Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Stars Anthony Franciosa, Christian Borromeo, Mirella D'Angelo, John Saxon,
Veronica Lario, Ania Pieroni, Carola Stagnaro, John Steiner, Daria Nicolodi | Written by Dario Argento
UK Certification 18 | UK RRP £27.99 | BR Region ABC | Runtime 100 minutes | Directed by Dario Argento
Arguably Argento's last great film – and one of his all-time best – Tenebrae marked the legendary film-maker's return to gialli after spending the previous five years working on supernatural horrors Suspiria and Inferno, the first two chapters in his Three Mothers trilogy. And while you may think that the chances of following 1975's Deep Red (Profondo Rosso) with another classic about a black-gloved assassin seemed slim, Argento absolutely delivered and made a film that widely enjoys the same admiration today as both Deep Red and The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, his directorial debut.
A lot like The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Tenebrae is not your typical giallo and is really quite smart and sophisticated. You have to keep your eyes open to put each piece of the puzzle together, else you'll completely misconstrue the fantastic (and very bloody) climax. Who could forget the incredible “he's behind you” shot that has influenced so many, including Brian De Palma?
Stylistically, as is usual with Argento pictures, the film is riveting, from the aforementioned shot to the thick, paint-like and almost chunky blood, to the very first use of the Loumar crane in an Italian feature, which produced a truly ground-breaking exterior shot that, although is completely irrelevant to the narrative structure, looks astonishingly good. Oh, and the soundtrack is also excellent.
With a brilliantly sharp and clear transfer that has dramatically freshened up the light palette of the film (it's bathed in light from beginning to end and features heavy use of pale greens and creams) in comparison to the pop art colours of his previous two movies, Tenebrae is still very much a feast for the eyes and a must-have on Blu-ray for any self-respecting fan of Italy's master of horror and suspense.
EXTRAS ???? Aside from the contents of the disc, the package includes a great little booklet written by Argento expert Alan Jones, a double-sided A4 poster and reversible sleeve artwork. Alongside the movie, you'll find an audio commentary by Jones and film critic/author Kim Newman, and another by film-maker Thomas Rostock, as well as an introduction by star Daria Nicolodi, and the trailer, plus the following features presented in full HD: Scream Queen! Daria Nicolodi Remembers Tenebrae; The Unsane World of Tenebrae: An interview with Dario Argento; A Composition for Carnage: Claudio Simonetti on Tenebrae; and Goblin: Tenebrae and Phenomena Live from the Glasgow Archives.