Inferno (Movie Review)

Like most of director Dario Argento's films - and Italian horror, in general - Inferno makes little sense. But, the film is visually striking and has the feel of a waking nightmare.

The plot, such as it is, involves a woman named Rose (played by the lovely Irene Miracle) who suspects that her gothic NYC apartment building is a witches‘ coven after buying an old book from a local antiques dealer. Rose contacts her brother who is studying music abroad in Rome, and he begins investigating some of the weird goings-on in Rose’s building.

None of this really matters, though, as this film is definitely all about style over substance. And that’s OK, as the cinematography is truly beautiful, and the set design is excellent. In what I feel is the standout scene of the film, Rose wanders into the basement of the ancient apartment building, finds a strange hole in the floor filled with water, and, inexplicably, climbs down into it. Rose discovers an entire room, completely furnished, entirely submerged under water. Who knows what this room means in the context of the narrative, but it’s the closest thing to a true representation of a dream or nightmare that I’ve ever seen captured on celluloid.

A subplot focusing on the antiques dealer is less successful than the main plot-line revolving around Rose and her brother, and culminates in the shop owner being chewed to death by rats after drowning a bag of live cats. For some reason, a nearby hot dog vendor and an eclipse seem to drive the rats to kill the man, and this scene seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the movie. But it just adds to the feeling of viewing a nightmare rather watching a movie.

Inferno is filled with odd, bright lighting and technicolor kills, though it’s a little subdued compared to the better-known Suspiria, which Argento created three years earlier. There’s plenty of gore, but it’s perhaps not as creatively displayed as in Argento’s previous work. I feel that Inferno is the better film, though, based mainly on an overall more sinister mood.

Fans of more conventional horror films filled with jump scares and silly cinema conventions like coherency will most likely not enjoy Inferno. But fans of Suspiria, Italian horror, surrealism or all of the above, or even jaded moviegoers who feel like they've seen it all will find a lot to like here. This is Argento at the height of his fame and creative abilities, and there is enough striking imagery here for five films. If you’ve only seen Suspiria and feel that’s all Argento has to offer, Inferno will show you that he was once a true master of horror and not a one trick pony.