Kaiju Fever: L'Inferno (1911)

I've been in a giant monster mood lately, so I've decided to for now focus on watching a bunch of movies that feature Kaiju in them. My main focus will be on Japanese films but I will also be look at other movies featuring Kaiju by going through the list featured on the Kaijumatic website.
So I'm gonna start this with the first film on that list, the 1911 Italian silent film L'inferno. The first full length Italian feature film that is loosely adapted from Dante's Divine Comedy. Now of course this isn't exactly a giant monster movie but it does feature a few big hell demons like the one in the above image which is pretty cool. The film itself is quite a fascinating watch, every shot takes us to a different set as Dante makes his way through hell, with some really interesting special effects used throughout. The version I watched had no accompanying music and didn't know Tangerine Dream wrote a score for it till afterwards, so I first started playing the Dante's Inferno video game soundtrack with it, which of course didn't work at all, then I quickly changed it to a version of 'The Dante Symphony' which suited it better.
So while not worthwhile for it's giant monsters, this 105 year old film is still definitely worth checking out for the fascinating way it uses filmmaking techniques of it's time to portray Dante's Inferno.
***1/2

Inferno (1980)

The second film in Argento's Three Mothers trilogy which are all linked thematically, Inferno is a great example of a film where its style is what helps elevate the enjoyment of the film. Great cinematography and production design make for some very compelling visuals and good atmosphere. The narrative on the other hand isn't so great. We get a small, if muddled, mystery that is sure to leave people underwhelmed and had it not been for its strong visual flair the film probably would have been quite dull.
Peformances aren't too great either but that's usually the case with Argento's films, the musical score however, is pretty good with Goblin being swapped for Keith Emerson, with the song at the end being the highlight and standout track. All in all, Inferno is still a solid movie even if it's mainly for its visuals and atmosphere.
***1/2