Suspiria (1977), Inferno (1980), and Mother of Tears (2007)

There are very few horror fans out there that do not know about Dario Argento’s work, and maybe mainly for the giallo-style films he’s known for. He never wandered into supernatural horror too often in his filmography, but when he did, like all of his films, he made it his own. After helping define what a giallo is with Deep Red (1975), he switched gears and gave us Suspiria, showing us violence through a blinding use of color and surrounded by an intense soundtrack that is pounding through the speakers. It looked like no film we’d really seen before. Then he continued this storyline of the dreaded Three Mothers with his film Inferno three years later, which gave us even more info on these wicked witches. We’d have to wait another 27 years before we got the final entry, Mother of Tears. Say what you will about any or all of these features, but they are all Dario Argento.

In this episode, we’re going to take a look at each of the three films, and Three Mothers, as well as the differences between the three films. We all have our favorite of the trilogy, but hopefully you’ll be able to see something in all three that maybe you missed out in previous viewings. So, join us in our little study group, as we learn more about Mater Suspiriorum, Mater Tenebrarum, and Mater Lachrymarum. But a word of caution… they don’t like people knowing about them, so be warned.

Films mentioned in this episode:

The Beyond (1981), The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), The Black Cat (1989), Cannibal Ferox (1981), The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971), The Church (1989), Deep Red (1975), Demons 2 (1986), The Exorcist (1973), Eyes Without a Face (1960), The Five Days (1973), Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971), Häxan (1922), The House by the Cemetery (1981), Inferno (1980), Mother of Tears (2007), Night of the Eagle aka Burn Witch Burn (1962), Opera (1987), Phantom of the Paradise (1974), Suspiria (1977), Tenebrae (1982)