Tenebre (1982)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Best movie ever!

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

I can never resist an opportunity to watch a Dario Argento film so I was happy when I had the chance to view Tenebre once again; it's been too long.Argento is not only a master of horror but a true master of death and murder, which he proves in this little mystery tale.When American author Peter Neal (played by Anthony Franciosa) arrives in Rome on his book tour for his latest novel "Tenebre" he is shocked when people linked to his book begin to be murdered, and in some instances in the same manner as the book.One of my favourite scenes in the movie is when the hotel owners daughter is dropped off after a night out and is then pursued by a very tenacious Doberman Pincher. Argento does a brilliant job of building the tension and keeping it up through to her demise. His use of lighting, colour, and music build a tautness that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seats. It's nice that he tones down his visual style a little for this film otherwise it could have been too overpowering and distract from the story.Argento's story is strong and filled with believable and relatable characters, which all the actors portray brilliantly adding to the strength of both the story and film. It is also one of first of his stories that aren't ambiguous and confusing.I would always recommend Dario Argento films as he has a style all of his own with a visual style which works perfectly with his movies. This one, more so, as most lovers of mysteries and thrillers should find something to enjoy in it.

Tenebre marks Argento's transition to mediocrity.It features a neat premise, rather fresh back then, a few sly bits, decent main performances, and yet for the first time the Master seems incapable of working his old magic.A sequence halfway through sums it up: a minor character's demise is depicted in an excruciatingly long set-piece, clocking at little less than ten minutes, with a chase, a couple of dog attacks and the coup de grace by an axe-wielding killer. It's strangely toothless stuff and, apart for the use of Argento's trademark "killer POV camera", lacking any particular visual flair.Quite interesting on a meta level is a moment where the main character, a writer, awkwardly defends himself against allegations of misogyny caused by the treatment of female characters in his works - allegations repeatedly faced by Argento himself in his career.5,5/10

An American writer named Peter Neal is stalked by a mysterious serial killer that is using Neal's novel as inspiration for his murders. Neal is immediately suspected of murders by the police. I've seen this three times. Every time I've watched it, my opinion on it hasn't changed. I think it is a "good" , but not great film. It moves a little too slowly for my liking at times. Argento's direction is as wild and stylish as ever. His use of colors, POV shots, among other crafty things, never fail to astound me (Check out that amazing chase scene involving a rabid dog) , I just wish he paced this film better. When it is good, it is very good. When it isn't, it turns into tedium. The gore is very explicit. An arm is chopped off in very bloody detail, the finale is loaded with blood as well. I'm not going to spoil all the goodies for you. You'll be satisfied, trust me. Argento also has a penchant for the bizarre as well. Wait until you see a dream sequence that commences periodically in the film. The killer at the end is actually somewhat surprising. It was a twist I didn't expect. The acting is fine for this sort of thing. Anthony Franciosa is solid as the lead. John Saxon has a part in this well, adding some class to the proceedings. Overall, I do like this movie. it has more than enough good things to make it worth your while, I just don't put it anywhere near the level of Suspiria or Deep Red like others do7.3/10

As a long time Argento fan I have seen most of his work, but for some reason this film has been off my radar until recently. I have to say though after a recent viewing (I have now seen it twice), this may be a masterwork. Susperia and Deep Red may have street credit, but for my money, THIS is the one that is the true giallo.It keeps the viewer wound up until the end. It is TRUE suspense. I am a grown man, who has seen all matter of exploitation, but true tension takes skill and that is exactly what Argento delivers in Tenebre. As the film moves on the suspense and levels build so high as the mystery of the whodunit unravels I literally had to get up and take a peepee break. If you are a fan of Argento and haven't seen this you must now. Also fans of Hitchcock and De Palma would be interested.The film is a high wired dance of the macabre. With excellent photography as usual from this bunch, featuring a 2 and half minute tracking shot which took 3 days to film. There are occasional times when plot elements seem far fetched, but that's a giallo for you. You have to suspend very little disbelief to enjoy this one, and when you do, you are thrust right into the jaws of an angry barking dog. See this.