Rose, an American student with a fascination for obscure, esoteric texts, becomes drawn to writings connected, at least on the surface, to alchemical circles. Convinced that the contents of the occult book The Three Mothers are real, she follows one of its clues down into the basement of a New York building.
The volume, written by an architect named Varelli, speaks of three dwellings that are in fact gateways to Hell, located in New York, Rome, and Freiburg.
After being lured to the building by the book's hints, Rose first encounters a mysterious presence, then is attacked and killed by a monstrous creature.
Her brother Mark, a music student in Rome, grows uneasy after receiving a disturbing letter from her and decides to travel to New York. There, while trying to piece things together, he meets Kazanian, a limping bookseller who had supplied Rose with her readings.
Back in Rome, a friend of Mark and one of his neighbors are brutally murdered by a demonic entity.
For Mark, this marks the beginning of a nightmare, as he comes to understand that Rose was neither delusional nor imagining things—she had uncovered a horrifying truth: Kazanian was involved in the construction of the New York building where both siblings lived, and within it resides the most terrifying of the Three Mothers: Mater Tenebrarum, the Mother of Darkness…
Inferno (1980) was conceived by Argento as the middle chapter of a horror trilogy that began with Suspiria (Mater Suspiriorum) in 1977 and concluded in 2007 with The Mother of Tears (Mater Lacrimarum).
The film features special effects work by Mario Bava and, despite its deliberately abstract and unreal narrative, stands as a key entry in Dario Argento's filmography.
Even critic Tullio Kezich, typically unsympathetic toward the genre, offered a partial endorsement upon its release.
Working alongside his then-wife Daria Nicolodi, Argento crafted a screenplay steeped in hallucination and dream logic.
Some have noted echoes of Lovecraftian atmospheres in its imagery, from cursed dwellings to the surreal landscapes evoked by the lunar eclipse over Central Park.
All of which secures Inferno a significant place within international horror cinema.
Review by Undying1
