Inferno

Considering that Suspiria is by far the most popular and acclaimed film in Argento's catalogue I'm rather confused as to why the sequel Inferno isn't more popular. Fans of Suspiria, like myself, ought to eat this up. Admittedly, it isn't as good as Suspiria, but it takes all the things that made that film so extraordinary and unusual and pushes them boundaries even further, while managing to be a fairly distinct from it's predecessor. This is most definitely a worthwhile piece in and of itself, and it is a must see for any horror fan, or those who enjoy visually startling films. Visually, Inferno is even more stylized then Suspiria, with virtually nothing being shot in a perfuntory or realistic manner. It takes the most prominent visual aspect of Suspiria, the bright, garish sets and surreal colored lighting,(most often red and blue) and takes them to a greater extreme, and in a slightly different direction. In Suspiria, the set design and colored lighting were relatively simple, generally using open areas and relatively simple lighting, frequently with the entire scenes bathed in a single color.(And it rarely become more complicated than simply having 2 colors for the background, and 1 more illuminating the characters in the foreground) Thus, for all it's eeriness, the lighting in Suspiria actually illuminated the scene quite well. Not so in Inferno. The sets are cramped and elaborate, with numerous different light sources illuminating small portions of the scenes, generally with much of the scene still shrouded in darkness.(often to the point which you can't easily identify objects) Thus, although Inferno has many of the visual elements of Suspiria, they are used in a notably different style. Personally, I think that Inferno looks even better then its predecessor. The most notable scene, visually, is when Rose is attacked in her apartment. It is simply astounding. This film is not big on plot or character development. In fact, I would say that it has perhaps the least character development of any film I've seen. (none) And to my surprise, I think this is actually a slight problem. Although Suspiria wasn't too big on character development, it managed to make me genuinely like Suzy and Sarah, whereas I don't give a damn about anyone in this film. And this actually makes the horror scenes less effective. The plot extends the mythos of Suspiria, with Rose reading a book, The Three Mothers, in the opening scene. The book states that 3 sisters rule the world, Mater Suspiriorum, Mater Tenebrarum and Mater Lachymarum, and that they live in Freiburg, Rome and New York respectively.(Naturally, Mater Suspiriorum was Helena Marcos in Suspiria) And she discovers that, wouldn't ya know it, she's living in the apartment complex in which Mater Tenebrarum resides.(She lives underneath it though, not in one of the apartments.) She's disturbed by this story and calls for help from her brother, Mark, living in Rome. Thus, an investigation is begun by various individuals, generally leading to their untimely deaths. As you might imagine, the plot is driven by absurdities and contrivances almost exclusively. But I don't care, and neither should you, considering the film and its goals. It can be a bit confusing at times as well, but you ought not worry about that, for the reasons stated above. The murder sequences are very elaborate and nicely done, in much the same magnificently colored and hallucinogenic slasher film manner found in Suspiria, this time generally with taloned, cowled killers. They do have some slight flaws, however. Most significantly, they lack much of the sheer intensity and brutality of the killings in Suspiria. (Sorry about the endless comparisons, but they practically beg to be done) Simply put, the victims in Inferno are, for the most part, not made to suffer the way they did in Suspiria. Some people found the more sadistic aspect of Suspiria offensive, but that's what gave the deaths there power. Naturally, the most affecting death is the most painful seeming one, where the victim has their head pinned down through an open window, and the broken window pane repeatedly dropped on their throat. The visualization of this event leaves something to be desired, but it is conceptually nasty enough to make it work very well. Still, all the other deaths are beautifully shot and staged, even if they aren't as painful or personally affecting. Another problem is that they attempt a few more animal attacks, with little success. There is a cat attack, which is unintentionally humorous, and a massed rat attack which is just kinda bland. Fortunately, that is not all that is going on in those scenes, and they are still excellent sequences overall. One of the most famous aspects of Suspiria was its extraordinary score by the band Goblin. Here Keith Emerson takes over scoring duties, and takes them in a different, somewhat more conventional direction, with lots of omionous, discordant piano pieces. Though not as effective as Goblin's work, it still works quite well, and is preferable to merely attempting a retread of the previous score. It uses the old trick of having a vicious murder contrasted with a grandiose, incongruent classical piece,(to great effect) and I also particularly enjoy the rock version of some Verdi piece they use during the cab scene.(It's cheesy, but I like it) Sadly, the end of this film is somewhat anti-climatic.(Though to a lesser extent than was Suspiria) It's primarily hurt by the fact that it has a conceptually solid but incredibly hokey visual effect during the confrontation with Mater Tenebrarum. It's also hurt by the fact that the evil is defeated not by the actions of any of the protagonists, but just through luck and chance. Well, that's about it. Somewhat flawed, but the flaws don't matter much. If you haven't seen Suspiria yet, see it first. If you like that, check this out.

I should point out that I'm a pretty big Argento fan, so my review should be taken as such. Of all of Argento's films, my two favorites alternate between Suspiria and Inferno. It seems that no matter how many times I rewatch those films, they actually get better with each new viewing, (usually the opposite happens). Each of those films have a certain unique aesthetic value and atmosphere. With that being said, while I would recommend Suspiria to a first time Argento viewer, Inferno is actually the last of his good films which I'd recommend. While Suspiria tried to have somewhat of a plot, Inferno's plot is pretty weak and sometimes hard to follow. I think another problem people have with this film is while its a sequel to Suspiria and has a similar look and feel, its a very different film, this film can't be approached as a sequel. It also further moves away from his early films in that instead of using the normal Goblin soundtrack it uses a Keith Emerson score which has a more piano/classical music feel to it. I actually hated the film the first time I watched it, but every time I've seen it since the plot gets clearer, the visuals get better and I love the film more and more. It seems that many of the Argento's I loved on the first watch can't even come close to holding up on rewatches like this film. As for the Bluray release, the transfer is beautiful. Of course I'm comparing this to the Anchor Bay / Blue Underground (2007) DVD release and it looks like a completely different film. If you have those older disks this is well worth the upgrade. As for the reviewer who complains that this release isn't as up to par as Tron, I've not seen Tron so I can't comment on that, but usually the italian films from this era use a cheaper film stock so the original film quality wouldn't have been as good as tron (I don't know if Inferno is this same way or if its BU's fault, the transfer looks beautiful to me). The supplements are few but good. The trailer seems to be a straight transfer from the SD disk, it should be watched only after the film since its full of spoilers, I do find it intersting just how much the trailer tries to make this a fast paced horror film instead of the slow atmospheric film it truly is. There is an interview with Argento and L.Bava, this also seems to be a SD transfer from the Anchor Bay disk. Its worth watching as well, especially for the sections where it talks about M. Bava having a part in the special effects, in a way this is one of the last films the great Bava worked on before he died. His visuals/effects work very well with Argento's vision. There are two new interviews with the brother and sister in the film (Leigh McCloskey and Irene Miracle). Both of these interviews are about 15 minutes each and I found them interesting. I do wish they would have been longer. Overall if you're an inferno fan and have the older Anchor Bay / non SE Blue Underground disk then this is an essential upgrade, the transfer looks great and its like watching the film in a different light. If the viewer is new to Argento, while I love this film, there are probably better places to start. I'd recommend The Bird with the Crystal Plumage as an accessible starter film. Suspiria (hopefully it will get a bluray release soon) and Deep Red are also two brilliant films to begin with. In short thanks Blue Underground for giving us another great transfer of a marvelous film! I can't wait for the releases of Deep Red and The Cat O' Nine Tails.

A visually stunning sequel to 'Suspiria'. The only connection it has to the original is the legend of 'the three mothers' notion; besides that, it's not a continuation sequel where you need to see Suspiria first. They're completely different movies but, of course, similar in style...Argento style that is. Also, some Argento fans do not like Suspiria which is understandable--even though it is his most well-known film in N. America, does not mean it is his best. If you are an anti-Suspirian but love, say, Deep Red & The Bird With The Crystal Plumage, please check out Inferno. Just stay away from the 3rd sequel, Mother Of Tears (2006)...sorry Dario.

サスペリアの続編です｡若い頃に観た時はそんなに面白いとは思えなかったですが、久しぶりに鑑賞したくなり購入したらめちゃくちゃ面白いかったです｡

Ero indeciso se prendere questa edizione americana Blue Underground oppure la britannica Arrow Video. Quest'ultima infatti aveva una confezione più accattivante, ottimi extra, un bel libretto all'interno. Alla fine però ho optato per BU, che sebbene sia più essenziale e con meno extra, ha un video migliore, più contrastato e con la grana non cancellata, il che lascia la tridimensionalità del video intatta. Molto molto meglio per gustarsi il film di Argento nella sua bella fotografia.

Film d'atmosphère où le scénario importe peu . Tout est histoire d'éclairages, de musique, d'alchimie , de meurtres , de couleurs . Une plongée de plein fouet dans l'étrange et le gothique . Des plans d'une beauté formelle et sans trucages numériques . Plus qu'un film , une oeuvre d'art meme si ce n'est pas le Argento le plus accessible. Pour moi le meilleur. A savoir qu'à ce jour seul cette édition US est digne de ce titre. Pas de grains et un mixage 7.1 pas mal du tout. De plus les sous titres français sont bien présents et le bluray est multizone. De toute beauté en comparaison au bluray FNAC édition à fuir!

Dario Argento is the godfather of italian horror cinema. "Inferno" was made in 1980, and is a loosely connected sequel to "Suspiria", Argentos masterpiece. As in "Suspiria", young women are killed by supernatural forces. Argento is a master of creating magicial and eerie atmospheres, gothic settings with strong colors and strange designs - an aspect I find more interesting than the gory special effects. There is a lot of blood and gore, so sensitive viewers should beware. But at the same time, todays audiences will probably find some of it unrealistic and reminding of ghost-rides in an entertainment park. THE FILM: I don't know if there is a point in going into the plot in detail. Suffice to say that "Inferno" is about haunted houses, alchemists, dark secrets and young people unlucky enough to get a glimpse of some of these secrets and unable to just forget about them. In "Suspiria" a young woman unsuspectingly joins a ballet academy which is ruled by a powerful witch, and witches ruling houses is a theme in "Inferno" as well (the so called Three Mothers refer to three witches or supernatural forces who rule three houses: Suspiriorum, Tenebrarum and Lachrymarum). The plot can seem simple at first but soon gets complicated and I'm not sure everything is explained. Argento wanted it this way, and in interviews he refers to the "secrets" of Inferno (interviews available in the extra material of this blu-ray). This makes it interesting to re-watch the film and find topics of discussion and interpretation. There's a lot of symbolism for sure, alchemy and black magic, but maybe those into psychoanalysis will have a ball. The special effects are typical 80s, and some viewers will find them overdramatised, cheesy and typical B-movie. Personally, I find this part of the style and charm and it's easy to see why Argentos films are cult. "Inferno" is a good and scary movie, but I find "Suspiria" to be superior. 4 stars. THE BLU-RAY: The transfer is probably showing the movie as faithful as possible. Seeing this on a projector is a delight. Though it's not super-sharp all the time, but much better than standard DVDs. The package is very impressive containing a whole extra disc with extra material: a docmentary about Argento and interviews with actors and other directors. There is an informative booklet as well, and picture cards and a poster. And if you don't like the cover of the box there are three alternatives! 5 stars. Easily recommended, if you're into horror movies it is a must-buy. If you're not so interested in horror but cinema in general, this package contains a valuable lecture. If you're sensitive to blood you should think twice.