Tenebre (1982)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

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 | Serial Killer | Murder | Death | Dog

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:

Christopher Walken was considered for the lead role.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the pre-credit sequence where the killer is reading the book. On long shots the writing is in Italian, but on the close up shots, its in English.

Quotes:

[first lines, read from Peter Neal's "Tenebrae"]
Narrator: "The impulse had become irresistible. There was only one answer to the fury that tortured him. And so he committed his first act of murder. He had broken the most deep-rooted taboo, and found not guilt, not anxiety or fear, but freedom. Any humiliation which stood in his way could be swept aside by the simple act of annihilation: Murder."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Soundtrack:

Take Me Tonight

Easily Argento's most violent giallo.

"Tenebre" stars Anthony Franciosa as a novelist Peter Neal who finds himself embroiled in a series of grisly murders,as one of his readers starts to imitate the killings in his latest novel Tenebrae.This Dario Argento's bloody thriller is full of startling plot twists and shocking bursts of gory violence.Plenty of serious shocks and a wonderful musical score by Goblin as well as incredibly gory finale that is among Argento's greatest sequences.As usual,there are some stylish killings,particularly a gruesome arm chopping near the end-definitely one of the bloodiest murder scenes I have ever seen.Argento uses some of the most vivid colors imaginable and like his 1977 effort "Suspiria",he uses these colors to enhance the atmosphere of the film.I'll end this review by saying that "Tenebre" is indeed excellent,thrilling,scary,well-acted and anything else I can think of-simply amazing if I have to say the least!Highly recommended.