Inferno (1980) - Argento's satanic, New York-set nightmare masterpiece

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A fashionably colored skull outline with a seductive woman's lips and jaws in a sea of black makes up most of this most elegant poster for Dario Argento's Inferno

A music student pursues tracks from his sister's mysterious disappearance in New York, just after being near to an equally mysterious double homicide in Rome, his place of study.

 

Inferno is written and directed by Italian master filmmaker Dario Argento (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage/L'Uccello dalle Piume di Cristallo (1970)), whose 7th feature it is. Dardano Sacchetti (Turbo (2000, TV-series)) and co-writer/co-star Daria Nicolodi (Suspiria (1977)) contributed uncredited contributions, and the story is inspired by Thomas De Quincey's (Lake Reminiscences (1834-40)) Suspiria de Profundis (1845). It is the second film in Argento's Three Mothers trilogy, also consisting of Suspiria (1977) and Mother of Tears/La Terza Madre (2007).

It is a fantastical, dream-like horror. Its opening scenes in a largely deserted New York City are unforgettable, and so are several incredible scenes later on. The Verdi scene in Rome and the cat drowning scene in Central Park must be called out as among the film's highlights.

Beautifully, atmospherically lit, and designed with exemplary effects, Inferno is memorable as a surrealist, sensually dense, deeply cinematic descent into the dark hell of our subconscious. It is among Argento's best, an unavoidable, strange and wild horror classic.

 

Related posts:

Dario Argento: The Phantom of the Opera/Il Fantasma dell'Opera (1998) - Argento's Leroux adaptation is a kicker mostly for stout fans 

Demons/Dèmoni (1985) or, Cinema of Death! (co-writer/producer)

Dawn of the Dead (1978) or, Mall of Death! (co-composer)

The Cat O'Nine Tails/Il Gatto a Nove Code (1971) - Solid genetics-themed giallo murder puzzle 

The Bird With the Crystal Plumage/L'uccello Dalle Piume di Cristallo (1970) - The great debut giallo of Dario Argento

Documentary about Dario Argento: An Eye for Horror (2002) - Bio. doc. of Dario Argento 

 

 

Watch a modern-made trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 3 mil. $

Box office: In excess of 1.6 mil. $ (Italy only)

= Uncertain but likely a huge flop (projected return of 0.66 times its cost)

[Inferno was released 7 February (Italy) and runs 107 minutes. Shooting took place from May - September 1970 in Rome, Italy and in New York. Argento became ill with hepatitis during the shoot. The film was commissioned after Suspiria's success, but new Fox management saw no quality in the endeavor and the film reportedly only had a tiny release in North America. The gross numbers, except for Italy, where the film was popular, are regrettably not reported. Only 1,126 paid admission in Denmark. With a projected final gross of 2 mil. $, the film would rank as a huge flop. Argento returned with Tenebrae (1982). Eleonora Giorgi (SoloMetro (2007)) returned in Mia moglie è una Strega (1980); Leigh McCloskey (Bones (2011, TV-series)) in Hart to Hart (1981, TV-series) and theatrically in Hearts and Armour (1983); and Alida Valli (La Bocca (1991) in L'eredità della Priora (1980, miniseries)), Verso l'ora Zero (1980, TV movie) and theatrically in Aquella Casa en las Afueras (1980). Inferno is fresh at 63 % with a 5.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Inferno?

The Ninth Gate (1999) - Class and atmosphere galore in underrated Polanski thriller

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A dark and menacing poster for Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate

A New York-based rare book dealer is contracted to locate and authenticate two 17th century books, which legend says has a diabolical parentage.

 

The Ninth Gate is written by John Brownjohn (Tess (1979)) and Enrique Urbizu (Cachito (1996)), adapting the novel The Club Dumas/El Club Dumas (1993) by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (Falcó (2016)), and directed by French-Polish master filmmaker Roman Polanski (Knife in the Water/Nóz w Wodzie (1962)), whose 15th feature it is.

It is a dark and sprightly Gothic thriller about books and the devil. The story is a bit knotty but only to the extent which many other great films also are knotty. It is a gloomy and noir-like atmosphere that defines The Ninth Gate, like a modern The Omen (1976), and very Polanski.

Wojciech Kilar's (The Pianist (2002)) score is suspenseful with a tragic edge and masterful. On the performance side, Johnny Depp (The Tourist (2010)) does well as the intellectual, semi-alcoholic book detective protagonist; Frank Langella (Superman Returns (2006)) is somber as a satanical millionaire; and Emmanuelle Seigner (RPM (1997)) is ideal as a diabolical woman, who may be suspected of being Satan herself.

Related posts:

Roman Polanski: An Officer and a Spy/J'Accuse (2019) - Polanski's sober historical drama of scandal and principles  

2011 in films - according to Film Excess
Carnage (2011) - Polanski castigates modern parents in great play adaptation
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  
The Ghost Writer/The Ghost (2010) - A master at work 
Chinatown (1974) - Polanski's masterpiece 

Top 10: Best UK movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
Film Excess' 7th birthday movie masterpiece: The Fearless Vampire Killers/Dance of the Vampires (1967) - Witness Polanski's incredible, underrated Gothic horror comedy 
Cul-de-Sac (1966) - Edge-of-the-world island tale meanders at times, but is ultimately a winner  
Two Men and a Wardrobe/Dwaj Ludzie z Szafą (1958, short) - Polanski's remarkable, surreal short

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 38 mil. $

Box office: 58.4 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.53 times its cost)

[The Ninth Gate was released 25 August (France, Spain, Belgium) and runs 133 minutes. Polanski had read Urbizu's script and then Pérez-Reverte's novel, liking both. Not a believer in the occult himself, he had Brownjohn rewrite the script and cast a persistent Depp in the lead in spite of suspecting him of being too young for the part. 10 companies collaborated in the financing and production of the film. Shooting took place from June - October 1998 in France, including in Paris, in Portugal, including in Lisbon, and in Spain. Depp met future wife Vanessa Paradis during the lengthy shoot. The film opened #2, behind fellow new release Mission to Mars, to a 6.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#5) and grossed 18.6 mil. $ (31.8 % of the total gross). The film won a European Film award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 2/4 star review, translating to 3 notches under this one. US co-producing company Artisan Entertainment sued Polanski following the release for absconding 1 mil. $ in VAT refunds from France; the conclusion to that suit is unknown. Polanski returned with Parisienne People by Roman Polanski (1999, short) and theatrically with The Pianist (2002). Depp returned in The Astronaut's Wife (1999). The Ninth Gate is rotten at 43 % with a 5.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Ninth Gate?

Twixt (2011) - Coppola's dreamlike Gothic is a late-night gem

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Elle Fanning as a seductive Goth girl on the poster for Francis Ford Coppola's Twixt

 

A decrepit horror writer stops as part of his book tour in a small town, whose sheriff introduces him to a macabre case there.

 

Val Kilmer (Alexander (2004)) and Bruce Dern (World Gone Wild (1987)) are both good as the writer and the sheriff in this weird, often quite funny gem. Ben Chaplin (Chromophobia (2005)) is also good, portraying legendary master writer Edgar Allan Poe.

Stylistically, Twixt has a Europa (1991) meets Sin City (2005)-like quality of unreality about it. It appears insignificant, - particularly if compared to the major works of its Michigander master writer-director Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now (1979)), - but it contains more than first meets the eye. This dream-like horror comedy is strange, edgy and well worth watching.

 

Related reviews:



Francis Ford Coppola: Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - Coppola goes for the jugular with unsubtle, overlong adaptation

Top 10: The best adaptations reviewed by Film Excess to date

Apocalypse Now (1979) redux version - The horror of war  
Dementia 13/The Haunted and the Hunted (1963) - Coppola's gothic AIP castle horror 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 7 mil. $

Box office: In excess of 0.6 $

= Box office disaster

[Twixt premiered September 4 (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 90 minutes. Coppola did indeed write the film based on a nightmare he had had. Filming took place between November - December 2010 in California, including in Napa Valley, some of it on Coppola's vineyard estate. In North America, the film was only screened at 3 film festivals and released as VoD in 2013. The film was released in a dozen other countries, some just at a festival. Of the only 5 markets that have numbers released, the film seems to have done most business in France with 354k $, however, the gross number above is incomplete, as it only accounts for these 5 markets. Because the film is produced by Coppola's own American Zoetrope, it was most likely his own money that was lost on it. Twixt is rotten at 29% with a 4.3 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Twixt?

End of Days (1999) - Arnold faces Satan in Hyams' rigmarole

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The packed, apocalyptic poster for Peter Hyams' End of Days

QUICK REVIEW:

A New York ex-cop gets his work cut out from him, as Satan comes to the city in search of a bride.

With End of Days, it's easiest to sum up the film's good parts first: For a fan, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Maggie (2015)) exchanging lines such as these:
[Bad guy]: "I'm not afraid to die!"
[Arnold]: "Good! - 'Cus I'm not afraid to kill you!"
- That's good fun. The film also has Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night (1967)) adorning a supporting role, - and some fair action.
But the story is a semi-religious bungle of millennial paranoia and satanism that doesn't really levitate, and some of the elements of the film are simply too kitsch: SPOILER Like Schwarzenegger getting beaten up by an old lady, or Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment (2008-10)) playing Satan, pissing fuel. Also Robin Tunney (Supernova (2000)), the main actress in the film, shows pretty much just one facial expression throughout the film. - And the ending lasts over 40 minutes!
End of Days is written by Andrew W. Marlowe (Hollow Man (2000)) and directed by Peter Hyams (Timecop (1994)).

 

Related post:

 

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Watch a teaser for the film, taken from a VHS tape, here

Cost: Estimated 83 mil. $
Box office: 211.9 mil. $
= Minor hit
[End of Days premiered November 16 and runs 123 minutes. Sam Raimi, Guillermo Del Toro and Marcus Nispel were in talks for the director's seat for the film before it came down to Hyams, who had a good time directing it. Schwarzenegger hadn't been in a film for two years, since Batman & Robin (1997), reportedly due to a health issue, and was ready to mix it up. He received a hefty 25 mil. $ paycheck for it. The film opened #3 to a 20.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, behind Toy Story 2 (57.3 mil. $) and The World Is Not Enough (23.2 mil. $), and grossed 66.8 mil. $ domestically (31.5 % of the total gross). End of Days is rotten at 11 % with a 3.7 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of End of Days?

Dracula (1931) - Lugosi commands the screen as few have in chilling classic

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One of the original, striking posters for Tod Browning's Dracula

QUICK REVIEW:

Count Dracula prepares his exile from Transylvania in London, where he will face hard opposition.

Dracula is the 2nd adaptation of Bram Stoker's (The Jewel of Seven Stars (1903)) classic 1897 novel, following F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922), though actually based on the successful 1924 play adaptation of the novel by Hamilton Deane, John L. Balderston (Gaslight (1944)) and Garrett Fort (Before Dawn (1933)). It is handsomely produced, by Carl Laemmle Jr. (Imitation of Life (1934)) and producer-writer-director Tod Browning (Freaks (1932)), and loyal to the novel.
The film is heightened by some great performances: Bela Lugosi (Ninotchka (1939)) in his defining title role, Dwight Frye (Sky Bandits (1940)) as Renfield and Edward Van Sloan (The Last Days of Pompeii (1935)) as Van Helsing are especially outstanding.
Dracula is dated and at times slow, but it is still a good film, even if other of the Universal horrors of the period are greater films, (particularly Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and The Wolf Man (1941)).
Different elements of Dracula were written by Browning, Louis Bromfield (For Whom the Bells Toll (1943)), Max Cohen (King Tut-Ankh-Amen's Eight Wife (1923)), Dudley Murphy (Alma de Bronce (1944)) and Louis Stevens (Border River (1954)). And Browning is said to have left the direction to fine cinematographer Karl Freund (I Love Lucy (1951-56)) for much of the shoot.

In lieu of a trailer for the film, not currently on Youtube, watch a neat video of scenes from the movie to a piece of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake here

Cost: 0.355 mil. $
Box office: Unknown (likely somewhere around 1.75 mil. $)
= Uncertainty (likely a big hit)
[Dracula premiered in February 12 (New York's Roxy Theater) and runs 85 minutes. Murnau's unauthorized adaptation had resulted in a successful copyright lawsuit, so Laemmle Jr. made sure to buy the rights to adapt the existing play and novel fair and square. Lugosi had played Dracula extensively in the Broadway hit play but was an unpopular pick at Universal, who accepted him on the basis of paying him just 500 $ a week. The shoot lasted 7 weeks. Footage from Universal's The Storm Breaker (1925) are incorporated into Dracula, which accounts for the jumpy change of image quality in the storm scenes. Browning was mostly comfortable with silent film, which is one of the reasons behind Dracula's intertitles and theatrical acting style. A Spanish-language as well as a silent version of the film were created simultaneously for release in Spanish-speaking countries and in theaters that had not yet converted to sound. No score was commissioned for Dracula, because sound and scoring was still in its infancy in film, until Philip Glass was commissioned to compose one in 1998. Audiences are said to have fainted in shock at the premiere of Dracula, which contributed to its attraction, which made it Universal's top-grossing film of the year, resulting in reportedly 0.7 mil. $ profits, which might put the film's box office earnings at around 1.75 mil. $, - which would translate into the Film Excess status of 'big hit.' The film received mixed reviews upon release and would forever mark Lugosi's life, as he was thereafter always identified with count Dracula. The remarkable and rare original posters for Dracula today auction at as much as 0.1 mil. $. Dracula is certified fresh at 91 % with a 7.9 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Dracula?
Which is your favorite Dracula movie and why?

Dracula (1979) - Badham's sensuous, exceptional adaptation

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Frank Langella looks wonderfully hammy at the center of the poster for John Badham's Dracula

QUICK REVIEW:

Count Dracula in Frank Langella's (Frost/Nixon (2008)) guise holds an air of erotic danger, and his glistening, unhuman eyes are in this Dracula complimented by an outstanding Laurence Olivier (Marathon Man (1976)) with his own steely eyes as Van Helsing.

Bram Stoker's (The Primrose Path (1975)) classic 1897 Gothic novel is here done complete justice in one of the best Dracula films of all time. It has an impressive lunatic asylum, Donald Pleasence (Escape from New York (1981)) as Renfield, handsome boating scenes and a castle so horrifying that half might have sufficed. Furthermore, John Williams' (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)) score is a delight.
This exceedingly affecting adaptation doesn't stand still for a second. W. D. Richter (Slither (1973)) wrote the screenplay, based on John L. Balderston (The Mummy (1932)) and Hamilton Deane's 1929 play, based on Stoker's novel, and great English director John Badham (WarGames (1983)) directed the film.

Frank Langella in one of his career's best roles, which he also performed more than 900 times on Broadway from 1977-80 and got Tony-nominated for, as John Badham's Dracula

In lieu of the trailer for the movie, which isn't currently on Youtube, here's Williams' exquisite love theme from the film

Cost: Reportedly 12.2 mil. $
Box office: Reportedly 31.2 mil. $
= Minor hit
[Dracula was filmed August - December 1978 in England. 1979 had no less than 3 big Dracula films: Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre and the spoof Love at First Bite which was a fair success. Dracula opened in North America on 395 screens to a 3.1 mil. $ first weekend, ending up grossing 20.1 mil. $ (64.4 % of the total gross) there. Universal and the Mirisch Corporation, distributor and production company of the film, blamed its relatively small gross on the Dracula-crowded year. The film was desaturated for the 1991 laserdisc release, and the original color scheme is not available nowadays. Roger Ebert awarded the film 3½ stars, equal to the 5 ♥'s here. Dracula is fresh at 64 % with a 6 average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of John Badham's Dracula?
What is your favorite silver screen Dracula?

Drag Me to Hell (2009) - Raimi returns to gleeful horror in high style

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+ Best Horror Comedy of the Year

Alison Lohman is battling ancient evil on the poster for Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell

When loan officer Christine has to reject a loan to a nasty old gypsy lady, she throws a spell on the young, sweet blond, who for the coming 3 days suffers through a true hell, SPOILER only to still end up in, yes, - Hell.

Sam Raimi (Evil Dead II (1987)) is back in the horror genre after many years of Spider-Man (2002; 04; 07) and other movies, with an action- and special effects packed, morbid cocktail, which still doesn't pack a single real shock for me. - The film doesn't really horrify but it matters little, since it entertains like Hell! It is a gleeful and imaginative head-first jump into a pool of colorful no-holds-barred horrors.
Drag Me to Hell has some funny and completely absurd scenes, (the in-law family scene is especially memorable.) The script is co-written by brothers Sam and Ivan Raimi (Spider-Man 3).
Drag Me to Hell is bolstered by real trooper performances from Alison Lohman (The Vatican Tapes (2015)) and Lorna Raver (First Watch (2003)). It is full of superior effects work, rich imagination and a really really cool 3rd act.

Related posts:

Sam Raimi: Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) - A fun, eye-popping adventure
Evil Dead (2013) - One hell of a ride (producer)

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 
Army of Darkness (1992) or, Medieval Death

Watch the awesome trailer for the film here

Cost: 30 mil. $
Box office: 90.8 mil. $
= Box office success
[Drag Me to Hell received great reviews and debuted at # 4 in North America with a 15.8 mil. $ opening weekend. It ended up grossing 42.1 mil. $ (46 % of the total gross) there. It has since made in excess of 13.9 mil. $ on DVD sales in North America.]

What do you think of Drag Me to Hell?

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - Coppola goes for the jugular with unsubtle, overlong adaptation

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An alluring, highly detailed, gothic poster for Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula

QUICK REVIEW:

A count from Transylvania gets a young gentleman visitor in his castle, because he wants to purchase properties in London. He later arrives to the great city in a coffin and begins biting women there.

I wish master filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now (1979)) had made a really good Dracula, but I don't think he has. The film is written by James V. Hart (Muppet Treasure Island (1996)), adapting Bram Stoker's (The Mystery of the Sea (1902)) legendary 1897 novel.
With few exceptions, the film stays loyal to Stoker's novel. The greatest difference is that the film in no way pursues the art of suggestion, and that turns out to be a big shame in my mind. Coppola's Dracula is also too long, and I also surmise that it must be even harder to engage with for audiences who haven't read Stoker's novel.
More than one of the film's castings seem distinctive or odd, and some just don't work. Two do, however, stand out as well-integrated: Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight (2008)) as the count, and Keanu Reeves (John Wick (2014)) as the innocent Mr. Harker. Although the latter's performance in Dracula has been widely criticized and ridiculed, especially his attempt at a British accent in the part, I quite enjoy him in the film, which certainly doesn't fail because of him.

Related reviews:


Top 10: The best adaptations reviewed by Film Excess to date 
Francis Ford Coppola: Apocalypse Now (1979) redux version - The horror of war  
Dementia 13/The Haunted and the Hunted (1963) - Coppola's gothic AIP castle horror 

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 215.8 mil. $
= Big hit
[Bram Stoker's Dracula became an impressively big hit both at home and abroad: It opened strong to a 30.5 mil. $ opening weekend in North America, where it grossed 82.5 mil. $ (38 % of the total gross) and won three Oscars: Best Costumes, Makeup and Sound Design. It was also nominated for Best Art Direction. It was the 15th highest grossing film in North America of the year and the 9th worldwide.]

What do you think of Bram Stoker's Dracula?

The Devil's Backbone/El Espinoza del Diablo (2001) - The excellent Gothic genre-mix that is Del Toro's best film so far

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One of the chilling posters for Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone

The boy Carlos arrives at an orphanage during the Spanish Civil War. Among the complexities that he tries to navigate in his life there is the eerie ghost of a recently deceased boy.

Devil's Backbone is a sweepingly beautiful war horror drama about the haunted life in a war-torn orphanage, with great cinematography by Guillermo Navarro (Pacific Rim (2013)). The film is the result of an unusual and bold script by great Mexican director Guillermo del Toro (Blade II (2002)), Antonio Trashorras and David Muñoz (Holy Night! (2011), both).
The children act impressively well, and it is a highly effective plot with Carlos (Fernando Tielve (The Shanghai Spell/El Embrujo de Shanghai (2002))) and the ghost boy Santi (Junio Valverde (Shiver/Eskalofrío (2008))). Of the adult actors, the film also features fine turns from Spain's great Marisa Paredes (All About My Mother/Todo Sobre Mi Madre (1999)) as the institution's mysterious 'mother' with a strange prosthetic leg, Federico Luppi (Phase 7 (2010)) as her doctor husband and Eduardo Noreiga (Beauty and the Beast (2014)) as the vengeful caretaker. This is a solid, imaginative ghost story rich with details that makes it worth watching several times. It has a really soulful Spanish feel to it.
The Devil's Backbone is often compared to its director Toro's three-times Oscar-winning Pan's Labyrinth/El Laberinto del Fauno (2006), which is also a dark film about a child in war-torn Spain, but I find that Backbone is the better film of the two and still Toro's best film. 
He has since its release grown to become one of the most prominent directors in the world with several huge upcoming projects: The first one to arrive will be the highly anticipated, hugely stylized gothic horror Crimson Peak (2015), which will be the director's first film since the kaiju movie Pacific Rim.

Related reviews:

Guillermo del Toro: Pacific Rim (2013) or, The Monster Resistance
Blade II (2002) or, The Vampire Ass-Kicker 2 

Watch the strange American trailer for the film here, which, - characteristically (and ridiculously), - avoids revealing that Spanish is the spoken language in the film

Cost: 4.5 mil. $
Box office: 6.4 mil. $
= Big flop
[Despite being well-received critically, Devil's Backbone didn't make much money outside its native Spain, (where it made 3 mil. €.) It made 0.7 mil. $ (11 % of the total gross) in the US.]

What do you think of The Devil's Backbone?
Is it also your favorite Del Toro movie?