Tenebre (1982)

Director:

Dario Argento

Writer:

Dario Argento (writer)

Release Date:

February 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror Beyond Belief

Plot:

An American writer in Rome is stalked by a serial killer bent on harassing him while killing all people associated with his work on his latest book.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Murder | Death | Serial Killer | Axe In The Shoulder

Cast

Anthony Franciosa	...	Peter Neal
Christian Borromeo	...	Gianni
Mirella D'Angelo	...	Tilde
Veronica Lario	...	Jane McKerrow
Ania Pieroni	...	Elsa Manni
Eva Robin's	...	Girl on Beach (as Eva Robins)
Carola Stagnaro	...	Detective Altieri
John Steiner	...	Christiano Berti
Lara Wendel	...	Maria Alboretto
John Saxon	...	Bullmer
Daria Nicolodi	...	Anne
Giuliano Gemma	...	Detective Germani
Isabella Amadeo	...	Bullmer's secretary
Mirella Banti	...	Marion
Ennio Girolami	...	Department Store Manager (as Enio Girolami)

Also Known As:

Sotto gli occhi dell'assassino
Tenebrae
Under the Eyes of the Assassin
Unsane (USA)

Runtime:

110 min | USA:91 min (edited version) | 101 min (director's cut)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | New Zealand:R16 | West Germany:18 (cut) | Sweden:(Banned) | Italy:T (edited TV version) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Sweden:15 | Australia:R | Canada:R | France:-16 | Germany:16 (cut version: 2002) | Italy:VM18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | West Germany:(Banned) | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Iceland:(Banned) | Finland:K-18 (2005) (uncut) | Finland:K-18 (1988) (cut) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Sigma Cinematografica Roma

Trivia:

The films poster shows an image of a woman with her throat cut. The UK release attempted to censor the violent image by placing a red bow around the neck in the image!

Goofs:

Factual errors: On the telephone, the killer tells Peter Neal that "you wrote those words, page 46," but in fact the words quoted would have had to be on an odd-numbered page of the book TENEBRAE, given the placement of the text we see in the opening sequence.

Quotes:

Christiano Berti: [Catching Maria in his home] SPY! BAD LITTLE SPY

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Soundtrack:

Take Me Tonight

An Argento must-see!

Italian horror master Dario Argento (Suspiria, Inferno) signed in 1982 this bloody puzzle about a deranged killer who appears to be obsessed by a novel called Tenebrae. Here again all the ingredients that make Argento's work so unique are brilliantly used to get the best out of an average giallo story line. Though it's mostly an experience in style and atmosphere, it still has a better plot than most Argento films. The dialogs are rather weird for most parts but it sounds great because of the intentional overacting performances. Daria Nicolodi (Deep Red) really shines. John Saxon (Black Christmas), who plays the writer's agent, is more than welcome as usual. Anthony Franciosa (Death Wish 2), who plays the main character, gives a very solid performance. I don't know if it comes from the writing or the actor himself, but there's something very cool, very laid-back and sometimes funny about Franciosa's character. Of course Dario Argento's direction is mostly flawless. Tenebre is undeniably one of his best movies. The death scenes are outstanding, especially the one in which a girl is chased by a furious dog through a park in the middle of the night. The gore effects are very well executed. For the people who are unfamiliar with his work, Tenebre might be a good place to start, even though I would recommend Suspiria in the first place. Argento's vision of horror is brutally and beautifully demonstrated one more time. It was first intended to be the third chapter of the Three Mothers trilogy. I don't know how it ended up being a stand-alone film. So anyone interested in Italian horror, gialli and 80s slasher films as well as any Argento fan should at least watch this movie once. Tenebre is a must-see!