INFERNO

There are mysterious parts in that book, but the only true mystery is that our very lives are governed by dead people.  
Inferno was released in 1980.  This film is a spiritual successor to Argento's Suspiria.  Once again we are in the world of the Three Mothers.  This film was more like a collection of vignettes  than one cohesive story.  I liked the fact that anyone touched by the mystery running through this movie was confronted by the evil of the Mothers.  This movie allowed Argento to give the audiences even more of a back story to the Three Mothers.  I still think I hold Suspiria as my favorite of the series but this movie had a lot of strong, nightmarish visuals and added even more to Mother's mythology.

The book referred to  in the quote above is from the book The Three Mothers written by a fellow named E. Varelli.  This book is purchased by a girl named Rose Elliot, from an old antique book dealer.  Varelli was an architect who was forced by the Three Mothers to construct their houses in Germany, New York and Rome.  From these houses the witches could manipulate world events and amass great wealth with their powers.  The more Rose reads the architect's diary, she begins to believe that her apartment is located in one of the witch's, Mater Tenebrarum, house.  We follow Rose as she investigate the Mother of Darkness' house.  After Rose goes spelunking (check this movie out) in the basement of the home she writes her brother a letter.  Her brother, Mark, is studying music in Rome.  Yup.  He's studying music in the other, other witch's house.  Mark's friend actually receives the letter and is brutally killed because of it.  Mark must then return to New York to find his sister and get to the bottom of all this witch nonsense.  Wacky hijinks ensue.  Even Death makes an appearance by the end of the film.  

It had been so long since I've seen this movie.  I enjoyed how the architect's diary added a little depth to the story of the Three Mothers.  The rules that the book establishes for finding the houses are pretty great.  Once again, this movie is shot like a dream.  This is especially clear when Rose goes looking for her keys.  She is underwater for at least 10 minutes, swimming through the flooded basement.  It doesn't matter that she's down there that long, what matters is the beautiful way she is shot floating through room after room.  The corpse at the end really isn't half bad either.  Like I said, I like how when the characters go searching or come across knowledge of the Mothers, they must fight for their lives as they descend into a nightmare.  The Mother of Shadows is the main baddie in this picture but while Mark is in Rome we do get a shot of the Mother of Tears, the most beautiful of the three witches.  There are a few twists I don't want to ruin.  There is a decent little mystery here wrapped in all the trippy sequences.  Goblin did not do the soundtrack for this one.  Instead the reins were taken by Keith Emerson, and plays much more like a gory opera.  I liked how the movie was different enough in tone to distinguish itself from Suspiria.  Once again Argento uses everything- setting, lighting, sound, to draw viewers in to a disorienting, terrifying experience.
Have you ever heard of the Three Sisters?
What I like
I like the pick up line used in the elevator.  I'll have to try it sometime.
I like that I've seen this movie a dozen times but that mirror scene gets me EVERY TIME.
I like that people who read things that aren't addressed to them DIE.
I like the hot dog murder scene.  You know the one.

Later guys.  Two witches down, one to go....