Runtime: 101 minutes
Directed by: Dario Argento
Starring: Anthony Franciosa, John Saxon, Daria Nicolodi, Giuliano Gemma, Christian Borromeo
From: Sigma Cinematografico Roma
As I mentioned recently, not everything I wanted to watch this season will be done so by the time that Halloween arrives in a few days. At least I am able to fulfill the promise I made early last month (in my review of the 1966 horror/sci-fi picture Queen of Blood) that I would see two movies featuring the late John Saxon. He was nice in Blood but was definitely memorable here in this famed giallo, even if he did not have the most screentime... at least he-as the lead's agent-was unforgettable both in performance and the interesting character quirk of him loving his new felt black hat.
Argento went meta as a reaction to the real-life double whammy of experiening both a stalker and a few senseless murders that occurred in Los Angeles when he was staying in Los Angeles a few years prior. A popular horror author named Peter Neal is in Rome; while there, several kills occur that were based on his new-and eponymous-novel. Of course, it's investigated by a pair of detectives... but what's up with the odd dreamlike sequences? Don't worry, that's explained by the end. There is criticism over the Neal's novels consisting of women in peril and their degradation... such things are not a recent “outraged Twitter user" phenomenon.
I know it's Wikpiedia but this film's page has a lot to say about a variety of topics... all the subtext (meta or not), duality, its influences not being devoted to the genre, the references to famous mystery novels, etc. It's all an interesting read and it demonstrates that Tenebrae is more than just a wild giallo which has various trademarks you'd expect and one rather gory scene. It having a futuristic look was by design; why Argento said that he set the movie “a few years in the future after a disaster which is never explained or elaborated upon” is odd, especially considering it is so subtle many may miss it; they'd of course notice it has the 1982 version of Skype and some austere sets (along with its bright look) but for me, I'll have my personal canon that the setting is a few years from now after COVID-19 is finally eradicated... oh, and in this world, it becomes clear that no woman wears a bra...
For some people, they first heard the Goblin theme song not from Tenebrae but rather the French electronic duo Justice sampling it for their tune Phantom. BTW, for the past 15 or so years I presumed they were a one album wonder to the point that their Cross album was the last one they did. Imagine my surprise when Wiki told me they've always been around since 2005 and have released a few subsequent albums. Who knew? Anyhow, the entire soundtrack is pretty dope.
It is a relief that this is one of Argento's good films rather than the ones he's made in (at least) the past twenty or so years, when he was apparently replaced by a far-inferior pod person. His 2009 movie Giallo... shudders.
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