Inferno [Blu-ray]

Director: Dario Argento

Overview

This is the second of Dario Argento's proposed Three Mothers horror trilogy, following the groundbreaking Suspiria. This time the venue for Argento's visual bravado is a labyrinthine New York apartment building, where Italian music student Leigh McCloskey must face Mater Tenebrarum, the witch-mother of shadows. Full of watery greens and blues, Inferno is the Jungian counterpoint to its predecessor's Freudian motif, and includes some strikingly beautiful sequences engineered by Mario Bava shortly before his death. Nevertheless, the film still falls short of Suspiria's dreamlike terrors due to a slower pace and a very silly ending involving the "ultimate evil" wearing a dimestore Halloween skeleton suit. Somewhat disappointing, Inferno is still worthwhile for its stylistic panache.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/2011
UPC:	0827058702591
Original Release:	1980
Rating:	NR
Source:	Blue Underground
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Surround, Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:46:00
Sales rank:	12,488

Special Features

Art & Alchemy - interview with star Leigh McCloskey ; Reflections of Rose - interview with star Irene Miracle ; Interview with writer/director Dario Argento and assistant director Lamberto Bava ; Theatrical trailer; Dario Argento intro

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Leigh McCloskey	Mark
Irene Miracle	Rose
Sacha Pitoeff	Kazanian
Daria Nicolodi	Elise
Eleonora Giorgi	Sara
Gabriele Lavia	Carlo
Veronica Lazar	The Nurse
Alida Valli	Carol
Feodor Chaliapin	Varelli the Architect
Leopoldo Mastelloni	John the Butler
Ania Pieroni	Mater Lachrymarum,Musical Student
James Fleetwood	Cook
Paolo Paoloni	Music Teacher
Fulvio Mingozzi	Taxi Driver
Luigi Lodoli	Bookbinder
Rosario Rigutini	Man
Rodolfo Lodi	Old Man
Ryan Hilliard	Shadow

Technical Credits

Dario Argento

Dario Argento	Screenwriter,Producer,Executive Producer
William Garroni	Executive Producer
Mario Bava	Special Effects
Germano Natali	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

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.