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:

Writer | Rome | Police | Killing | Murder

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)
Monica Maisani
Marino Masé	...	John
Fulvio Mingozzi	...	Alboretto, the porter
Gianpaolo Saccarola	...	Coroner
Ippolita Santarelli	...	Prostitute
Francesca Viscardi
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dario Argento	...	Narrator (Italian version) / Murderer's Hands (voice) (uncredited)
Lamberto Bava	...	Elevator Repairman #1 (uncredited)
Michele Soavi	...	Maria's Boyfriend / Man Walking with Girl on Beach (uncredited)

Directed by
Dario Argento

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Dario Argento		writer

Produced by
Claudio Argento	....	producer
Salvatore Argento	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Goblin		(as Simonetti-Morante-Pignatelli)
Massimo Morante
Fabio Pignatelli
Claudio Simonetti

Cinematography by
Luciano Tovoli

Film Editing by
Franco Fraticelli

Production Design by
Giuseppe Bassan

Set Decoration by
Tommaso Barbi
Maurizio Garrone
Aldo Taloni		(settings)

Costume Design by
Pierangelo Cicoletti
Carlo Palazzi
Franco Tomei

Makeup Department
Carboni	....	hair stylist
Patrizia Corridoni	....	key hair stylist
Pierantonio Mecacci	....	makeup artist
Piero Mecacci	....	makeup artist (as Pierino Macacci)
Rocchetti	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Cesare Jacolucci	....	production manager
Cesare Jacolucci	....	production supervisor
Giuseppe Mangogna	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lamberto Bava	....	first assistant director
Michele Soavi	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Antonella Caputo	....	assistant production designer
Massimo Garrone	....	assistant set decorator
Osvaldo Monaco	....	property master
Giuseppe Pagnotta	....	property master
Cesare Piccini	....	assistant property master

Sound Department
Luciano Anzellotti	....	sound effects
Massimo Anzellotti	....	sound effects
Mario Dallimonti	....	sound
Giancarlo Laurenzi	....	boom operator
Romano Pampaloni	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Giovanni Corridori	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Francesco Bellomo	....	still photographer
Remo Cartocci	....	grip
Francesco Giulivi	....	gaffer
Roberto Marsigli	....	assistant camera
Mario Moreschini	....	key grip
Maurizio Piano	....	assistant camera
Giuseppe Tinelli	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Barbara Canevari	....	assistant costume designer
Vanda Caprioli	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Piero Bozza	....	assistant editor
Roberto Priori	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Ferdinando Caputo	....	production accountant
Diego Della Valle	....	shoemaker
Carlo Du Bois	....	production accountant
Enrico Lucherini	....	unit publicist
Saverio Mangogna	....	production secretary
Cesare Piccini	....	leather
Francesca Roberti	....	script supervisor
Pino Locchi	....	voice dubbing: Giuliano Gemma (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Sigma Cinematografica Roma

Distributors

• Atlas Film Verleih (1984) (West Germany) (theatrical) (edited)
• Bedford Entertainment (1987) (USA) (theatrical) (as Unsane)
• Fox Hills Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• C.A.M.  soundtrack
• Fendi  furs

Also Known As:

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

Runtime:

110 min | USA:101 min (director's cut) | USA:91 min (edited version) | Italy:96 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 (cut DVD version) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | 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 impressive two and a half minute crane shot the encircles Tilda's house took three days to be completed. American distributors wanted the shot to be cut from the film for US release, but Argento refused.

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:

Featured in Stephen King's World of Horror (1986) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Take Me Tonight

One of Argento's best.

I first saw Tenebr(a)e under the moniker "Unsane" (which is supposedly missing ten minutes of gore and some extensive camerawork). I really enjoyed the film, so I bought the rerelease print from Anchor Bay, and I must say, the restored, uncut, letterboxed print looks and sounds wonderful.

There's no need to go into the plot other than to say Anthony Franciosa stars as American horror novelist Peter Neal and, while he's in Rome on a book tour, murders are being committed by one of his crazed fans. I read somewhere that Argento is king of stringing together a plot and cheating audiences just so they can't guess the identity of the killer, and with this as evidence, I agree 100%. It's nearly impossible to figure out this plot before it's fully explained.

Luciano Tovoli's camerawork/cinematography is brilliant, especially the luma crane shot (which goes up one side of a building, over the roof and down the other side in one unbroken taken). There's also an extremely well-photographed and directed sequence featuring a girl being pursued by a rabid Doberman. Now they would do those two scenes with computers, and I think that obliterates the charm of the hands-on filmmaking process.

In short, this film puts Hollywood thrillers like "Copycat" "The Bone Collector," and "Se7en" to shame, and it's apparent all three films stole ideas from this one (and from other films in Argento's oeuvre).

Score: 9 out of 10.