Inferno

Dario Argento's follow up to the classic Suspiria continues the plotline of the Three Mothers, three witches that reside in their own repesctive splendid gothic buildings specifically designed and built for them. This time round events take place in New York where a young girl is obsessed with various clues she is tracking down while residing in one of said buildings using the book of the Three Mothers to unravel the surreal demonic goings on.

Inferno is often misunderstood by genre fans that try to read too much into this italian classic. Argento delivers a very satisfying and suitable follow up to Suspiria, and though not as seminal as it's predecesor Inferno will not disapoint new fans of Argento's work.

The print on view is delicious, the film looks as though it was filmed last week making it fresh to watch even for hardened Argento fans (like myself) that have seen the film many, many times.

The two things that I did note on this fresh viewing though was firstly that Mario Bava's influence on the film is obviously more prominent than is actually recognised (something that is touched upon nicely in the accompanying Featurette by his son Lamberto). Secondly I couldn't help but be disapointed by Leigh McCloskey's performance in the main male lead role as Mark. His performance is very unemotive and nowhere near as strong as other male Argento leads (just look at Bird, Deep Red etc) and the ensemble of excellently played sub characters in Inferno by the strong female cast outshine him in every way.

That said, this only a small quibble in a big movie that delights in pure Argento style and will please all you fans of Argento's work. Though if you're new to Mr Argento's work make sure you see Suspiria before viewing this sequel or you may just get a bit confused.

The disc is simply gorgeous, the widescreen print has never looked better, the dolby surround audio sounded fantastic on my system (Keith Emerson's soundtrack is crisp and clear). The extras are minimal but worth their weight in gold with a short but fascinating background documentary/interview segment (that really should be longer) and the usual trailer, bios etc.

Maybe not as lovely a package as the Deep Red disc but still a must have for any self respecting fan of Darios work. Great film and a well produced disc - Buy It !!