Dario Argento Week: Mother of Tears

Howdy folks!  I wasn't kidding about a double feature and boy oh boy it made my skin crawl, sluff off and run for the hills.   It has been more than 25 years since Inferno and Argento began weaving his warped web of terror and surreal visions of the final chapter to The Three Mothers.  In 2007, after more than a few re-writes since 1984, the ancient tale first described in Suspiria and Inferno.  The final story begins without further adieu.  This is Mother of Tears.

Okay, who wants a thigh?

Mater Lacrimarum: Who wants to eat the spoiler?









Diving right into the film we see dirt being unearthed as members of the Catholic Church observe the digging up of a 19th century church official when they discover there is a large box chained to his casket.  The scholars demand to this box be removed and placed in their care.  Observing the contents of the box they reveal artifacts, scrolls and tomes belonging to Mater Lachymarum (Moran Atias of The Roses of the Desert, Good and Evil, Land of the Lost, Just Married, Crash and The Next Three Days), the last surviving member of the Three Sisters, a despicable triumvirate of black art witches that date back as far as the 11th century whose corrupting powers could effect events on a global scale, twisting and contorting people of all minds to utter evil.  The Monsignor who attended the dig, goes over the artifacts to the limited knowledge of witchcraft, occult and magic he has available and feels horrified at his discovery.


He then sends the urn to Michael (Adam James of Ashes to Ashes, Bonekickers, Wired, Doctor Who, Last Chance Harvey and The Execution of Gary Glitter) a foremost expert on mysticism, alchemy, the occult and the histories of ancient religions and magic of the highest and darkest orders.   Michael's colleagues at the Museum of Ancient Art in Rome, Sarah Mandy (Asia Argento of Demons 2, Close Friends, Trauma, XXX, Last Days, Land of the Dead and Dracula 3D) an American art restoration student that is dating Michael and Giselle (Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni of Demons 2, Opera, The Phantom of the Opera, Ghost Son and The Dirt) a fellow restorative take it upon themselves to open the box.  Giselle cuts herself but they press on to find three statues representing the Three Mothers, a ornate ritual dagger, a cloak and even the box itself is carved with runes, wards and magical glyph.   Okay, I need to press on.  I sound like a Dungeon Master describing the treasure.

Well the Vatican funds vampire hunters so, why not magical theory?

No sooner does Giselle send Sarah off to fetch some translation books for the texts on the artifacts she is attacked by bizarre creatures that disembowel her.  Sarah witnessing this, runs like Hell and with good reason.  Mater Lachrymarum's familiar, a baboon gives chase after Sarah as she narrowly escapes with her life.  Giving her statement to the police she spends the night at Michael's.  Michael contacts the Cardinal that sent him the urn only to find out he had a massive stroke and now lays in a coma.  His assistant hands Michael a piece of paper with only Mater Lachrymarum written on it.    Back in Rome, all Hell is breaking loose with wave upon wave of mass suicides, murder tolls in the hundreds and anarchy in the streets.    Under the radar of this chaos a movement of pagan witches are joining Mater Lachrymarum's expanding coven quietly, gathering their strengths to bring an age of darkness humanity has never known in this modern era.  Can Sarah and Michael overt this mass of lunacy or are they doomed to swept away in it?

A few comments to make about the movie now.

The first screening of the film's trailer took place at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.  On that same day in question, a restored print of Suspiria was shown in the Cannes Classics section.
Dario Nicolodi, a writer/actress and former lover of Dario Argento played Elisa Mandy, Sarah's mother in flashback sequences.  Interestingly enough that Daria Nicolodi and Asia Argento are  mother and daughter in real life as much the film.

Now the nice folks at Medusa Film felt his film was too dark, graphic with depraved visions of perverse sex, cannibalism themes and sadomasochism...  Didn't they read the script??   Argento was forced to water down the sex and violence for the release to theaters for a broader audience but released an uncut original version that yours truly just finished watching.  Kinda wished I got the neutered version.    Quick FYI, parents. Due to the extremely graphic violence and sexual scenes, this is DEFINITELY NOT one for the kiddies.  The parents that let said children watch this movie, well...  it is on their heads and not mine.

Sorry, I was holding in a sneeze. Continue, please.