Dario Argento’s 1980 follow-up to his hit horror Suspiria is, according to the man himself, “a fairy tale designed for adults” (wonder how many hundreds of directors must have said that about their films?). Inferno certainly doesn’t have the narrative coherence of a fairy tale, but it does have a deceptively alluring darkness to it that makes the description appropriate enough.
The plot, or what there is of it, concerns a woman named Rose Elliot (Irene Miracle) and her investigation into a group of witches, called ‘The Three Mothers’, who are allegedly connected to the New York apartment building in which she lives. As soon as she begins her research, a series of mysterious, brutal murders occurs. Rose’s brother Mark (Leigh McCloskey) travels to New York to check up on her, only to be drawn into the bizarre and sinister happenings himself.
As usual with Argento, this narrative takes a back seat. The director instead prioritises surreal, striking visuals; rich with colour, heavy on symbolism, always beautiful even when bloody. The film is best appreciated on a solely sensory level, and on that level, it’s a complete success: some of its images are so extraordinary that they remain in the mind indelibly after viewing. They’re good enough to rank alongside Jack Nicholson’s deranged face poking through the ravaged door in The Shining or Max von Sydow standing outside the house in The Exorcist as classic, iconic moments in horror cinema.
However, there are a few problems with the overall film that contains those images. Notably, the lack of a consistently coherent narrative does get a little wearying over the course of 102 minutes, no matter how stunning the visuals. And, though they’re often gripping, there might be just a few too many scenes consisting of someone walking cautiously through ominous-looking rooms.
Inferno is poised, somewhat precariously, between art-house pretensions and horror B-movie. Unfortunately, the awful synthesiser score – co-written and performed by Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Keith Emerson – too often ruins the mood (in a film that is really all about mood) and so may be the factor that causes new viewers to dismiss the whole film as laughably kitsch, when it arguably deserves a better reputation than that. Still, dubbing aside, some other aspects of the film’s sound design are utterly magical, especially during an early scene in which Rose goes looking for a dropped key in a deep pool of water in the cellar.
So, if you’re patient, can get past the music and stop trying to work out what’s going on plot-wise, you’ll be rewarded with moments of unique, perverse beauty. Though it might not be the finest example of Argento’s work, and it’s occasionally rather frustrating, Inferno still makes for unusual, provocative and fascinating late-night viewing.
This 2-disc DVD set is being released by Arrow Video in honour of the film’s 30th anniversary, and the discs are absolutely stuffed with extras. It’s a truly shining example of how to give a cult movie a new lease of life on DVD, and demonstrates that this re-release is no mere cash-in, but instead the product of wholehearted enthusiasm and genuine reverence for the film. The quality of the extras varies but they are generally strong, and of particular note is the documentary ‘Dario Argento: An Eye For Horror’. It’s narrated by Mark Kermode, features interviews with Argento himself as well as George A. Romero and John Carpenter, and goes in depth as to what inspired Argento from his childhood to his career as a director.
Overall Verdict: A strange and striking 80s horror, and an exemplary DVD package.
Special Features:
Introduction by star Daria Nicolodi
‘Dario’s Inferno’ featurette
‘Acting in Hot Water’ – An Interview With Daria Nicolodi
‘The Other Mother: Making the Black Cat’
Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava discuss Inferno
‘Dario Argento: An Eye For Horror’ – documentary narrated by Mark Kermode
The Complete Dario Argento Trailer Gallery
Double sided poster
Collector’s booklet
Six original poster art postcards
Reviewer: Tom René