Dario Argento is rightly considered to be one of the true visionaries of genre cinema; a filmmaker that has become synonymous with the genesis of both the thriller (or giallo, as it is known in Argento's native Italy) and horror film. At his best, Argento has crafted some of the finest pieces of cinematic Grand Guignol, juxtaposing incredibly lucid images with almost heart-stopping musical scores.

Nothing epitomises Argento's aesthetic sensibilities better than his 1977 film, 'Suspiria' and its 1980 sequel, 'Inferno'. Both films utilise witchcraft as their central conceit, though story and characterisation take a backseat, as it is the films' magnificent set-pieces that have led them to become regarded as classics.

Argento had always intended 'Suspiria' and 'Inferno' to be followed by a third film; a conclusion to what would become known as his 'Three Mothers Trilogy'. 'Suspiria'—the story of a young dance student who discovers her Freiberg-based academy is run by an ancient witch—was an extremely successful film in its day, earning so much money for its US distributor 20th Century Fox, that the studio commissioned a sequel, 'Inferno'. Set in New York and detailing the uncovering of the sister of the villain from 'Suspiria'—or, the second mother—'Inferno' is less narrative-driven and a lot more surreal. Fox was unsure of how it could market a film that was more art house than horror, and delayed the film's American release for three years, before dumping it straight to video, thus ruling out their participation in any sequel.

Over the years that have elapsed since, there have been whisperings of a possible sequel, but nothing came to fruition until 2006, when it was reported that a US company called Myriad Pictures and Italian distributor Medusa were to unite for what was to become 'The Mother Of Tears'. Argento had written the story and two American writers best known for Tobe Hooper's lacklustre 'Toolbox Murders' remake would be working on the screenplay. The future of 'The Mother Of Tears' didn't look bright, as aside from 'Sleepless' (original Italian title:' Nonhosonno') in 2001, Argento's post 80s career had been extremely patchy at best, with 1998's 'Phantom Of The Opera' being the nadir of his worst and most misguided work...

Advanced word for 'The Mother Of Tears' hadn't been kind, with stories of snickering and guffaws at festival and film market screenings appearing on the net, thick and fast and only a few positive reviews emerging from a deluge of scorn and hatred. However, his fans who hadn't yet seen the film would tell themselves that was his return to his signature work; Argento wasn't about to soil the memory of two classics by unleashing an awful sequel. Or was he?

Rome. Present day. When a mysterious cask is unearthed at an excavation, it is sent off to a museum for analysis. Upon taking a closer look at the cask, one of the museum's researchers is overcome by a group of sinister assailants (including, inexplicably, a baboon) and horrifically murdered, leaving her co-worker Sarah Mandy (Argento's daughter, Asia) running for her life. It soon become's apparent that the cask houses pure, concentrated evil and with it unleashed, the Mother Of Tears (sister of the Mother of Sighs and Mother of Darkness, from 'Suspiria' and 'Inferno', respectively) descends upon the city with the firm intention of creating anarchy and destruction on a biblical scale.

The film starts promisingly enough (well, if you can overlook the inclusion of that infernal monkey) but Argento soon squanders the audience's good will, with some laughably absurd flourishes (Spoiler: Mandy, who is the daughter of one of Tears' most powerful adversaries, discovers she can turn invisible at will and is "visited" by her dead mother on several occasions) that do nothing but underline the fact that Argento seems to have lost his touch to devastating effect. Worst still, the film is completely bereft of its predecessor's unique visuals, looking flat and uninspired by comparison. Coupled with [frequent Argento collaborator and one time Goblin member] Claudio Simonetti's god awful, 'Omen'-esque music score, the film is more akin to the bland millennium horror flicks such as 'Stigmata' and 'End Of Days' than it is to 'Suspiria' and 'Inferno', and ultimately looks and plays out like a bad imitation of the director's best work.

On the acting front, Asia Argento does a credible job of anchoring the film and there are some nice cameos by EuroCult stalwarts Udo Kier and Philippe Leroy, but most of the other roles are filled with actors of well below average ability. Another cameo that shall live on in infamy is that of Asia's real-life mother Daria Nicolodi (who was Dario's muse in the 70s and co-wrote 'Suspiria'), here seen as the glowing ghost of Mandy's mum (!)

Rather ironically, the disc itself features a stellar presentation. Optimum has presented the film in anamorphic 2.35:1 and the framing looks very good. Because the film is mostly set at night or inside dark interiors, it could have looked awful, but colours are vivid and blacks crisp. There's a choice of the English soundtrack in either Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0. The 5.1 surround track is good but not in the league of your average Hollywood blockbuster, though that is to be expected. The only extra present is the film's trailer.

'The Mother Of Tears' is a crushing disappointment. Granted, there was little hope that this second sequel could ever equal its predecessors, but given the amount of time the project had been in gestation, it should have been a great deal better. No doubt Argento's legion of fans will be clamouring to get hold of this DVD but ultimately, will be extremely disappointed.

(Paul Alaoui)