Video Nasty: Tenebrae (1982)

Any day I can rewatch a Dario Argento classic is a good one, and now I even have an excuse to do so because of this review, so here we go with what's surprisingly the only Argento film to make it to the infamous nasties banned list, so get ready to be swept aside by the simple act of annihilation.

Plot:
What would you do if you were an author, and suddenly a maniac started killing people based on a book you wrote? And not only that but what if the maniac also stuffed pages from your book down the throats of the victims? I would probably follow the investigation closely, and write another book about that, and that's close to what's goin' on in Tenebrae as author Peter Neal experiences what I just said. Brutal murders a plenty follows, and everyone is trying to find out who the killer is including the police, Peter Neal, and everyone around him.

The murders get more brutal and gory as the film carries on, and among other things we get to witness axe-murder where nothing is left to the imagination, hand being chopped off painting white walls blood red, a lesbian couple getting killed, a girl being chased by killer dog sequence, and other fun. Among all that, flashbacks of a sexual encounter with a slut from the killers childhood who was played by a she-male nonetheless.

What's good:
Dario mixes violence, and gore with sleaze, horror, and an Agatha Christie type murder mystery in Tenebrae which was the second Argento film I ever saw after Opera many years ago, and is arguably Dario's best film. His trademark camera techniques are present too, giving this an artsy early 80's Italian feel. The acting is also good for an Argento film, Anthony Franciosa does a great job as Peter Neal, so does the rest of the cast, especially John Saxon as Neal's agent, and Daria Nicolodi, Dario's ex-wife. Several legends of the Italian horror cinema are also involved on the production side plus acting, like Michele Soavi, and Lamberto Bava.

Add an almost Goblin score to that. Three members including Simonetti did it because the band had just split up and Simonetti & co didn't have the rights to use the Goblin name. The score is a mix of your basic electronic horror soundtrack with a bit of Disco and Electro mixed in and a bunch of weird experimental music too which is perfect for the movie, and the Italo-Disco main theme works well on the dancefloors. I used to play it at times back in the old days as a DJ and it rocked the clubs. There's a 12" single of it with added breaks in the beginning of the song that any DJ, Horror or Disco fanatic should get even if they have the album.

　
Also the movie has plenty of beautiful women, some get naked too, and the mix of sex & violence was a sure way for a film to end up on the video nasties list. A final great thing about this is the murder mystery plot. Dario' always does his own killings when shooting films, but I dare you to find out who the real killer is. You will have a very hard time, but in the end it all makes as much sense as a Giallo should. Finally, this is a great film to introduce people to Argento, the Italian horror genre, and the giallo as it's a mix of the American and Italian styles of moviemaking.

What's bad:
Absolutely nothing. Dario Argento is one of the very best horror and giallo directors and this is one of the masterpieces from his golden era.

Verdict:
Horror and giallos don't get much better or more brutal but at the same time cinematically artistic as this. This shows the damage a Dario Argento at his very best could do, and Tenebrae is also typical of the Italian cinema of the 80's when it comes to style though this is a lot better than the average later Italian Giallo. Another fantastic Goblin score, and different from their 70's work. They've always managed to change with the times, and be a bit ahead of them too so their newer albums are also great though very different from their older stuff, and the same can be said about Argento for the most part. Not only is this one of the best video nasties but one of the best horror and mystery movies of all time, period, so once you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth, so I give Tenebrae a solid...

6 (out of 6)