This instalment of "I've Never..." is talking about the criminally under rated Dario Argento film "Inferno". Dario Argento is considered one of the finest horror film directors of all time having written and directed such classics as "Suspiria", "Demons" and "Deep Red". in 1977 Argento wrote and directed the cult classic "Suspiria" a tale of murder and suspense which forged the first part of the so called "Three Mothers Trilogy" the second of which is "Inferno". Whilst the 3 films, the final part being 2007s "The Mother Of Tears", are not conventional sequels, they follow similar themes.
"Inferno" follows the story of Rose Elliot, a poet living in New York who stumbles upon a book entitled "The Three Mothers" written by an architect by the name of Verelli. The book mentions the story of "The Three Mothers" who rule the world from three separate houses, one in Freiburg, one in New York and one in Rome. Rose suspects she may be living in the very house she has read about. She contacts her brother, Mark, who is studying musicology in Rome, to tell him of this fact. What comes next is a decent into a horrific world of murder, intrigue and witchcraft told in a way only Argento could do.
I purchased "Inferno" through Amazon. I bought the fantastic remastered version on Blu Ray that was released through "Arrow Films" and with every "Arrow Films" release there are some fantastic special features including an Q and A's, a special documentary about "The Black Cat" the unofficial sequel and a full colour booklet talking about "Inferno"
I loved "Inferno" I would go as far as saying I preferred it to "Suspiria" The story was incredibly suspenseful thanks to an almost operatic score that drove and boomed as the suspense built. The usual Giallo style is present through out. The horror is almost secondary to the crime and suspense in the story. When the bloodshed comes it is brutal in a simplistic way that is lost now with the more realistic gore of modern horror cinema. There is blood and gore but, in an almost tasteful manner that whilst was detested when the film was made would be seen as tame to the modern audience. The fantastical style of lighting and staging is present throughout. The trademark red purple and blue colour pallet of Giallo and Argento films play an important part in appreciating the surroundings. The use of shadow is also present, almost hiding and distorting the view of the action from the audience.
This is Argento at his best and whilst I am talking about "Inferno" I would highly recommend you watch "Suspiria" and "Deep Red" as well as they are fantastic, stylish horror films with terrific scores. I would also recommend the two "Demon" films as well as they really show a great balance of Argentos earlier work whilst embracing modern horror cinema.
As always thanks for reading and if you have anything to add or to make a comment leave one below in the comment section or by following me on social media:
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