his first is an interesting start, because for his debut film, Argento already displays the talents of his one-of-a-kind style. Unfortunately, as a thriller, I found it quite underwhelming in comparison with the intensity of Argento's later giallo and supernatural horror works.

Set in Rome (no surprise!), a young writer encounters a woman being brutally attacked in an avant-garde art gallery by a black-cloaked figure. Unwittingly involved as a witness to attempted murder, he decides to take matters into his own hands and solve the mystery on his own. A ton of red herrings ensues and some unsettling, but not exactly scary "kills" occur, until the killer is finally revealed. Rather than any reaction of shock, mine was disappointingly dulled to more of a rhetorical "oh, really?"

Perhaps it's unfair for me to judge the start of a healthy artistic career as inferior in comparison to later work, but as it stands, Bird didn't grip me as much as say Suspiria and Tenebre did. Both were relatively successful films later on in Argento's career, so I'm glad this one was enough of a hit for him that it allowed him to expand his creative wings. The relatively mild tension, somewhat aimless plot, and flimsy intimidation that the film exuded though, just happened to make it less of an enjoyable experience for me. It's a good thing some of Argento's later films fared much better.

5/10

MOVIE REVIEW: Tenebre (1982)

Lately, I've been on a bit of a Dario Argento kick. Don't ask me why, but I guess it all started when I rented Suspiria, after hearing that it was considered one of the scariest films of all time. Since seeing it, I was very pleased (and scared sh*tless!), so naturally, I've been taking interest in what has to be some of the most artistic horror films I've ever seen.

Tenebre is about an American horror-author who travels to Rome in order to promote his latest novel - a crime/slasher of the same name as the film. Upon arrival, an obsessed fan starts comitting murders similar in fashion to those outlined in his book. The author begins to become suspicious, and then nervous, as the bodies of those close to him begin to pile up...

Tenebre had a similarly brilliant effect on me as did Suspiria, in terms of atmosphere. Although it may seem unfair to compare the two, because Tenebre is more grounded in reality, Argento's use of style appears to have remained consistent in this period of his work. The drawback from these Italian horror films, aside from the dubbing is the misinterpretation of sleazyness or going "over-the-top" that may seem apparent to American audiences. In this case, we get extended sequences of gore, nudity, and unnerving musical score by the rock band Goblin. All of which are done well, and effectively in my opinion. Watching Argento can truly be like watching a nightmare unfold in front of your eyes, due to the vividness of all these qualities. Much of this is also supported by some great camerawork.

In spite of it all, I wasn't quite as captivated by the story in the end as I'd have hoped. Tenebre built itself up to what I hoped would be an explosive conclusion, but it came off more like a "Wait! That was it?"- kind of feeling. Not necessarily anti-climactic, but maybe not as shocking as I'd have hoped. At least they played the killer's demise and final showdown appropriately enough.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon