Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #72901 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-04-25
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 106 minutes

Amazon.com
Dario Argento's sequel to Suspiria, his first and to date only American hit, is an even more incoherent nightmare fantasy. Laden with symbolic imagery and fantastic explosions of death shot in candy-colored hues, it's a bloody feast for the eyes. Mark (Leigh McCloskey), an American music student in Rome, rushes home to New York after a frantic phone call from his sister only to find an empty apartment and obscure clues about a supernatural presence in her spooky building. It all has something to do with the mysterious Mater Tenebrarum, one of the "Three Mothers" of Argento's murky mythology, and the fun house of an apartment house she inhabits, complete with a fully furnished underwater ballroom, miles of secret tunnels flooded in red and blue light, and hidden passageways under the floorboards. Meanwhile, there's a killer running around stabbing beautiful women for who knows what reason, a crippled bookseller attacked by rats, and a homicidal hot-dog vendor in Central Park. Why? It's best not to ponder such mysteries--Argento obviously isn't as concerned with making sense of his meticulously staged murders as he is with lighting them with just the right hue. Dramatically it's inert, a parade of quirky but faceless victims dispatched with elaborate care, but it's beautifully designed and executed, a spectacle of elaborate set pieces and magnificent decor orchestrated with a complete disdain for narrative logic. --Sean Axmaker

DVD Maniacs
"Argento At His Very Best!"

Customer Reviews

The stuff of nightmares.
Inferno is probably one of my favorite Dario Argento film and is one of the best films in the three mothers trilogy, the film has an intriguing and frightening story and great atmosphere but there are many flaws in the script and the acting wasn't particularly that good, but then again who watches a Dario Argento flick for the acting?. The film was beautifully shot and had a nice gothic atmosphere that almost seems like a living nightmare and there are some nicely made setpieces which were very memorable, my favorite would have to be the part where Irene Miracle's character is swimming in an underground room filled with water. I'm not going to compare all three films since each one was different, this one was somewhat similar to Susperia but had a couple of difference mainly because of the location and the third film which was the weakest but still watchable was completely different and more modern.

The whole film was visually stunning where the use of color is more prominent with mostly blue, red, and orange hues just like in Susperia and there is some great use of lighting by Argento. Anyway the film is all about witches, ancient alchemy and death and is Dario Argento's follow up to the classic Suspiria which continues the plotline of the Three Mothers, three witches that reside in their own respective gothic buildings specifically designed and built for them. A young woman (Irene Miracle) renting out a room in a multiple-story Gothic mansion in New York City (also head quarters to the witches) becomes obsessed with a book on the sisters and ends up meeting a gruesome demise for her meddling. Her brother (Leigh McCloskey) receives a distressed letter and returns from musicology studies in Rome to investigate, he then encounters a series of grisly murders and coming face to face with the spirit of death itself!.

Inferno is often misunderstood by Argento fans who either complain about the bad acting or think it's confusing but in my honest opinion I thought it was a very satisfying and suitable follow up to Suspiria and was quite entertaining too. There are a few things to note while watching Inferno and that is Mario Bava's influence on the film which is obviously more prominent than is actually recognised and the awesome musical score done by Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, the music was just absolutely wonderful and set the right mood for the film which was dark and creepy. The death scenes and gore were pretty good but I would say that they were tame compared to Dario's other films, in one particular scene which I thought was a bit hilarious and absurd has a guy who's trying to drown a bunch of cats in a bag near by the lake then all of a sudden stumbles and falls in the lake only to by butchered by a maniac hot dog vendor and then eaten by a bunch of rats, this scene in particular did not make any sense but was pretty cool to watch. I have the old Anchor Bay edition and the disc is simply gorgeous with a great widescreen print that has never looked better and the dolby surround audio sounded fantastic on my system (Keith Emerson's soundtrack rocks and is very clear!).

The extras however are minimal but definitely worth it and contains a short but fascinating background documentary/interview segment (that really should be longer) and the usual trailer, bios etc. while not as packaged as the Deep Red disc it's still a must have for any self respecting fan of Dario's work, Inferno was a fantastic horror film that has tons of style, some good and gruesome death scenes and dark atmosphere that will please all you fans of Argento's work, but if you're new to Argento's work make sure you see Suspiria before viewing this sequel or you may just get a bit confused.

Beautifully shot but poorly scripted
Beautifully shot but poorly scripted second installment in Dario's tale of the three sisters with Goblinesque soundtrack by Keith Emerson.A journey into a surreal Hitchcockian, dreamscape of labyrinthian architecture, corridors, rooms, cellars, staircases, secret passages, dungeons, submerged rooms and alchemical mysteries, all flavoured with Dario's atypical gruesome murder scenes.

"Inferno" Is A Roller Coaster Ride Through Hell - The Nightmarish Sequel To "Suspiria"
Like millions of other Dario Argento fans, I am eagerly awaiting the American release of "The Mother of Tears." In the meantime, I decided to review the first two films in the Three Mothers Trilogy. The first film, "Suspiria," was based on Mater Suspiriorum, the Mother of Sighs. The second film, "Inferno," is based on Mater Tenebrarum, the Mother of Shadows.

In the prologue of "Inferno," viewers are introduced to the novel The Three Mothers. However, they soon learn that it is not a work of fiction. The Three Mothers (actually they are sisters) are witches. An architect, E. Varelli, built each one a gothic mansion in different parts of the world. Death and destruction have always surrounded these mansions.

A young poet, Rose Elliot (Irene Miracle of "Midnight Express" and "Puppet Master") lives in New York. She buys The Three Mothers and suspects that the apartment building in which she lives belongs to the Mother of Shadows. Disturbed by the book's contents, she mails a letter to her brother Mark (Leigh McCloskey of "Dallas" fame). Soon people around them begin dying in gruesome manners, murdered by an unseen assailant.

There are many similarities between "Suspiria" and "Inferno." First, and foremost, is the fact that they were both directed by the Italian Hitchcock, Dario Argento. Both have gorgeous, elaborate sets that are filmed in a dreamlike palette of primary colors of reds and blues. In "Suspiria," the house was a ballet school with students as victims. The house of "Inferno" is an apartment building and its wealthy tenants are victimized. Both have gruesome death sequences involving animals. In "Suspiria," a blind man is attacked and killed by his seeing eye dog. Rats and cats attack tenants of "Inferno." Both films have great musical scores to accentuate the violence. The endings are fiery.

Furthermore, Alida Valli, who starred in "Suspiria," returns for another evil role. Daria Nicolodi who co-wrote the script for "Suspiria" has a supporting role as well. She was the long-time girlfriend of Dario Argento and also starred in his giallo mega hit "Deep Red." She starred in other films of his as well such as "Phenomena," "Tenebre," and "Opera."

Unfortunately, "Inferno" never enjoyed the same success as "Suspiria." This is partly due to its ending which seemed contrived. It was very difficult to understand. However, sometimes dreams, or nightmares, can be difficult to comprehend. If we approach "Inferno" as a nightmare, then anything is possible.

It will be very interesting to view "The Mother of Tears" for the first time and look for similarities between it and the first two installments of the Three Mothers Trilogy. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the visual roller coaster ride from Hell that is "Inferno."