Inferno

Traditionnellement onirique, visuellement élégant, l'horreur de Daria Argenta est cette fois-ci si "sans histoire" que par moments on en oublie de quoi il s'agit. (11/04/2002)

Inferno a réellement des visuels captivants et certaines scènes ont une « beauté » qui a de quoi marquer les esprits. Le problème, c’est la non-action. On étend un thème basique à travers plusieurs épisodes dans lesquels les personnages sont éliminés au cours de séquences longues et tortueuses, l’intrigue ne menant nulle part. Inferno ne vaut pas non plus le film précédent en matière de jeu d’acteurs et de musique. Malgré tout, il mérite d’être vu. (04/06/2018)

Although I wholeheartedly endorse Lucio Fulci’s dictum whereby Argento is as adept as a composer of captivating scenes as he is inept as a scriptwriter, I didn’t mind the lack of story arc in this case, because Argento finally resigns himself to trying to shock us (read: annoy us) with a plot twist, presumably concocted for him by the chimpanzee from Phenomena. This one’s strictly about atmosphere and a beautiful color palette. Then again, just between you and me, the last twenty minutes or so, following the rat attack, again suffer from the highly spurious, implausible catastrophe of a script. That’s not something I’d expect to ever happen in a film by the aforementioned Fulci, not to mention Bava, Lenzi or other master directors. Argento is not my cup of tea. (30/08/2020)

My overall impression is a bit hesitant because Inferno is a considerably uneven film. On one hand, its impressiveness, style, and atmosphere cannot be denied, but on the other, it gives the impression of being confused in many aspects, so confused that I doubted the director's intention - it seems more like the magic of randomness worked. The film resembles a confused dream, a nightmare that troubles us shortly before awakening. A good choice for horror fans, but supporters of a clear plotline and explanatory endings should stay far away from Inferno. Overall impression: 60%. (09/10/2009)

Visually, this is probably Argento’s most intoxicating and beautiful film. A surreal atmosphere, beautiful colours and so little of a story that it could fit on a pinhead. I didn’t like Inferno at first, like Suspiria, but a second viewing helped me appreciate it. A piece of advice: if you’re beginning with old horror stuff from Italy, leave Argento’s witch flicks for last. Inferno is really beautiful, but there could really have been at least a little bit more of a plot, hence the four stars. (30/06/2008)