DVD: Mother of Tears

Horror fans are going to love Mother Of Tears, the latest film from horror master Dario Argento. It is a very strange film, but then all of Argento’s other work has been equally strange. It is also a very nasty film with bucketloads of gore and excessive graphic violence, but again, when has Argento made a film that was tame? Mother Of Tears is actually the third part of Argento’s Three Mothers Trilogy, following Suspiria in 1977 and Inferno in 1980. It has been a long wait for the final act, but it’s well worth it!

The story follows Sarah, played perfectly by Asia Argento (Dario’s daughter) as she accidentally opens an ancient urn and releases the spirit of the third and final evil witch known as the Mother of Tears. The evil power proceeds to cause all sorts of havoc in the form of suicides, brutal murders and bizarre rituals. As Sarah begins to figure out what is going on, so does she realise her supernatural powers, and a visit or two from the ghost of her mother helps her become strong enough to fight the evil which has plagued Italy and is causing chaos, before it is too late. Incidentally Asia’s real life mother Daria Nicolodi, who also had a major role in Argento’s earlier film Tenebrae, plays Sarah’s mother in this film.

A particularly spooky soundtrack by Claudio Simonetti helps to create an extremely morbid atmosphere, something very different from the two other films in the series, especially Suspiria with its 70s-style electronic feel created by Argento favourites The Goblins, of which Simonetti was a member. The music is more similar to Argento’s two episodes from the recent Masters of Horror series.

Some of the acting skills in the film are questionable, but it doesn’t detract too much from the narrative. Asia leads the way though and does a very good job in her role as a frightened girl on the run. Genre favourite Udo Kier also pops up for a brief scene, much like he did in the original Suspiria. No one else really stands out in the film, but the viewer will most likely be able to forgive this as most characters meet more and more inventive and gruesome ends.

Anyone familiar with Dario Argento’s work will notice the old style creeping back in with long sweeping camera shots following the action. In the earlier work from the 70s and 80s we were treated to an almost psychedelic and dreamlike film making style with gore galore. Now this style has been updated with slicker camera work and sicker blood and guts. Its very extreme and very entertaining and there should be something in there for every horror fan out there, even if it is just to see Asia Argento in the shower.     Russell Gomm

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We have three copies of the film to give away. To enter, answer this question:

Where is Dario Argento from?

Send your answers to competitions@the-void.co.uk with DARIO as the subject header.