Written & Directed by: Dario Argento
Cast: Anthony Franciosa, Christian Borromeo, Mirella D’Angelo, & Veronica Lario
Runtime: 110 min
Rating: R
Trailer

Anyone interested in the early films of Brian De Palma and Alfred Hitchcock, owes it to themselves to see Dario Argento’s classic Italian shock-horror oeuvre, Tenebre. The story is about American author Peter Neal’s (Anthony Franciosa) arrival in Rome for a publicity tour of his latest thriller, but no sooner than checking into his hotel room, it is discovered that a serial killer is murdering people in the same way the author describes in his book. As the body count rises and the detectives stall the case, Peter is forced to investigate the murders, using his novel as a guide.

Much in the same way De Palma’s early exploitation films like Sisters, Body Double, and Dressed to Kill, utilized stylized camera work and deep rooted psychological underpinnings to propel a seemingly conventional thriller, Tenebre’s great fun lies in its over-the-top kill scenes that utilize the mise-en-scene to full advantage, instead of strictly relying on blood and guts. Argento knows the effectiveness of a small throat slash that sends showers of bright red blood against a white wall, or the sight of a woman’s blood smeared against her white shirt. Where Hitchcock created suspense with direct use of montage and point of view shots, Argento effectively creates tension by literally stretching time. He cleverly glides his camera in long, unbroken takes, forcing the viewer to anticipate what will come next. All of action is mixed with a voyeuristic impulse that implicates the viewer, and Argento himself, with the violence on screen.

In one bravura shot, the camera starts from outside a floor window to traverse up the house, over the roof and down the other side of the opposite wall, only to stop at a second window just in time to see the killer cut open the window locks. Argento merges together the objective with the subjective, creating a great deal of tension and suspense throughout the film. This all culminates into a ludicrous and blood-filled finale that shows off Argento’s meticulous attention to detail and his enthusiasm for blood-letting. If you can get past the Italian dubbing and some cheesy wardrobe choices, you’ll have a blast.

Richard X
© Cinephile Magazine, 2006