A young woman named Rose finds a book called The Three Mothers, a chronicle of three witches named Mater Lachrymarum, Mater Suspiriorum and Mater Tenebrarum. Reading the book, she believes she lives in one of the buildings where one of the Three Mothers also resides. She writes to her brother, hoping he will visit, and after her excursions into the basement of the building, she is more sure than ever. Her brother Mark, meanwhile, is in Rome and begins to see a strange woman after receiving his sister’s letter. His friend finds the letter, which talks of the Three Mothers and not knowing, and it starts off a chain reaction of death that will lead back to New York and a confrontation with Death itself.

Inferno, the second film in the loosely connected Three Mothers trilogy, is a wonder to behold. Directed by the one and only Dario Argento, the man makes a great movie, not necessarily because the story is always the best one has ever seen, but because he can set the mood and paint the picture better than almost anyone, selling whatever he wants to put down. That comes in handy in this particular picture because the characters that inhabit this world are fairly one-dimensional and because of that, the viewer has little to latch on to, meaning no reason to care about them in any sort of fashion. Not always a terrible thing, depending on the story and how it plays out. Yet this film is no normal slasher or monster movie; it is far more complex, so having a lead someone can root for almost always makes a difference. Here, the character of Mark, as played by Leigh McCloskey, is simply there. One does feel for him a little when he discovers the fate of his sister, but he is almost like an automaton – going through the motions rather than living them. Rose feels the same way, as do Carole and the rest of the cast. Almost all of this can be attributed to the script, written by Argento himself, who fails not only to flesh out his cast but also to write a story that is slightly disjointed in spots, making for a strange yet surreal viewing experience.

Much like many an Argento film, this movie looks great. Each scene is incredible to behold, from its lighting to its style; the framing of each scene, each sequence, is fantastic. The underwater ballroom, the New York City apartments, the music hall- each is meticulously shot and staged to create a lasting aura from the beginning to the end. The atmosphere Argento crafts is meticulous and mysterious, and one cannot help but immerse themselves in every minute of the film. It definitely helps to offset the story, which is lacking and less than coherent, and because of that, it helps to lift this movie up from what it might have been to something more. One might even call it wondrous, or at least wondrous at times, as each scene flows into the next, battling for a lasting impression on the viewer. If there is one additional qualm to be made, it is the lack of a proper soundtrack, or at least of Goblin. It is incredible to see how different an Argento film can be with or without the legendary band. While they definitely would have added a little more to what was here, Keith Emerson did an able job of it all and made the moody picture even more so.

A lot of the horror in this film comes from the unpredictability of its script. Sometimes it rears its head through the unknown, and at other times, it strikes with violence. There is little blood to be had, and it forsakes nudity for mood and of that, there is a plethora. It is not a particularly scary movie, but it is entirely captivating. That said, when something happens to a character, it elicits little reaction because the film does not focus on any of them. People come, people go, and they fail to make an impact, as noted earlier. When Mater Tenebrarum finally makes the scene, one hopes the film will kick into full gear, but it never really does.

Compared to earlier pictures, Argento’s Inferno is still an incredible piece of film and definitely worth looking at. The story might be a little fractured, be it on purpose or not, but it works as a whole despite its weaknesses. Well worth the time.

3.5 out of 5