It’s been a while since I watched Argento’s Suspiria, though I remember enjoying it, so when I learned he did two more films set in the same world I knew I had to seek them out. The first follow-up film is 1980’s Inferno.

Rose (Irene Miracle) is living in New York (with Italian locations serving as the big city) and has come across a book called The Three Mothers. We, the viewer have encountered one of the Mothers before in Suspira, and the book Rose reads details the work of an architect, who built the residences in Rome, Germany and New York for the Three Mothers.

She reaches out to her brother, Mark (Leigh McCloskey) when she becomes increasingly freaked out by the things she’s discovering in the book which seems to directly relate to the building she lives in.

When Mark loses contact with Rose (surprise she was murdered for getting too close to the truth) Mark travels to New York to explore the strange building and its inhabitants, but this may lead to a horrifying reveal that may jeopardize his life even if it leads to a shocking truth.

Apparently, Argento was very ill during the filming of this movie, so he was aided by fellow director, Mario Bava, but the use of colour, lighting and hallucinogenic sets and storytelling are full Argento. There are cat attacks, rat attacks, tricks with mirrors, and troubling architecture.

I think at some point shortly I need to watch all three films back to back, not only to see and explore all the connective tissue but also see how Argento changes as a director. Suspiria was released in 1977, and the final film Mother of Tears which came out in 2007.

There are interesting kills, some fascinating stylistic choices, and a brilliant use of saturated colour. It can be a tough watch, there’s lots going on, but it’s fascinating. And honestly, if forced to choose, I like Argento films that are edged with a little of the supernatural as opposed to just slashers. But he knows how to deliver a solid Giallo film.

There’s a reason he’s a master.

Sure, there’s no real surprise that Professor Arnold’s (Feodor Chaliapin Jr.) nurse (Veronica Lazar) is Mater Tenebrarum (Mother of shadows), but the fun little reveal on who Arnold is, and his connection to the story was very welcome.

It’s a fun, sometimes hard watch, the acting isn’t always the best, but the imagery, that’s what you come to an Argento film for, and this one does look great. There are some great sequences, the underwater sequence with Rose, Mark’s journey through the crawlspace of the building, and the final confrontation, all great!

I’ll have to find Mother of Tears in the very near future, and then do a triple feature,