Finally, The Mother of Tears.  The Third Mother.  The long awaited finale to Suspiria and Inferno.  Almost thirty years in the making.  Argento fans rejoice!  So, was it worth the wait?  Is the final act a worthy entry to the series?  We’ll get to that.

     Outside of Rome an ancient urn is discovered.  Once the urn is opened a series of violence sweeps the city.  Sarah Mandy is an art student who seems to be the only one who can stop the Third Mother from destroying Rome.  To be honest the plot is very paper thin.  There really isn’t too much going on.  Not that the first two flicks had an extremely well developed plot, but they certainly had much more substance to them.  Once the basic premise kicks in and the ball gets rolling, the guts start pouring. 

     The acting in this film ranges from sub-par to mediocre at best.  Most of the performances seem over the top; especially the group of witches that show up about a third into the movie.  I’m not sure if they were trying to portray these women as scary, but their ridiculous presentation of their characters makes them come off as laughable.  Asia Argento isn’t the best actress but she plays her part well.  As good as any other role she has played.  Adam James as her boss was a bit stale.  There is a scene where he is supposed to be distraught over his missing child; it is less than convincing.  Udo Kier makes a good cameo.  He is only in the movie for a few minutes but he plays his part well.  Daria Nicolodi plays a small part as Asia Argento’s mother (Who is her mother in real life as well as the co-writer of Suspiria).  Her performance is again, over-the-top and a bit silly.  Overall the acting is not one of the films strong points.

     Now if you like horror movies with straight up gore, you’re going to enjoy this.  Mother of Tears is a balls to the wall bloodbath.  The first murder sequence committed by three demon-like creatures is superb.  The make-up and gore effects in this movie are top notch.  The intestines are slimy and the blood is thick.  There is one great sequence where a character gets their face (and day) ruined with a meat cleaver.  With the exception of one or two things, all the effects are practical.  The couple parts that are CGI are a tad cheesy, but they are so few and far between it doesn’t really ruin the viewing. 

     Alright then, does the movie live up to its predecessors?  As much as I would have loved to tell you it does, it falls flat.  My biggest complaint is the lack of color.  Suspiria was filled with extremely vibrant lighting, and Inferno had even more, to the point where the whole movie felt dream-like.  Don’t get me wrong though, Mother of Tears is an entertaining ride.  Fast-paced, lots of gore, and even a quick lesbian scene for those who enjoy gratuitous nudity with their violence.  If you’re looking for a fun horror movie, look no further, but if your looking for Argento’s return to form, this isn’t it.