Inferno (1980)

Country of Origin: Italy
Year of Production: 1979
Running Times: 83m (USA - theatrical, video)/100m (Italy - video)/101m 37s (UK - 2nd video release (1987))/101m 48s (UK - 3rd video release (1993))/102m (West Germany - theatrical)/102m 8s (UK - 1st video release)/106m (USA - DVD) 106m 16s (UK - theatrical)/107m (Italy - theatrical)/110m (France - theatrical)
Length:
Format: 35mm/Technovision
Colour Format: Technicolor/Technovision prints: Deluxe
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: recorded in Dolby Stereo

DIRECTION

Directed by: Dario Argento

PRODUCTION
Copyright (c) 1980 by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Production Company: Salvatore Argento presents a film by Dario Argento  Produzioni Intersound (Rome)
Releasede by: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Produced by: Claudio Argento for Produzioni Intersound (Rome)
Production Manager: Angelo Jacono

SCRIPT
Story and Screenplay by: Dario Argento; Daria Nicolodi [uncredited]

DIRECTION
Assistant Director: Lamberto Bava
Second Assistant Director: Andrea Piazzesi
Script Supervisor: Maria Serena Canevari

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Romano Albani
Underwater Sequence: Lorenzo Battaglia
Cameraman: Idelmo Simonelli
Assistant Camera: Michele Picciaredda, Stefano Ricciotti [uncredited]
Gaffer: Alberto Altibrandi
Key Grip: Agostino Pascarella
Still Photographer: Francesco Bellomo
Technical Equipment: E.C.E. (Rome)

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Film Editor: Franco Fraticelli
Assistant Editor: Piero Bozza [uncredited]
Color by: Technicolor
Prints by: DeLuxe

MUSIC
Music by: Keith Emerson
Music Arranged by: [Keith] Emerson and [Godfrey] Salmon
Orchestrated and Conducted by: Godfrey Salmon
Orchestra: Unione Musicisti di Roma
Music Publisher: Bixio C.E.M.S.A., Milaon; L.B.G. Artist
Music Recorded at: Trafalgar Recording Studios, Rome
Music Engineer: Giorgio Agazzi [uncredited]

SONGS AND ADDITIONAL MUSIC
"Va Pensiero..."
from Giuseppe Verdi's "Nabucco"
Sinphonic Orchestra and Chorus of Rome
Radio Televisione Italiana
Chorus Conducted by: Gaetan Riccitelli
Director: Fernando Previtali
Courtesy of Fonit Cetra

Music Performed By: Keith Emerson (keyboards), Linda Lee (vocals on Mater Tenebrarum), Frank Scully (drums on Taxi Ride, Cigarette, Ices Etc), Kendal Stubbs (bass on Taxi Ride, Cigarette, Ices Etc) [all uncredited]

SOUND
Soundman: Francesco Groppioni
Boom Man: Giancarlo Laurenzi
Sound Mixer: Romano Pampaloni
Sound Engineer: Mario Dallimonti [uncredited]
Sound Effects: Luciano & Massimo Anzellotti
Sound Effects Editor: Attilio Gizzi
Sound Recording Studios: International Recording, Rome

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Costumes: Massimo Lentini
Wardrobe Mistress: Berta Berti [uncredited]
Footwear: Raphael Salato
Jewelry: "Bulgari"
Make-up: Pierantonio Mecacci
Hair Stylists: Luciana Maria Costanzi, Giancarlo De Leonardis

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Germano Natali; Mario Bava [uncredited], Pino Leoni [uncredited]

TITLES AND OPTICALS
Head Titles: Studio Verzini

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Giuseppe Bassan
Assistant Art Director: Davide Bassan [uncredited]
Set Decorators: Francesco Cuppini, Maurizio Garrone
Assistant Set Decororator: Massimo Garrone [uncredited]
Set Painters: Giorgio Palomba, Mauro Tiberi [uncredited]

OTHER CREW
Production Administrator: Solly V. Bianco
Production Assistants: Anna Maria Galvinelli, Michela Prodan, Saverio Mangogna
U.S. Production Services: Cinerex Assoc. N.Y.
Executive Producer [Cinerex Assoc.]: William Garroni
Production Manager [Cinerex Assoc.]: Andrew W. Garroni
New York Production Services: William Lustig [uncredited]
Unit Publicist: Lucherini-Gergo
Dialogue Director: Neil Robinson [uncredited]
Production Accountants: Calro Du Bois [uncredited], Ferdinando Caputo [uncredited], Carla Menicocci [uncredited], Egle Friggeri [uncredited]

LOCATIONS
Film Studios: De Paolis Incir, Rome; Elios, Rome
Locations: Rome, Italy; Manhattan, New York, USA; Central Park, New York, USA
Unit Manager: Cesare Jacolucci

CAST

with
(in alphabetical order)
Eleanora Giorgi (Sara)
Gabriele Lavia (Carlo)
Veronica Lazar (nurse)
Leopold Mastelloni ([John the] butler)
Irene Miracle (Rose Elliott)
Daria Nicolodi (Countess Elise Delon-Benaddler)
Sacha Pitoeff (Kazanian)
Alida Valli (Carol)

and with
Leigh McCloskey as Mark [Elliott]

Feodor Chaliapin (Varelli)
Ania Pieroni (musical student)
James Fleetwood (cook)
Rosario Rigutini (man)
Ryan Hilliard (shadow)
Paolo Paoloni (music teacher)
Fulvio Mingozzi (cabdriver)
Luigi Lodolo (bookbinder)
Rudolfo Lodi (old man)

PLOT SUMMARY

In New York, poet Rose Elliot learns from an old book that her apartment building may be one of the houses built by the legendary Three Mothers, a trio of malevolent witches. Her brother Mark returns from his music studies in Rome to find that Rose has been murdered. While Mark tries to get to the truth behind his sister's death, back in Rome his classmate Sara discovers that the music college is being run by one of the witches, Mater Lacrimarum...

Argento's follow up to the might Suspiria (1977) is even more outré than its predecessor - the narrative is almost entirely eroded in favour of a dream-like flow of images and incidents that make little sense on any logical level but which succeed admirably in creating one of the most unsettling films ever made. Though rather impenetrable at times, it's brilliantly directed, features a rousing progressive rock score from Keith Emerson, this remains one of Argento's best works.

Australia
Video Distributor: Palace

France
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Video Distributor: CBS / Fox

Germany
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Video Distributor: CBS / Fox

Greece
Video Distributor: Home Video Hellas

Italy
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Italy
Video Distributor: Domovideo - CBS/Fox, Club del Video

Netherlands
Video Distributor: CBS / Fox

Sweden
Video Distributor: Media Transfer

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Cinecenta
Video Distributor: Fox Video (1982, reissued: 1987 and 1993) (1140-50 (1982), WC 1140(LB) (1993))
Laser: Encore

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Video Distributor: CBS/Fox - Key (1140)
DVD Distributor: Anchor Bay

Australia
Rating: R

Finland
Rating: banned

Germany
Rating: 18

Italy
Rating: 14

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: X (theatrical), 18 (video)
The first CBS/Fox video release in September 1982 was apparently uncut, the second release (in 1987) was cut by 28 seconds, most of the excised footage being taken from the scene with the cat eating the mouse. The third CBS-Fox video release (May 1993) was cut by just 20 seconds, again from the scene with the cat.

USA
Rating: R
MPAA: 25916
The CBS/Fox - Key Video version includes a scene of a cat eating a mouse which is missing from most versions of the film.

TIMELINE

1979
May
21: Shooting begins

August
Day Unknown: Shooting ends

1980
February
7: Italy - theatrical release

April
16: France - theatrical release

July
2: Sweden - theatrical release

September
12: West Germany - theatrical release
Day Unknown: UK - theatrical release

1986
August
Day Unknown: USA - theatrical release

Terror that's hotter than hell!

Before Tenebrae, beyond Suspiria there is...

Come face to face with hell

Dario Argento's Inferno
Flammendes Inferno - German title
Horror Infernal - German title

SEQUEL TO
Suspiria (1977)

SEQUEL
Terza madre, La (2007)

SEE ALSO
Année derniere a Marienbad, L' (1961)
Tenebre (1982)
Phenomena (1985)
Chiesa, La (1988)
Trauma (1993)
Mostro, Il (1994)
Trainspotting (1996)
Mondo dell'orrore di Dario Argento, Il (1985)

PERIODICALS

Delirium 3 pp.23-25
review

Empire November 1998 p.100
review

Shivers 39 p.18
review

BOOKS

Art of Darkness pp.161-171, 279, 297
illustrated review (by Mitch Davis), credits, video data

The Seduction of the Gullible (2nd edition) p.
illustrated review, credits

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

witches, houses, magic, music, students, animals, rats, cats

Last Updated: 7 January, 2010