Romano Pampaloni

Cinema has seen its share of Phantom of the Opera adaptations, and yet Dario Argento’s cacophonous telling entirely renews the veracity of a classic tale. Released in the U.S. as Terror at the Opera, this revision moves to beyond the rules of 1980s horror to a realm of pure, ecstatic terror.

Following Suspiria, Argento invoked the power of witches once more with this loose continuation (and part of the “Three Mothers” trilogy)—a fever dream crosscut between haunting synchronicities in New York City and Rome. Like its illustrious predecessor, Inferno is another irresistible nightmare.