"Inferno," the second installment in what is known as Dario Argento's "The Three Mothers Trilogy" came three years after its precursor, the seminal "Suspiria" in 1980.  Now, 31-years-later Blue Underground deliver the beautiful "Inferno" with its North American debut  on Blu-Ray.

We begin in New York city.  Rose (Irene Miracle, "Night Train Murders"), a poet, receives a book entitled “The Three Mothers" from an eerie antiques store shopkeeper next to her apartment building.  Written by an alchemist/architect named Varelli, “The Three Mothers" explores Varelli's involvement with The Three Mothers.  So the story goes, Varelli met The Three Mothers whilst living in London and designed and built for them three "dwelling places:" one in Rome, one in New York and one in Friedberg, Germany.  Mater Suspiriorum, The Mother of Sighs is the oldest and lives in Friedberg.  Mater Lacrimorum, The Mother of Tears is the most beautiful of the sisters and resides in Rome.  Mater Tenebrarum, The Mother of Darkness is the youngest and cruelest of the 3 and lives in New York.  The book cryptically continues to explain that there are three keys to the sisters (Mothers).  The primary key is that the land in which the houses are built will become deathly and plagued and will “reek horribly.”  The second key is hidden in the cellar under the Mothers’ houses.  There you can find the name and picture of the sister living in the house.  Lastly, the third key can be found under the soles of your shoes (whatever that means).  After the viewer is abreast of The Three Mothers saga, Rose writes her brother Mark (Leigh McCloskey) a letter in Rome about the mysterious Mothers and a connection to them and her apartment building.

One late night Rose attempts to talk to the antiques store shopkeeper about her belief in the book, but is basically shoed away.  Curiosity surrounds “The Three Mothers", so Rose explores the basement of her apartment building thinking it may be one of the Mother's dwellings, only to lose her keys in a deep water-filled hole in the floor.  Unable to reach her keys she oddly enters the "pool," which contains not only various artifacts, but also a floating corpse.  Moreover, her suspicions ring true, for in the water she finds a picture with the words "Mater Tenebrarum."  Able to retrieve her keys, she leaves the hole shaken and wet, with nipples that could cut glass, but unscathed.

In Rome, Rose's brother Mark attends a music class with his (girl)friend Sarah (Eleonora Giorgi) and attempts to read his sister's letter but is unfocused due to the beautiful gaze of a mysterious student (Alida Valli) and her cat.  When class is over, Mark forgetfully leaves the letter behind.  Sarah finds and reads the letter and is shaken by Rose's "Three Mothers" assertion and heads to a library to find her own copy of the book.  She finds a copy, but upon attempting to leave she stumbles upon some kind of alchemist chamber.  There, a creepy long gangly-fingered man identifies the book and tries to dunk her head in a boiling cauldron, causing her to leave the book behind while getting the hell out of there.  She returns to her apartment building, but is too afraid to be alone so she asks Carlo (Gabriele Lavia, "Scandalous Gilda"), a man in the elevator to keep her company.  In her apartment is where the fun starts.  When the power begins to flicker, Carlo investigates, to return with a knife through his neck.  Sarah meets a similar fate, all by the hands of the traditional black gloved killer as well as a long gangly-fingered killer.  Thus begins the cycle of strangeness and slaughter that occurs in “Inferno” by the power of The Three Mothers.

"Inferno" is a film filled with beauty and splendor which Argento has been known for.  The film is exquisitely lit with hues of red and blue which accent the architectural visuals exceptionally.  This is not a straightforward film with a beginning, middle and end.  It is more of an auditory and visual experience than it is a film such as Argento’s "Tenebre" for example.  One thing is certain with "Inferno," you can't take your eyes off the screen.  The film crisscrosses between Argento's trademarked black gloved killer, to a long nailed killer and even a mad butcher as the murderers.  Not to mention a killer title song by Keith Emerson.

Daria Nicolodi ("Shock") also makes an appearance playing Elise, a woman who lives above Rose's apartment.  This plot is thickened when Mark rushes to New York City to check on his sister's "disappearance" where all kinds of bizarre situations ensue.  Notably, a scene in particular which is sure to make cat lovers cringe, shows a man struggling to drown a bag of cats, who is later eaten by an army of rats!  "Inferno," might not be everyone's delight, but for Argento fans it is surely magical.

Blue Underground presents Dario Argento's "Inferno" in a 50GB Blu-Ray with 1080p HD resolution and a 1.85:1 aspect ratio.  There is some light grain throughout the film, but its visual representation is stunning.  There are several audio options to choose from: English 7.1 DTS-HD, English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX, English Dolby Surround 2.0 and Italian Mono.  There are English, French and Spanish subtitles.  For the Extras we get three interesting interviews.  'Art & Alchemy - Interview with Star Leigh MacCloskey' shot in HD which runs 15-minutes.  'Reflections of Rose - Interview with Star Irene Miracle' is also HD and runs 14-minutes.  There is also an interview with Dario Argento and Assistant Director Lamberto Bava running 8-minutes.  Rounding out the supplements is a 'Theatrical Trailer' for "Inferno."  This release also contains a short introduction by the maestro himself.

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 DVD SPECS:
 Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 16x9 1080p
 Region: A
 Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD, 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Surround 2.0, Italian Mono

 SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL:
 - Intro with Dario Argento
 - Art & Alchemy - Interview with Star Leigh MacCloskey
 - Reflections of Rose - Interview with Star Irene Miracle
 - Interview with Dario Argento and Assistant Director Lamberto Bava
 - Theatrical Trailer