A combination of alchemy, architecture, and horror, director Dario Argento's Inferno is a pulsing thriller filled with murder and supernatural mayhem. The peculiar proceedings are set into motion in both New York and Rome when two young women, Sara (Eleonora Giorgi) and Rose (Irene Miracle), find a book called The Three Mothers, a tome of alchemy written by an architect named Varelli. According to the book, Varelli built a trio of resting places for the Three Mothers, an evil trio whose identities remain at the core of the film's mystery. Rose's brother and Sara's boyfriend is Mark (Leigh McCloskey), a music student in Rome who jets to New York after Sara is murdered and Rose disappears. He follows up Rose's research on The Three Mothers and, with the help of his sister's neighbor, Elise (Daria Nicolodi), comes to the realization that the building they are in is one of Varelli's. Along the way, Mark encounters a variety of quirky characters including Elise's butler (Leopoldo Mastelloni), the building's maid (Alida Valli), a cat-hating bookseller named Kazanian (Sacha Pitoeff), and the infirm Professor Arnold (Feodor Chaliapin) and his nurse (Veronica Lazar). After a series of murders and a revelation that the butler and the maid have been plotting to steal Elise's jewels, Mark discovers a secret series of passages within the building. They lead him to its core where he finds the wheelchair-bound Professor Arnold, who explains that he is really the architect Varelli. After a violent struggle, the dying old man confesses to Mark that he is merely a servant to the Mothers. The building begins to burn out of control, but before Mark can escape, he discovers the shocking identity of the Three Mothers. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
Review
Though confusingly plotted, director Dario Argento's Inferno is a stylish, scary thriller that is considered a semi-sequel to Argento's Suspiria. While Inferno does not come close to that 1977 classic, it is significant for its collaboration of two Italian masters of cinema: Argento and Mario Bava, who helped to design several great set pieces and created the transformation scene at the film's conclusion. As with most of Argento's pictures, the visuals leave the strongest impression, especially when combined with the fantastic sound effects. One great shot depicts the killer approaching the camera in the distorted reflection of a broken doorknob. Another arresting image is that of a woman's body tearing through a curtain and falling at star Leigh McCloskey's feet. The murders themselves are brutal, but beautifully shot and impossible to turn away from. Irene Miracle's killing at the hands of the faceless killer is exceptional: He pulls her across a window frame and forms a crude guillotine with the pane of glass serving as a blade. Argento's script is very strong conceptually and features a great ending, but his weaknesses lie in the logic and sequencing. Early scenes jump confusingly from New York to Rome and characters aren't always well defined. Another negative is that the cast is bland, and often appear to be onscreen simply to serve one bloody purpose: to kill or be killed. All that aside, the film as a whole maintains a strong visual impact (such as cats darting into the shadows or a striking young woman stroking a cat in McCloskey's music class) that all work to carry the film. The mystery at the film's core -- the identity of the Three Mothers -- is compelling, and Argento and Bava's collaboration to create the fiery finish does not disappoint. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
