26. DANZA MACABRA: Boogie down with some soundtrack-heavy giallo.
Inferno
In the event you’ve been following together with our psychotronic movie opinions this month, you may’ve learn my reflections on The Past, by which I revealed myself to be a Fulci girlie. (I am extra intrigued by the underdog director’s creative gore than Dario Argento’s shiny, however generally skinny narrative buildings.)
There’s nonetheless a lot to rejoice about Argento’s work, although. The giallo large’s surreal, atmospheric art-house type is echoed by trendy auteurs like Nicolas Winding Refn and Panos Cosmatos. I would speculate that Argento’s proclivity for prog-rock scores impressed John Carpenter’s beloved synth-heavy soundtracks, too.
Wedged between Argento’s celebrated flicks Suspiria and Tenebrae is the 1980 entry Inferno, an undersung center youngster of his filmography. It is an eerie, considerably inscrutable little slice of folklore. When poet Rose Elliot finds an alchemist’s e-book in an Higher West Facet vintage store, she learns that three malevolent sisters rule the world, one in all whom is perhaps in her midst. Rose, her brother, and their numerous associates are then stalked by cloaked killers. Keyboardist-composer Keith Emerson’s tense rating is not Goblin-level god tier, nevertheless it gels completely with the creepy proceedings. (Emerson’s fairly freaky in his personal proper—he is identified for stabbing his keyboard with knives to carry highly effective notes.)
Past that framework, Inferno largely coasts on vibes. Anticipate late-night libraries, braless girls, fractured glass, rabid cat gangs, and a man who will get murked by a bunch of rats. (That is one in all Inferno‘s greatest scenes, by the way in which. “The rats are consuming me alive!” a personality hollers, overcome by hordes of the little suckers in the course of Central Park. A sizzling canine vendor wanders over and butchers the remainder of his physique. New Yawk, am I proper?)
And certain, Inferno depends closely on aesthetics, however there are some visionary elements of the movie, too. Early on, Rose explores the cellar of her shadowy residence constructing and stumbles throughout an previous ballroom that is fully flooded. After dropping her keys within the murky water, Rose dives into the ballroom, the place she’s nudged by a rotted corpse floating amongst Victorian prospers and vintage chandeliers.
The scene delivers an entrancing mixture of claustrophobia and dramatic gelled lighting design. It is stylish—Argento all the time is. It is also troublesome to flee.
The Stranger is taking part in Scarecrow Video’s Psychotronic Problem all month lengthy! Each October, Scarecrow places collectively a listing of cinematic themes and invitations of us to observe alongside and watch a horror, sci-fi, or fantasy flick that meets the standards. This yr, Stranger staffers are becoming a member of the enjoyable and we’re sharing our every day suggestions right here on Slog! Learn extra about Scarecrow’s 2024 problem—and get the watch listing—right here. And you may monitor our every day suggestions right here! 💀
