Remi Andre

This is part of my “Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever” category. Here I go through all the movies written and directed by Dario Argento, and provide you with the pleasure of reading my views on them!

Well, blow me down, and oh! em! gee! it’s the first of my two favorite Argento movies, Inferno (1980)!

And really, you won’t find that many people who agree with me, as its predecessor, Suspiria, is by most considered the superior movie. Fair enough, but I find this, the second entry in the Three Mothers trilogy (which recently was completed with La Terza Madre), to be not just the perfect Argento movie, but the perfect movie within the confines of what it is.

Like Suspiria before it, this is again a movie that strictly follows nightmare logic: a huge mansion, now being used as an apartment with room placements that make no sense, set on a basement filled with water is something that might not be structurally sound, but whatever. This is an Argento movie. Anything goes.

The movie is similar to its predecessor in many ways (particularly the color palette), but significantly slower. This is partly due to Keith Emerson’s sleepy soundtrack (a rather underrated one at that), and even more so because of the filming and editing. Each shot is gorgeously set up — similar to Suspiria, but prettier — and they’re held in perfect timing. Gone is the pulse pounding 15 minute opening of the first Mother, now replaced with a slow trek which leads the heroine to a room filled with water.

The legendary Mario Bava worked for a short time on the movie, and have often been credited with this underwater scene. And while his contributions to the movie were definitely an asset, particularly his mix of paintings and live filming, he categorically did not have anything to do with that part of the Inferno. In fact, Argento was in the hospital while the scene was filmed, and the crew — who were directed through highly detailed notes — was credited at the end of the film. (Why the scene isn’t considered Argento’s is beyond me. It’s not like he’d have jumped into the water if he was there.)

There is no shortage of crazy violent scenes in Inferno, but they’re all, for the lack of a better term, weird. I mean that as a compliment. In fact, the whole movie is so dreamlike that it might just confound viewers more than Suspiria ever did. And to me, that is OK.

I like this movie quite a bit, and so should you.

New! Because of popular demand, I will try to rank each Argento movie I watch, as I watch them. Which leaves the current standing…

1. Inferno
2. Suspiria
3. Deep Red
4. Four Flies on Grey Velvet
5. The Cat o’Nine Tails
6. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

Yes. I know it’s all chronological so far. But that shall change next time, when Tenebre is being watched. (Dam dam dam!)